Posted on 08/15/2025 8:01:22 AM PDT by Red Badger
In a shameful act of vandalism, the grave of Captain William Lytle, a Revolutionary War hero, was found destroyed in a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, graveyard, leading local patriots to set up a GoFundMe in support of the grave’s restoration, along with repairs to other surrounding headstones that were vandalized.
For background, on August 13, 2025, local press accounts confirmed that the grave of Captain Lytle, along with headstones belonging to members of his family, was found destroyed, with local members of the Tennessee Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) responding by working to restore the site as quickly as possible to honor the war hero’s legacy.
Explaining the damage to WGNS, SAR Stones River president Robert Bolyard said of the graves, “They were either broken or knocked over. As you can see, there’s not a headstone that hasn’t been vandalized, someway, somehow.” He added, “And now, we’re just at the beginning stages of finishing up the police report and starting the restoration process.”
Continuing, Bolyard said that his organization “will be setting up a GoFundMe page so that people can help, because we’re getting a lot of people asking, ‘What can I do? What can I do?'” Moreover, WGNS confirmed that a $1,000 cash reward is available to anyone who has “information about the vandalism.”
Additionally, the Sons of the American Revolution launched their GoFundMe page for the grave’s restoration on August 13, 2025, setting their goal at $50,000. On the page, local SAR member Jim Sandman extended a “heartfelt request to support…efforts to restore, preserve, and maintain the Captain William Lytle Historical Cemetery, which was senselessly vandalized in June 2025.” Sandman added, “At least nine graves were damaged or toppled over.”
Providing further background on the hero whose grave was senselessly desecrated, Sandman wrote, “Captain William Lytle served in the American Revolution, and afterwards was granted land, some of which he donated for the founding of Murfreesboro, named after another soldier in the War for Independence, Col. Hardy Murfree.”
Continuing, Sandman explained that the desecrated site was a “Tennessee Historic Cemetery” that has been “the site of multiple community events and ceremonies held by local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).”
Furthermore, on August 14, 2025, WSMV 4 confirmed that an investigation into the vandalism had commenced, with the Murfreesboro Police Department explaining that its property crime investigations division was on the case. In addition, Robert Bolyard told WSMV 4, “We are determined to make it right, get it right,” adding, “Be ready to celebrate his life, his accomplishments, and everything that all our patriots did.” Likewise, SAR member Mark Young said that the restoration of the headstones would be like completing a “700-pound puzzle.”
Watch coverage of the destruction to the graves:
VIDEO AT LINK.....................
Featured image credit: video screengrab
Some of my ancestors received Revolutionary War land grants in Tennessee. That was pretty common. Tennessee and Kentucky had been parts of North Carolina and Virginia and were largely unsettled.
As of July 4, 1776, the former colonies became states.
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