"Known Only To God" - Part 4
What The Experts Found - August 1996
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| Project area along south bank of railroad cut. Chambersburg Pike and Theological Seminary in background. Photograph by Benjamin Resnick |
🙡 Report: GAI Consultants, Inc. 🙣
In August 1996, GAI Consultants, Inc. completed a field investigation involving the archeological recovery of a Civil War-period burial identified along the south bank of "the railroad cut" in the northern portion of the park. Fieldwork followed the accidental discovery of eroded skeletal remains by a Park tourist in March 1996. Ben Resnick (GAI), Sue Frankenberg (University of Tennessee) and Kristen Stevens (National Park Service) served as principal investigators; Karen Orrence served as field director. Goals of the project included, in part, the recovery of additional skeletal remains associated with the eroded bone; a determination of the individual's age, sex, race, cause of death, and military affiliation; and ascertaining the presence or absence of any additional associated skeletal remains in the area.
Human skeletal elements recovered from the excavation include skull, mandible and teeth, clavicle, vertebra, scapula, pelvic and rib fragments, several long bones (including the right humerus, right and left radius and ulna, possible right fibula) and parts of the right? foot, in addition to numerous small unidentifiable fragments. In combination with bone previously collected in this area, approximately 60 to 70 percent of the body is represented by these fragments.
Osteological analysis conducted by Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution and Sue Frankenberg indicates that the individual was a physically active, young adult, Caucasian male between the ages of 20 and 25. Based on burial location and context, suspected cause of death, bone condition, lack of a coffin, presence of an associated nineteenth-century glass button, and historic cartographic evidence, the interment represents a Civil War battlefield burial. Based on the analysis of recovered skull fragments, it appears that the individual was killed as a result of a bullet wound (i.e., minie ball) to the back of the head. This is partially reflected in the X-rays of cranial fragments indicating the presence of minute amounts of lead. The individual was interred in a flexed position on his right side, with the left arm crossed over the right arm. These elements and portions of the right foot represent the only articulations present within the burial and suggest that soft tissue was present in these areas at the time of interment. The overall poor preservation of the skeleton is probably related to several factors, including the presence of possible battle-related wounds to the chest, rapid decomposition of the body due to extended postmortem exposure, and/or other post-depositional factors.
The general lack of artifacts associated with the interment makes identification by army, division, company, or by name, nearly impossible. The location of the burial site along the south bank of "the railroad cut" does suggest, however, that the individual probably was killed during intense fighting in this area on July 1, 1863. The location and orientation of the burial is consistent with renderings of Confederate graves on the Elliot Map which depicts a number of interments laid out perpendicular to "the railroad cut" in this general location. The recovery of what is thought to be Confederate "buck & ball" ammunition in similar context to the burial also lends to the theory that this may be a Confederate soldier. It is speculated that this soldier may have been a member of General Davis's 2nd Mississippi or 55th North Carolina Regiments who were retreating to "the railroad cut" late in the morning of July 1, 1863.
This is a tentative interpretation as to the identity of this individual and is not meant to be taken as a definitive explanation in this matter. One must note, for example, that nearly 150 men of the 6th Wisconsin Regiment were also killed in the field on this day. **
A draft technical report and popular report have been submitted to the Denver Service Center, National Park Service and Gettysburg National Military Park.
**NOTE: Though many speculate that the remains are those of a Confederate from either the 2nd Mississippi or 55th North Carolina due to the presence of the "buck and ball" ammunition found with the remains, the 6th Wisconsin re-enactor organization, after intensive research, maintain the soldier is one of theirs. They state that there is only ONE 6th Wisconsin soldier killed in the action at the railroad cut on July 1st who remains unaccounted for, and they believe the remains are his. The presence of the "buck and ball" ammunition found with the body and the documented cause of death being ascertained as "a gun-shot wound to the head", lend credence to their statement.
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
Forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley, Anthropology Head, Smithsonian National Museum, discusses remains found at the Railroad Cut at Gettysburg. Mr. Owsley is the head of Biological Anthropology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This event took place at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
"Known Only To God" - Part V
Dr. John Latschar, Park Superintendent writes:
"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."