From These Honored Dead: Historical Archaeology of the American Civil War

333 Pages·2014·78.94 MB·English

by  Clarence R. Geier

From These Honored Dead
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
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
From These
honored dead

Historical Archaeology of the American Civil War
Edited by
Clarence R. Geier,
Douglas D. Scott, and
Lawrence E. Babits
University Press of Florida
Gainesville / Tallahassee / Tampa / Boca Raton
Pensacola / Orlando / Miami / Jacksonville / Ft. Myers / Sarasota
Copyright 2014 by Clarence R. Geier, Douglas D. Scott, and Lawrence E. Babits
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, recycled paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
19 18 17 16 15 14 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
From these honored dead : historical archaeology of the American Civil War / edited by
Clarence R. Geier, Douglas D. Scott, and Lawrence E. Babits.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: This book contains sixteen original essays that highlight the role of historical
archaeology in our understanding of the American Civil War.
ISBN 978-0-8130-4944-1
1. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Antiquities. 2. Military
archaeology—United States. 3. Historic sites—United States. I. Geier, Clarence R.
II. Scott, Douglas D. III. Babits, Lawrence Edward.
E646.5.F76 2014
973.7—dc23 2013044107
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University,
Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University,
New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University
of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
List of Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
Clarence R. Geier, Lawrence E. Babits, and Douglas D. Scott
Part I. The Flow of Battle and Battlefield Landscapes 5
1. Civil War Archaeology in the Trans-Mississippi West 7
Douglas D. Scott
2. Archaeology of the First Battle of Boonville, Missouri, June 17, 1861 26
Douglas D. Scott, Steven J. Dasovich, and Thomas D. Thiessen
3. Massacre and Battle at Centralia, Missouri, September 27, 1864: Historical
and Archaeological Perspectives 42
Thomas D. Thiessen, Steven J. Dasovich, and Douglas D. Scott
4. An Archaeological Study of the Battlefield of Palmito Ranch: “The Last
Conflict of the Great Rebellion” 57
Charles M. Haecker
5. Archaeological Survey of Two Civil War Battlefields in the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia 72
Robert L. Jolley
6. “The Sensation of This Week”: Archaeology and the Battle of Fort
Stevens 88
John Bedell and Stephen Potter
7. South Carolina in the Civil War: A Historical-Archaeological
Perspective 104
Steven D. Smith
Part II. Military Support and the Life of the Common Soldier 119
8. With Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley: Wesley Merritt at Cedar Creek,
October 1864 123
Clarence R. Geier and Alyson L. Wood
9. Home Is Where the Woods Are: An Analysis of a Civil War Camp Complex
in Virginia 141
Matthew Reeves
10. The Fall 1863 Bivouac of the 14th Connecticut Infantry: Archaeological
Investigations of Troops on Active Campaign 159
Joseph F. Balicki
11. Issues of Horse and Mule Logistics in the Civil War 177
Joseph W. A. Whitehorne
Part III. Miscellaneous Studies: Military Earthwork Construction
and the Conservation and Care of Military Artifacts 191
12. Archaeology and Reconstruction of Fort Putnam, Camp Nelson: A Civil
War Heritage Park in Jessamine County, Kentucky 193
W. Stephen McBride, Kim A. McBride, and J. David McBride
13. The Application of Magnetic Prospecting Methods on the 1863 Bivouacs of
the 2nd Corps, 3rd Division, 2nd Brigade 207
Peter Leach, Kerri Holland, and Joseph F. Balicki
14. Confederate River Defenses during the American Civil War: A Case Study
from the Hammock Landing Battery on the Apalachicola River, Florida 222
C. Brian Mabelitini
15. The Tale of a Gun—IX-Inch Dahlgren #FP573: It’s Not Just a Cannon, It’s a
Story 238
Lawrence E. Babits, Christopher F. Amer, Lynn Harris, and Joe Beatty
16. Addressing the Myths: Recent Civil War Studies at the Blountville,
Tennessee, and Resaca, Georgia, Battlefields 247
Christopher T. Espenshade
Appendix. METT-T, KOCOA, and the Principles of War: A Template Guiding
a Better Understanding of Battlefield Behavior and Detritus 263
Lawrence E. Babits
References Cited 271
List of Contributors 305
Index 311
Figures
1.1. Referenced sites in trans-Mississippi area 12
1.2. Battlefield of Wilson’s Creek, Missouri 16
1.3. Battlefield of Pea Ridge, Arkansas 19
2.1. Sketch of Battle of Boonville 27
2.2. Map of Battle of Boonville archaeological inventory areas 33
2.3. Interpretative map of Union and Missouri State Guard positions during
Battle of Boonville 37
3.1. Map of Young’s Creek battle site in Centralia, Missouri 43
3.2. Surgeon’s sketch of Frank Barnes’s wound locations 47
3.3. Artifacts found during archaeological investigations 49
4.1. Setting of Battle of Palmito Ranch 58
4.2. Confederate and Union troop movements, Battle of Palmito Ranch 62
4.3. Distribution of artifacts recovered in metal-detecting program 65
4.4. Conoidal bullets 66
4.5. Round balls 68
5.1. 1873 military map of Third Battle of Winchester 73
5.2. 1862 military map of Battle of Front Royal 74
5.3. Civil War woodcut illustration of firing line 75
5.4. Third Battle of Winchester, showing distribution of artifacts identified in
Area C 80
5.5. Selected artifacts recovered from Third Battle of Winchester 81
5.6. Spencer casings from skirmish at Nineveh 84
6.1. Fort Stevens, Fort DeRussy, and Rock Creek valley in 1865 89
6.2. Ranges targeted by artillery fire from Fort DeRussy 94
6.3. Locations of military artifacts at Site 51NW163 96
6.4. Civil War artifacts from Site 51NW163 97
6.5. Fragment of 100-pounder Parrott shell 100
7.1. Location of Civil War archaeological sites in South Carolina 105
7.2. Civil War archaeological sites around Charleston, South Carolina 106
8.1. Major General Sheridan’s commanders 125
8.2. Setting of Merritt’s encampment and local military actions 127
viii Figures
8.3. Cultural landscape of Merritt’s camp 135
8.4. Distributions of encampment debris along Middle Marsh Run 136
8.5. Areas of artifact density with associated distribution of Sharps and Spencer
bullets 137
8.6. Camp of a regiment of five squadrons of cavalry 139
9.1. Confederate artifacts recovered from late summer regimental camp at
Montpelier 147
9.2. Overhead view of Gilmore Farm site 150
9.3. Artifact assemblage recovered from late antebellum slave quarters 153
9.4. Photograph of Gilmore Farm (ca. 1910), showing family’s first home 155
10.1. Location of 14th Connecticut bivouac on 1863 map 160
10.2. Field of operations in Virginia and Battle of Mine Run, November 1863 162
10.3. Distribution of artifacts recovered by metal detection 168
10.4. Distribution of melted lead 174
10.5. Distribution of Sharps and Minié ball ammunition 175
12.1. Defenses of Camp Nelson, Kentucky 195
12.2. Overlay of excavations on engineer plan of Fort Putnam 199
12.3. Rectangular revetment post molds in plan view 202
12.4. Rectangular revetment post mold in profile 203
12.5. Reconstructed Fort Putnam in use by 12th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery
reenactors 205
13.1. Project area map showing metal-detection objects, bivouac sites, and
magnetometer survey areas 208
13.2. Results of magnetometer survey, Bivouac One and Bivouac Two 215
13.3. Results of mechanical excavation at Bivouac One 216
13.4. Results of test unit excavation at Bivouac Two 218
14.1. Overlay of 1936 and 2010 maps of earthworks on Neal’s Bluff in Torreya
State Park, Florida 223
14.2. Defining features of Hammock Landing locale 228
14.3. Archaeological features associated with platform in Gun Emplacement 2 230
14.4. Northern and eastern extent of powder magazine 233
15.1. Pee Dee River system showing location of cannon recovery 239
15.2. Dahlgren gun crew on USS Miami 241
15.3. Left hammer lock, IX-inch Dahlgren, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 241
15.4. Left trunnion, IX-inch Dahlgren, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 242
16.1. Defining features, Battle of Blountville, Tennessee 251
16.2. Core battlefield and Confederate dead space, Battle of Blountville 253
16.3. Reconstruction of Federal charge, Battle of Blountville 253
16.4. Resaca, Georgia, 1864 256
16.5. Distribution of fired Confederate small arms munitions, Resaca
Battlefield 258
Tables
5.1. Performance comparison of metal-detectorists 76
6.1. Military artifact totals from Site 51NW163 98
6.2. Military artifact inventory from Site 51NW163 99
10.1. Civil War artifacts from the 14th Connecticut bivouac 169
10.2. Comparison of extracted ammunition 172
10.3. Comparison of frequencies of selected artifact types between a frontline
bivouac and a rear echelon camp 173
12.1. Whole cut nails from revetment posts 204
16.1. Military items from 2008 season, Resaca Battlefield, Georgia 259
16.2. Military items from 2011 season, Resaca Battlefield, Georgia 260