CAMDEN — A below-freezing wind chill, weeks of rain and manual labor might seem like a lot of work to recover an ounce of lead from the ground.
But for the team of veterans digging up this Camden Revolutionary War era battlefield, it’s bigger than that.
“For veterans, that’s a sacred space out there on that battlefield, and that’s how they treat it. They work harder because of it,” said Joseph Humphries, founder of American Veterans Archaeological Recovery.
Through a grant from the American Battlefield Trust, the nonprofit organization hosted a four-week “field school” for 14 veterans. In partnership with Historic Camden, the group excavated a battlefield from the Battle of Camden, and a field in the original town of Camden that they believe the British military may have camped on.
“Field School” is an academic requirement for professional archeologists, but it is often thousands of dollars. And for specialized studies, like combat archeology, it can be nearly impossible to find programs that cater to that niche.
It’s not the first time the two organizations have partnered on projects, but the long-term nature of this collaboration makes it the first of its kind between the groups.
This specific project isn’t focused on finding what’s in the ground, but rather on “creating a cadre of professional archeologists who understand battlefields on this deep level from having been soldiers themselves”, said Mary Koik, communications director for American Battlefield Trust.
“The synergy here is just something special. The battlefield is helping them, and through that, they’re going to help the battlefields,” said Koik.
Rehabilitation archaeology
American Veterans Archaeological Recovery specializes in “rehabilitation archaeology,” a field-work based program that helps veterans work through feelings of “isolation, disempowerment, and loss of purpose” they may experience in the transition to civilian life.
“The best place for these guys to recover and remember who they are is to put them on (battlefields),” said Humphries, “but the reason they’re allowed on those sites is because they’re really, really good archeologists.”
The nonprofit mainly focuses on the niche “combat archaeology”: the study of battlefields and military movements. Humphries said vets are particularly suited to this work on a physical level because they have a high work ethic, take direction very well, are great at team-work, and aren’t afraid of manual labor.
Ana Collins and Jesse Howard stood shoulder to shoulder last week at the battlefield, diligently scraping sifting screens free of dirt. Through the cold wind and the hand-numbing work, they cracked jokes and shared laughter.
They both spent time in the army — Collins served in the signal corps, and Howard spent three years as an infantryman before he got injured.
Collins found the archaeological recovery group through a Facebook listing when she was looking for a job, and she immediately fell in love.
“I think just working outside, doing physical work in itself is beneficial,” said Collins. “There’s always something to learn so you don’t get stagnant.”
When it comes to combat archaeology, Howard agreed that vets have special skills that help with the work. “We have a good mindset for it. We know the best way to look at terrain, how troops would have been moved throughout specific battlefield areas.”
Humphries said that very mindset is the thing that makes vets so successful in the field, noting that civilians don’t have the same “buy-in” to combat archeology.
“For veterans, when we look at battlefields, all of us are going to see some kid that we worked with back in the day,” said Humphries.
Many of the soldiers who died in the battle of Camden were young men. Humphries said when he steps onto that field, images of 18-year-olds that served under him during his time as a lieutenant flash through his mind.
“If the only thing that’s left of that kid is a musket ball or a buckle, I’m gonna find it. I’m not gonna give up because it’s cold, or mucky, or nasty out there,” said Humphries. “If I have to swing my metal detector over every inch of that battlefield, I’ll do it.”
Findings
Through highly sensitive metal detectors and ground penetrating radar, the archaeologists are able to put together a “map” that shows where possible artifacts might be lodged in the earth.
Humphries said the story of Camden has always been that the American militia’s ranks were broken by the British, and they took off running. But they want to know exactly where the militia was positioned, and see if there was more of a firefight than previously thought.
At the battlefield, they were specifically looking for munitions — heavier musket balls, and smaller “buckshot.” They can pinpoint which munitions came from which army, and can even tell if a munition made contact. The musket balls are made of lead, a very soft metal that expands upon contact, and can even become imprinted with the clothing fibers it passes through.
At the campsite, they found a “remarkable” amount of china.
Humphries said they’ve only scratched the surface of exploration into the fields. With the continued support from the Camden community and the battlefield trust, he hopes to bring American Veterans Archaeological Recovery back next year.
–postandcourier.com
