COINS, LEGS, SOLDIERS AT CIVIL WAR GRAVESITE

 

Two $1 U.S. gold coins were found in one of the graves. (Image credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)

Graves containing the skeletal remains of four Civil War soldiers and three amputated human legs are the latest discoveries to come out of an archaeological excavation at a 161-year-old battle site in Virginia.

The Powder Magazine was also the site of the Battle of Williamsburg, which took place on May 5, 1862, during the Union army's unsuccessful attempt to seize Richmond, the Confederate capital at the time.

"As we excavated, we weren't expecting to find graves. We discovered what we thought was a posthole for a fence, but instead we found a skull."

Further digging revealed three individual graves: one small burial containing the amputated legs, another housing three Confederate soldiers, and a third with a lone individual.

The examinations revealed that the skeletons were riddled with injuries, some endured during battle and others caused by existing conditions. For example, one skeleton had a minié ball (a conical bullet commonly used during the Civil War) lodged in the spine, and another had a musket ball embedded in the pelvis.

In a separate grave, archaeologists found three amputated legs, with two amputated below the knee and one amputated above the knee. One of the limbs contained a bullet embedded in the foot.

Archaeologists also unearthed several artifacts in the graves, including a toothbrush with a bone handle, a porcelain snuff bottle, a trouser buckle and two $1 U.S. gold coins, according to the statement.

To read the complete article, see:
Remains of 4 Confederate soldiers, amputated legs and gold coins found at a Civil War battlefield in Virginia (https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/remains-of-4-confederate-soldiers-amputated-legs-and-gold-coins-found-at-a-civil-war-battlefield-in-virginia)

 

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