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Recently a group of disabled veterans gathered to dig a Revolutionary war Battlefield, but was far from the usual excavation.
The project, which was organized by the archaeological recovery of American veterans (AVAR), took place during four weeks and ended in February.
Fourteen veterans arrived at Kershaw County in South Carolina to dig where the battle of Camden was fought in August 1780, but they were not only looking for musket balls.
The founder of Avar, Stephen Humphreys, told Fox News Digital that training archaeologists were using GPS receptors to collect spatial data to learn more about battle, which was considered a devastating loss for colonial forces.
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“Many Americans have not heard of that … but it is an extremely significant battle for the south in particular and the north too,” explained the expert. “One of the great research questions is, you know, how much the US militia fights, because the American militia really catches the worst part of the fault of losing the battle.”
The archaeological recovery of American veterans recently directed an excavation in Camden Battlefield in South Carolina. (American Battlefield Trust)
Part of the mission was to improve the historical understanding of the conflict collecting enough data to generate a heat map of the battle movements.
“The textual sources of the American militia indicate that almost immediately … and so we wanted to see, ‘archeologically, is it?'” Humphreys explained. “So we are working in those areas to see how much American fire there is here. How much did the US militia really participate before retiring?”
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Finding old artifacts may sound simpler than what are doing greedy archaeologists, but Humphreys emphasized that collecting spatial data helps shed more light on battle movements.
“(We are) using an intensive metal detector survey to draw exactly where the different forces were during the battle, what were the movements,” he described. “We are obtaining spatial data for each Musket ball that is located On the site, draw that Gist Gis map (geographic information system). And that allows us to see, ideally, where some of these units were on the day of the battle and where they were not. “
The group included more than a dozen veterans, and many of them are disabled. (American Battlefield Trust)
“And what you finish is basically a heat map that shows patterns on the battlefield, and we use it to evaluate where the troops fired, where they shot,” Humphreys added.
Humphreys, a veteran of the United States Air Force that was deployed during Operation Libertad Iraquí and Operation Libertad during, has a pH.D. in Archeology of the University of Durham. He has participated in excavations worldwide, from Israel to Sicily to The United Kingdom
Humphreys founded Avar in 2016 to give veterans a chance become archaeologists. Many of his students contribute unique features to the field, and Humphreys said that a good part of the GFO veterans are disabled.
“They are willing to do extra work … They have a deep appreciation for those sites as sacred land.”
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“While most of our veterans have several disabilities, we really focus on the strengths they contribute to the field, “said Humphreys.” And we take advantage of the ones, so we focus so much on conflict sites. We really find that military veterans Bring a unique understanding and unique respect for those sites. “
The founder of Avar also said that working on the site can help reduce the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression for the disabled veterans, but the main AVAR approach is to get them jobs.
The archaeological recovery of American veterans was founded in 2016 with the mission of helping veterans to the field of archeology. (American Battlefield Trust)
“They bring excellence and teamwork,” Humphreys said about his veterans. “They can join very, very fast. They understand how to do the work. Veteran work ethics is really insurmountable in this field.”
“Our veterinarians work harder than most other people, and are demanded by that,” he added. “And they are willing to perform the additional work, make an additional effort to find all the artifacts that can relate to that person and tell that personal story.”
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Humphreys also described the American revolution Site as “special”, and pointed out that veterans often feel an attachment to such areas.
“They have a deep appreciation for those sites as sacred terrain,” he said. “You leave there, you feel that the wind blows through the pines that are there now, and only has a presence.”
The archaeologists veterans gathered spatial data to learn more about the battle of Camden. (American Battlefield Trust)
The associated organizations of the excavation also included the American Battlefield Trust, the historic Camden Foundation, the South Carolina American Revolution Trust and the Institute of Archeology and Anthropology of South Carolina.
The president of American Battlefield Trust, David Duncan, told Fox News Digital that it was an honor to be part of the excavation.
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“The AVAR mission demonstrates multiple ways in which the preserved battlefields remain shocking: as a means for us to deepen our understanding of the past through tangible exploration and as a place for the improvement of the mental and physical well -being of veterans,” Duncan said.
“We are honored to take this immensely shocking program to trust -owned land and be part of this significant program.”
Fox News Digital Brooke Curto contributed to this report.
