The Archaeology of Class, Status and Authority Within Mid-19th Century U. S. Army Commissioned Officers: Examples from Fort Yamhill and Fort Hoskins, Oregon 1856-1866

Summary

In 1856 Fort Yamhill and Fort Hoskins were established to guard the newly established Oregon Coast Reservation.  Charged with controlling traffic in and out of the northern part of the reservation these posts served as "post-graduate schools" for several officers who would later become high ranking generals during the American Civil War.  During their service these men, often affluent and well educated, held the highest social, economic and military ranks at these frontier military posts.  This paper examines the material culture associated with six of the commissioned officer’s houses from these posts.  The archaeological assemblages from these houses vary in terms of artifact quality, quantity and variety by military rank and suggests that although mid-19th century U. S. Army officers were united by notions of class, status and authority they were competitive individuals that were interested in displaying and affirming their military, social and economic position.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Landscapes of Colonialism in the North American West

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 395