Battery C Revealed

Battery C Revealed. . Four maps drawn during the Civil War show Battery C. On each, the size and shape of the battery is different. Archaeological investigations conducted in 2011 and 2013 uncovered some surprising facts about this battery., Calling in the Professionals , Professional archaeologists had never investigated this site. Nothing of Battery C was visible on the surface, and the historic maps raised more questions than they answered. There were plans to interpret and make the site accessible to visitors, which required earth moving and construction. It was time to do archaeology to see if any subsurface remains of Battery C existed and what they might reveal. , Scientific Methods Yield Results , The archaeologists used investigative techniques ranging from systematic metal detector surveys to hand excavation to backhoe trenching. They mapped the location and depth of each artifact recovered and recorded the soils in each trench. An intriguing discovery of subtle differences in soil color and texture led to the definition of the ditch in front of Battery C. The distribution of Civil War-era nails defined the revetment, the wooden retaining wall that held the earth in place. Perhaps the most interesting discovery was the shape of Battery C, which was different than shown on any of the historic maps. , The vine-covered mesh structure duplicates the height and width of Battery C. The wood represents the revetment., [Photo captions] , Bottom left: , Archaeologists under the direction of Dr. W. Stephen McBride, McBride Preservation Services, Lexington, Kentucky, conducted the field work. , Above: The archaeologists employed a backhoe to dig trenches. , Upper right: Careful hand excavation was used to explore features-differences in soil color and texture or concentrations of artifacts. , Lower right: An archaeologist screens soil to recover artifacts., Right side: , Slight differences in soil color and texture indicated the location of the parapet-the wall of the earthwork-and the ditch in front of Battery C. , The most common of artifacts have value for the information they hold. The distribution of cut nails, below, indicated the location of the revetment.