Beech Grove Soldiers Said They Were "Living Fat," And Archaeological Evidence Elaborates

Summary

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 encampment areas of Beech Grove.  These excavations resulted in the recovery of many Civil War era artifacts as well as the recording of several cellar-like features that were likely underneath or near to winter huts.   The artifacts recovered were fragmentary, but quite diverse and representing an unexpectedly rich and diverse assemblage, much more similar to a typical domestic assemblage than we had expected.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Beech Grove, Kentucky: Investigation and Interpretation of an Early Confederate Encampment   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 230