By Nicholas Voltaggio
Centuries after the conflict that forged the United States, details of the human struggles of the American Revolution still are being uncovered.
Within Fort Hill, an area of the Morristown National Historical Park (Jockey Hollow), newly unearthed remains of soldier encampments lend a deeper appreciation of the adversity endured by the Continental Army.
Leading the effort is Richard Veit, chairman of the department of history and anthropology at Monmouth University.
Veit presented his findings, entitled Searching for the Citadel: Archaeological Investigations at Morristown National Historical Park, last week at the Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown.
For two years, Veit has led a team of student volunteers to Fort Hill to seek a better understanding of those who sacrificed so much in the cause of American liberty.
A section of Fort Hill where Hand’s Brigade encamped was a primary focus. The team utilized drones to scan the area, narrowing the scope of the excavation by highlighting areas where metal was present.
As a result, the students discovered outlines and crumbled remains of soldier housing. Veit concluded that soldiers had very little, often fitting several men to a single cot in already crowded huts.
Noteworthy artifacts included bones believed to be from animals the soldiers ate. Desperately hungry, the men often had to resort to unconventional dietary options.
These findings square with historical records, which describe a mutiny by Hand’s Brigade.
The mutineers had gone for extended periods without pay, with minimal clothing and shelter amid freezing winter temperatures.
Veit also found grapeshot — small pellets placed in a large bag and shot from a cannon. The bag would explode, scattering the grapeshot, an effect Veit compared to a hand grenade.
Findings like these further corroborate how devastating conditions were for soldiers, prompting insubordination.
New Jersey was “the de facto military capital of the American Revolution,” according to Veit, and Morristown was particularly significant.
George Washington spent the winter of 1779-80, the harshest winter of the war, at the Ford Mansion while his troops stayed at Jockey Hollow.
Given the deprivations facing these troops, it’s remarkable that most of them chose not to mutiny. Why they kept fighting is quintessential to our national character; understanding what motivated them is what makes archaeological research important to people like Veit.
Morristown Green correspondent Nicholas Voltaggio is a rising sophomore at Morristown High School.
Very interesting and informative article.
Thank you!