Civil War, 19th century (Temporal Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Kim A. McBride.

The Confederate encampment at Beech Grove from December 5, 1861 to January 19, 1862 was under the command of Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer, but came to a rapid halt following the defeat of Confederate forces on January 19, 1862, including the death of Gen. Zollicoffer, in the nearby Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky.  This defeat led to a rapid abandonment of Beech Grove, with many supplies left in place.   We carried out unit and trench excavations in early April, 2017 at one earthwork and three...

DOCUMENT Citation Only J David McBride.

The Beech Grove Confederate encampment, December 5, 1861 to January 19, 1862, was positioned so that it took advance of the natural defenses provided by White Oak Creek and the Cumberland River.   But an exposed area to the north and west had to be fortified with entrenchments and numerous earthworks.   These earthworks were recently better identified with the use of LiDAR mapping.  Archaeological trenching into an earthwork provided even more information about their construction.  

DOCUMENT Citation Only W. Stephen McBride.

One methodology used during the Beech Grove investigations was metal detecting, conducted by professional archaeologists and metal detector hobbyists working together.  The detecting resulted in the recovery of numerous artifacts, clustered in four main concentrations (A-D).  The artifacts recovered included machine cut nails/nail fragments, cast iron kettle/dutch oven fragments, horseshoe nails, horse/mule shoes, chain fragments, ammunition, melted lead, kitchen/table utensils, wire, strap...

DOCUMENT Citation Only W. Stephen McBride. Kim A. McBride. Philip B. Mink. George Crothers.

Sutler stores were a common component of large Civil War era camps.  At Camp Nelson, a large Union Civil War Depot in Jessamine County, Kentucky, several stores are listed in official records.  The store run by William Berkley has been the site of archaeological investigation for the last few years.  New work at the site has greatly expanded our understanding of the breadth of goods sold, including the international original of many goods.  These excavations have also enhanced our...