The Historical Archaeology of Military Sites: Method and Topic

Section Two: Topics in the Historical Archaeology of Military Sites

topics in the historical archaeology of military sites 83 sECtion two Topics in the Historical Archaeology of Military Sites ClarEnCE r. GEiEr, lawrEnCE E. babits, douGlas d. sCott, and david G. orr As the first set of articles introduced the reader to certain methodologies inherent in the current application of historical archaeology to military sites, the second set of twelve papers introduces the ever-widening topics that serve to define the field. As noted earlier, there is a direct interplay between technique and research question. As new tools have been added to the tool kit of the archaeologist, areas of research that were previously impractical have become more accessible. This can certainly be seen in the application of geophysical techniques to terrestrial archaeology (see Hanna, Orr and Steele, and Balicki, Section 1) as well as in the technologies that have revolutionized underwater archaeology (see Conlin and Russell, chap. 4; Broadwater, chap. 15; Cantelas and Babits, chap. 16). As students of military history studied military events, non-traditional questions concerning the lives of the soldiers as individuals, army social and political structure, and the impact of both the military establishment and the individual soldier on indigenous have entered the discussion and become important . Building on and including the seven papers already presented, the papers that follow introduce the reader to a selection of research topics that define modern military history. These papers also continue to build an understanding of new field methods, techniques, and strategies, because each paper, while addressing a specific topic, also considers the strategies with which it can be addressed. In each case study, one theme holds true. The quality of the historical data provided by multiple project historians has a direct bearing on the specific questions that can be addressed and the extent to which the available archaeological record can be meaningfully and accurately interpreted. This issue is further developed in Phillip Freeman’s discussion of the reliability of the historic record and oral histories in interpreting events associated with the “Charge of the Light Brigade” during the nineteenth century Battle of Balaclava (chap. 13). The value of the diverse strategies of historical archaeology for analyzing and interpreting troop deployments, tactics, and strategies in the course of specific battles is of ongoing interest. Matthew Reeves illustrates modern approaches to these issues in his analysis of the Matthews Hill fighting during the Battle of Manassas (chap. 8), while Tony Pollard applies similar approaches to analyses of the Jacobite Rebellion battles of Killikrankie and Culloden in Scotland (chap. 9). Military earthworks, fortifications , and the manner in which these often extensive and sometimes permanent features establish lines of defense have also been a long term focus of study within the realm of military history. Larry Babits (chap. 10) presents an introduction to the tools needed to identify, describe, and interpret defensive features of military earthworks including the manner in which they exploit natural terrain circumstances. Stephen and Kim McBride (chap. 11) expand on this by providing discussions of the strategies they have developed in identifying and interpreting Colonial era fort sites on the VirginiaWest Virginia line, many of which were engaged in the French and Indian War. Advancing in time and confronting the phenomenal technologies of the early twentieth century, Mathieu de Meyer (chap. 12) 84 clarence r. geier, lawrence e. babits, douglas d. scott, and david g. orr introduces readers to the problems and patterns of historical archaeology on the vast World War I battlefields of France, in particular the Ypres Salient in “Flanders Fields.” Lines of entrenchments played a key role in defending troops on both sides and de Meyer discusses the problems of preservation in areas where such features appear commonplace. He also discusses the role of period cartography and the use of aerial photographs in interpreting military lines. While Joe Balicki (chap. 6) raised the important issue of studying the lives of encamped soldiers, Clarence Geier and Kimberly Tinkham (chap. 14) draw the reader’s attention to the notion of collateral damage and the impact of a battle on civilian populations and economic systems on landscapes over which battles were fought. The reader is introduced to the ideas of natural and cultural landscapes as features defining the setting in which military actions take place and as features that often shaped occurrence and flow of the action. As devastating as a battle can be to the troops involved, as evidenced by the situation of Fredericksburg , Virginia, the impact on the domestic communities that have the misfortune of...