"Known Only To God" - Part 2
The Discovery of Human Remains - March 19, 1996
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| Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendant John Latschar |
🙡 Report of Dr. John Latschar 🙣
"In the spring of 1996, a park visitor (fortunately, a NPS employee from Oregon) notified the park that he had seen what appeared to be human bones eroding from the slope of a bank on the battlefield. Preliminary analysis of the bone fragments by the Smithsonian Institute verified that they were human. Due to the area of the find, which was the scene of intense fighting during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the ongoing erosion of the bank due to lack of ground cover, the decision was made to initiate a full-fledged archeological investigation of the site. The purpose of the investigation was to find and recover any other remains from the site, to determine whether it was an isolated burial, and to date the burial, if possible.
The archeological work cost $37,600, part of which was reprogrammed from other park funds, part of which was provided by the Chesapeake System Support Office, and part of which was provided by Eastern National donation return funds. The archeological investigation was conducted by the Denver Service Center, with volunteer assistance provided by the Smithsonian Institute, the Corps of Engineers, GAI Consultants, Inc., and members of the Gettysburg Park Watch patrol. Following the completion of field work, the remains were sent to the Smithsonian for analysis.
The preliminary report from the Smithsonian verified that the remains were from an isolated Civil War burial. Features indicate that the individual was a young adult male, aged 20-25 years, who was probably killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Field indications from the recovery of the site indicate a high probability that the body was subjected to a hasty battlefield burial. Upon return from the Smithsonian, the remains will be placed in the Gettysburg National Cemetery in 1997."
