The Memory of Paoli: The Intersections Among Conflict, Memory, Memorial, and Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Beyond Battlefields: Culture and Conflict through the Philadelphia Campaign" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

On the night of September 20, 1777, British General Charles Grey led an elite group of his soldiers on a bayonet raid against American General Anthony Wayne and his encamped Pennsylvania Regulars.  The British burned the camp, injuring many, and killing fifty-two.  The battle quickly became recognized as the “Paoli Massacre” with the battle cry “Remember Paoli!” raised throughout the remainder of the American Revolution.  Archaeology at the Paoli Battlefield not only seeks to understand the conflict, but the legacy of the violence witnessed by the soldiers and the community.  This paper illustrates the importance of considering the memories associated with conflict.  Specifically, research questions address the interpretation of memories, not just an analysis of the conflict, because an event’s legacy affords important insights. This research considers the artifactual evidence of memory and the remembrance practices of war, illustrating important avenues for research; these methods can be applied to other conflict sites.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Beyond Battlefields: Culture and Conflict through the Philadelphia Campaign   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology