Feds Quietly Dig Up 67 Civil War Graves

Secret Exhumations Took Place Last Summer After Mass Looting Revealed By Tipster

(AP)  Working in secret, federal archaeologists have dug up the remains of dozens of soldiers and children near a Civil War-era fort after an informant tipped them off about widespread grave-looting.

The exhumations, conducted from August to October, removed 67 skeletons from the parched desert soil around Fort Craig - 39 men, two women and 26 infants and children, according to two federal archaeologists who helped with the dig.

They also found scores of empty graves and determined 20 had been looted.

The government kept its exhumation of the unmarked cemetery near the historic New Mexico fort out of the public's eye for months to prevent more thefts.

The investigation began with a tip about an amateur historian who had displayed the mummified remains of a black soldier, draped in a Civil War-era uniform, in his house.

Investigators say the historian, Dee Brecheisen, may have been a prolific looter who spotted historical sites from his plane. Brecheisen died in 2004 and although it was not clear whether the looting continued after his death, authorities exhumed the unprotected site to prevent future thefts.

"As an archaeologist, you want to leave a site in place for preservation ... but we couldn't do that because it could be looted again," Jeffery Hanson, of the Bureau of Reclamation, told The Associated Press.

The remains are being studied by Bureau of Reclamation scientists, who are piecing together information on their identities. They will eventually be reburied at other national cemeteries.

Most of the men are believed to have been soldiers - Fort Craig protected settlers in the West from American Indian raids and played a role in the Civil War. Union troops stationed there fought the Confederacy as it moved into New Mexico from Texas in 1862.

The children buried there may have been local residents treated by doctors at the former frontier outpost, officials said.

Federal officials learned of the looting in November 2004, when Don Alberts, a retired historian for Kirtland Air Force Base, tipped them off about a macabre possession he'd seen at Brecheisen's home about 30 years earlier.

Alberts described seeing the mummified remains of a black soldier with patches of brown flesh clinging to facial bones and curly hair on top of its skull. Alberts said the body had come from Fort Craig.

"The first thing we did was laughed because who would believe such a story," Hanson said. "But then we quickly decided we better go down and check it out."

Weeks later, Hanson and fellow archaeologist Mark Hungerford surveyed the cemetery site and found numerous holes - evidence of unauthorized digging.

While records show the cemetery had been disinterred twice by the Army in the late 1800s, it wasn't known how many bodies remained. Hanson said ground-penetrating radar revealed the Army left behind about one-third of the bodies.

A lack of funding and various federal procedures delayed the excavation until last summer.

Brecheisen's son told authorities where the mummified remains from his father's home were. A person who hasn't been publicly identified handed over a more-than-century-old skull packaged in a brown paper bag. Alberts said that skull, which still had hair attached, was the one he'd seen years earlier.

Authorities also found some Civil War and American Indian artifacts in Brecheisen's home, but the display rooms that showcased Brecheisen's collections had already been emptied out and auctioned off by his family after his death, Hanson said.

Investigators believe Brecheisen did most of his looting alone, but they also know he dug with close friends and family at the Fort Craig site. Some who accompanied him led authorities to the grave sites, Hanson said.

Brecheisen was a decorated Vietnam veteran and flew for the Air National Guard during a 26-year military career. His family described him as "one of the state's foremost preservationists of historical facts and sites" in his obituary.

Those close to Brecheisen said his looting may have been motivated by anger toward the Bureau of Land Management, but no further details were available. Alberts described him as a collector; it wasn't clear whether Brecheisen sold any of the items.

Investigators believe he also dug up grave sites in Fort Thorn and Fort Conrad in southern New Mexico as well as prehistoric American Indian burial sites in the Four Corners region.

Hungerford said they also believe he may have taken the Fort Craig burial plot map, which is missing from the National Archives.

The criminal case against Brecheisen was closed upon his death and there are no plans to investigate his family members, assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McCulloch said.

Alberts said he asked Brecheisen to come clean.

"I had urged him to simply return the remains, about 10, 15 years before he got ill. I offered to act as an honest broker to the deal and see that they were returned, but I didn't get a response," Alberts said. "I didn't want to get a friend in trouble."

He added: "But you look back and think you would have done everything differently if you would have known everything was going to disappear."

[JohnDillon]

Downsteamjim: "All of the adults that were found during the excavation have registered as Democrats in time for the next election."
Sad, but I agree. Acorn has already taken care of their registrations.
Robertg222: "I guess digging up graves is OK as long as it's not an Indian burial ground."
Correct, just as long as these long deceased were thought to be "white" Civil War era soldiers & or their children it appears to be ok to ignore them, but a "black" Union soldier on display, now that's a crime. To despoil an Indian burial grounds would be almost as bad. However, if they were just a bunch of "white" people, our wonderful politically correct government wouldn't give a rip. Yes, any burial plundering is wrong, even those which despoil the graves of "white" people.

[downsteamjim]

All of the adults that were found during the excavation have registered as Democrats in time for the next election.

robertg222 : digging up graves is not "okay." they''re going to rebury these individuals in order to protect the remains from greedy relic hunters.

[veteran72]

When I go to pisss on Shrub''s and Darth''s grave in the future, will it be against the law, or will I have to pay money and wait in line???......

[glock4me]

I wish it were that easy to get rid of the yankees where I live.

[pvperson]

I don''t know about exCoachKen, but after all things Bush and his friends have stuffed up our a.s.s''s for seven years, I always think of him when I get constipated, speakinup.

[t-0-m]

Thank you George.

[stn_sage]

It''s unfortunate this site and others weren''t protected and excavated many years ago! The govt should also recoup from this collector---thief---all the artifacts that he took from the site! Since he''s dead, he can''t appreciate them anymore, but the public might be interested in seeing them! I hope they do that as well.

[robertg222]

I guess digging up graves is OK as long as it''s not an Indian burial ground.

[rf35]

The investigation began with a tip about an amateur historian who had displayed the mummified remains of a black soldier, draped in a Civil War-era uniform, in his house.

What kind of sick f*ck would display something like that in his home?!? At least the government is doing the right thing for once and moving these remains to proper national cemeteries.

[speakinup]

exCoachKen - paranoia strikes deep. When you get constipated, do you blame it on Bush ?

[elkc]

I agree if there is one thing you can believe it is you can''t believe anything you are told, especially by this current administration and its supporters. It is sad to think that it took 30 years to discover graves had been robbed, that were located on Federal Land. Even worse is the oh-hum attitude that officials are taking to get the remains to a resting place, where their interment will be honored, respected and protected from looters. Still it bothers me that a location with so much historical importance and information is looked over and then forgotten. Is this a suggestion of how our military hero%u2019s who die in the war of lies will be remembered? Will they be known for being slaughtered in a war, one which was created only to falsely create the notion a prophecy was unfolding bringing a Holy Declaration? Is this how someday they, the hero%u2019s of today, will be discovered buried in a sandy plot at an abandoned military base in a ran-down interurban locale that is waiting for the future to hold today%u2019s historical sadness? To see our future sometimes all we need to do is look at the past.

[tomtomasters]

I wonder if they found any Salem Witches graves, that they could loot and pay the money to Bill Clinton because Ken Starr the prosecutor wasted so much of our tax money for nothing. Or how about looting Saddams Grave. Everything else is lootable in Iraq. BUt then again maybe Saddam really isn''t dead. We don''t know for sure. All we saw was a noose around his neck. They lies about going to war, I bet they lied about his execution. If Saddam was dead Bush would have his head mounted on the wall in the white house wouldn''t he? Anyone think that is why America is not pulling out, because really Saddam is not dead, and the Iraqi Government is threatening to tell the truth if the US pulls out. Killing Saddam would have been a pretty dumb thing don''t you think? If they are holding potential terrorist in secret locations without trials why wouldn''t they do it with Saddam? Saddam is probably a store house of information, so why kill him? He would probably be a bargaining chip in trying to gain information about potential plans in attacking Israel. Are we that dumb to think he is dead? I don''t think he is dead, or ole Bushy really is a dumba$$.

[gkc99]

And when will Skull and Bones give back Geronino''s skull that Bushit the Elder help steal from Fort Sill?

[excoachken]

Once again, you must ask why a story this "old" is released by the Government at this precise time? With manipulative Carl Rove still "involved" the public must always be on guard for "suspicious" created news.

[searcher911]

I wish that the feds had even half of the capability to keep secrets that they are credited with by people that haven''t a clue as to how the government works. Agencies are typically underfunded and understaffed for the tasks that they are required by law to do. This leads to high levels of frustration. Throw in politically motivated misdirection, goofy legal interpretations and regulations and you add even more frustrations to the folks just trying to do their job. This is not the type of situation where any kind of serious secrets are held for very long.

[summarex]

Yup
We''ve been seeing too many stories about government heroics.

[shanev137]

Now, just imagine what else the Feds are hiding from you.