The Archaeology of the American Revolution, livre ebook

New interpretations of the Revolutionary War era in a wide-ranging collection of cutting-edge archaeology and interdisciplinary insights

Although the American Revolutionary War has been extensively studied by archaeologists, this volume is the first to take a holistic approach to this storied conflict, incorporating perspectives of the field and related disciplines. The Archaeology of the American Revolution draws on the expertise of a variety of scholars who move beyond the traditional focus on military camps, battlefields, and famous leaders to provide fresh insights into the war’s broader impacts.

This volume connects historical narratives with material culture, explores how cutting-edge archaeological methods like LiDAR and drone technology have illuminated previously undiscovered sites, and examines how material remnants and memorials shape the ways the war is remembered. The diversity of approaches in these chapters, including archaeology, public history, and forensic anthropology, offers brand-new perspectives on often-studied events. Topics range from the earliest days of the war in New England to the fighting in the mid-Atlantic and finally the partisan conflicts in the southern campaign.

The research gathered in this volume is essential for understanding the multifaceted nature of the American Revolution and the many ways this era can be studied. In bringing together interdisciplinary contributions, this collection enhances, questions, and even contradicts accepted beliefs about the Revolution, offering valuable new interpretations of this critical period in American history.

List of Illustrations

Foreword

Introduction
Matthew A. Kalos and Richard F. Veit

Part I. Historical Narratives and Material Culture

1. Gershom Prince, African American Revolutionary War Soldier, His Powder Horn, and the 1778 Battle of Wyoming: A Personal Perspective
M. Denise Dennis

2. “All This Appears to Be Forgotten Now”: Memory, Race, and Commemoration at Red Bank Battlefield
Jennifer Janofsky

3. Rending the Social Fabric: Revolution in Western Gloucester County, New Jersey
Garry Wheeler Stone

4. “Destruction and Wanton Waste”: The Impact of War on a Peaceful Valley
Andrew M. Outten

5. “A Kind of Partisan War”: An Overview of Archaeological Research on the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, 1780–1782
Steven D. Smith

Part II. Archaeology Interpretations

6. Bullet‑Riddled Artifacts: Curated Objects of Memory from the First Day of the American Revolution
Joel R. Bohy and Douglas D. Scott

7. Archaeological Investigations on the Barber Wheatfields, Saratoga National Historical Park
William A. Griswold and Joel Dukes

8. Archaeology of Cook’s Fort: A Revolutionary Era Frontier Fort
W. Stephen McBride, Kim Arbogast McBride, and George M. Crothers

9. Shedding New Light onto the Past: A LiDAR‑and Drone‑Based Documentation Project and Analysis of the 1777 Middlebrook Encampment Redoubt
Michael C. Brown and Evan Mydlowski

10. Unearthing the “Log House City”: Archaeology at the Pennsylvania Line’s 1780–1781 Camp, Morristown, New Jersey
Richard F. Veit, Adam Heinrich, Sean McHugh, and Steven Santucci

11. Damages, Depredations, Sufferings, and Destruction: The Landscape of Conflict and the “Late War with Great Britain”
Wade Catts and Robert Selig

12. The Lost Fleet of Crosswicks Creek: Assessing an Assemblage of Revolutionary War Shipwrecks
Jaclyn Fischer, Richard F. Veit, and Stephen Nagiewicz

Part III. Remembrance and Memory

13. The Memory of Paoli: The Intersections among Conflict, Memory, Memorial, and Archaeology
Matthew A. Kalos

14. Memorialization, Reconstruction, Erosion, and Sham Battles: Multiple Ways of Remembering the Battle of Fort Mercer, New Jersey
Wade Catts

15. “Donop Was Lost”: Using Forensic Science to Resolve a Case of Mistaken Identity from the Revolutionary War
Richard F. Veit, Thomas A. Crist, Saine C. Hernandez‑Burgos, and Hillary A. DelPrete

Afterword
Matthew A. Kalos and Richard F. Veit

List of Contributors

Index