Recovered Civil War Era Bayonet, Fort Lee (FL2009.003)

On Thursday, October 22nd 2009, Fort Lee archaeologists were asked to report to the construction area off of Carver Avenue between Sisisky and 5th Avenues. After arriving at the site, the archaeologist recovered a heavily corroded bayonet which had been inadvertently excavated by heavy machinery. The area of discovery was an approximately ten foot deep excavated pit within the limits of construction. After the surrounding area was searched for additional cultural remains it was determined that the bayonet was an isolated find and construction should be allowed to continue.

Initial analysis of the bayonet suggests that it is a civil war era socket bayonet. Heavy concretions on the proximal end of the artifact limit further analysis at this point. The bayonet was compared to another bayonet currently part of the Fort Lee collection and was found to have an identical 18 inch long blade with a 3 inch long base. Based on this comparison the bayonet was probably a component of a .58 caliber rifle, used by both the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War.

This collection contains the Recovered Civil War Era Bayonet, Fort Lee project page and documents pertaining to its conservation.