Historical Archaeology of the Revolutionary War Encampments of Washington’s Army, livre ebook

This volume presents recent archaeological and ethnohistorical research on the encampments, trails, and support structures of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. These sites illuminate the daily lives of soldiers, officers, and camp followers away from the more well-known military campaigns and battles.

The research featured here includes previously unpublished findings from the winter encampments at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, as well as work from sites in Redding, Connecticut, and Morristown, New Jersey. Topics range from excavations of a special dining cabin constructed for General George Washington to ballistic analysis of a target range established by General von Steuben. Contributors use experimental archaeology to learn how soldiers constructed their log hut quarters, and they reconstruct Rochambeau’s marching route through Connecticut on his way to help Washington defeat the British at Yorktown. They also describe the underrecognized roles of African descendants, Native peoples, and women who lived and worked at the camps.

Showing how archaeology can contribute insights into the American Revolution beyond what historical records convey, this volume calls for protection of and further research into non-conflict sites that were crucial to this formative struggle in the history of the United States.

List of Figures

List of Maps

List of Tables

Foreword
David R. Starbuck

Introduction
David G. Orr

Chapter 1. “Make sure you Aim, for one Shot well pointed is worth a Dozen thrown away”: Evidence of a Musketry Range at Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania
Wade P. Catts and Joseph F. Balicki

Chapter 2. A More Tolerable Quarter: Archaeology at Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Joseph R. Blondino

Chapter 3. The Material World of the Revolutionary War Soldier at Valley Forge Revisited: Comparative Excavations of a Brigade Encampment on the Grounds of the Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Jesse West-Rosenthal

Chapter 4. “The Ground Necessary”: Excavations of a Brigade Encampment, Wayne’s Woods, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Julia Steele, Douglas Campana, and David G. Orr

Chapter 5. Building the Log Hut City: An Analysis Using the Tools Issued at Morristown, New Jersey
Mathew Grubel

Chapter 6. Forgotten Stones: The Rediscovery of Redding’s Middle Encampment
Bethany A. Morrison and Cosimo A. Sgarlata

Chapter 7. The Unfulfilled American Revolution
Laurie Weinstein, Diane Hassan, and Samantha Mauro

Chapter 8. The Rochambeau Project: Historical and Archaeological Documentation of the French Army’s Marches through Connecticut in 1781 and 1782
Mary Guillette Harper

Chapter 9. Incidents of Regional Variation in Winter Encampment Hut Construction: Huts and History at Redding, Connecticut
Daniel Cruson

Chapter 10. Conclusion
Cosimo A. Sgarlata

List of Contributors

Index