The remains of four Civil War soldiers, discovered in 2023 by archaeologists with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, have been reinterred, The Associated Press reported. Now, researchers are working to use DNA to identify those 19th century remains.
Archaeologists first discovered these remains while excavating the grounds of a building that stored gunpowder during the American Revolution. They soon determined that the bones were from the Civil War, when a nearby hospital treated wounded Confederate soldiers.
The remains included four skeletons — one with a bullet in its spine — and three additional amputated legs from other soldiers. Also found in the grave sites were two gold coins, a snuff bottle, and a toothbrush, The Washington Post reported.
The soldiers fought in the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862, AP reported. Researchers from William & Mary’s Institute for Historical Biology estimated the ages of the soldiers to be between 15 and 19 for the youngest and between 35 and 55 for the oldest.
On Juen 3, the remains were reinterred at a cemetery in Williamsburg near Confederate soldiers from the same battle.
Using archived lists of soldiers who received treatment at the hospital, researchers have begun working to identify the soldiers. They have narrowed down potential identities to four men who served in regiments from Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Now, the researchers will use genetic evidence recovered from the skeletons’ teeth and request DNA swabs from potential living relatives in the hopes of making a positive identification. This process will likely take several months, AP reports.
Feature image of Colonial Williamsburg, stock.adobe.com
