The breadth of “conflict archaeology” continues to expand from its modern origins, generally acknowledged as Doug Scott and Richard Fox's metal-detecting studies at the Little Bighorn battlefield in South Dakota during the 1980s. Although many contributions to conflict archaeology still reside primarily within the gray literature, the twenty-first century has seen more accessible reporting in journals and edited volumes. These studies have often focused on the U.S. Civil War. Indeed, as David Orr notes in the introduction, the present volume is, in some way, a companion to Huts and History: The Historical Archaeology of Military Encampment during the American Civil War (Geier, Orr, and Reeves 2006), which itself is a complement to From These Honored Dead: Historical Archaeology of the American Civil War (Geier, Orr, and Babits 2014). A volume on the American Revolution has been long overdue, and Cosimo Sgarlata, David Orr, and Bethany Morrison are to be commended for assembling this volume specifically focused on the Revolutionary War encampments associated with George Washington's army in the central colonies.
The 10 chapters of the book discuss investigations of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and Morristown, New Jersey—two of the most fabled winter encampments of Washington's army; the lesser-known camps near Redding, Connecticut; and the temporary camps of the French army as it marched through Connecticut on the way to Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 and back in 1782. Following Scott and Fox, the methodologies in these studies are often metal-detecting surveys, but formal hand excavations and ground-penetrating radar are also used. One chapter is devoted to experimental archaeology.
In Chapter 1, Wade Catts and Joseph Balicki interpret the finding of a cluster of 140 fired lead shot as a target line (the impact zone at a target range) at Valley Forge. The balls were apparently fired from both muskets and rifles, with rifle balls being recovered in larger numbers. The feature is reflective of the training taking place at the camp as Washington transformed his ragtag army into an effective fighting force, and it demonstrates the importance of rifles within an army largely utilizing muskets. While this training was taking place, Washington was forging his officers into a cohesive team. One practice with which he promoted this cohesion was dining regularly with his officers in a specially built small “dining hut” he had constructed in the rear of his headquarters, at a house rented from Isaac Potts. Joseph Blondino discusses excavations of this hut and major finds in Chapter 2.
In Chapters 3 and 4, Jesse West-Rosenthal, Julia Steele, Douglas Campana, and David Orr discuss archaeology of the enlisted soldiers camp at Valley Forge. West-Rosenthal describes the excavations in the Washington Memorial Chapel grounds, whereas the others describe work at Wayne's Woods, both located within the Valley Forge National Historical Park. These chapters discuss in detail the remains of wooden huts, camp kitchens, and camp activity areas. They also provide good descriptions of the types of artifacts found in such camps and the interpretive significance of these kinds of material culture.
Mathew Grubel makes unique contributions from experimental archaeology in Chapter 5, in which he discusses using authentic tools to reconstruct huts such as those occupied by soldiers in Washington's army at Morristown, New Jersey. The chapter combines history and experimentation and makes for a fascinating read. As Sgarlata later notes, Grubel learned there was more than one way to accomplish individual tasks, such as roofing and door framing.
Morrison and Sgarlata report in Chapter 6 on archaeological finds at the 1778–1779 winter camp at Redding, Connecticut. They note that African American and Native American women were present at these camps, a point that is emphasized and elaborated by Laura Weinstein, Diana Hassan, and Samantha Mauro in Chapter 7.
In Chapter 8, Mary Harper describes field surveys and analyses of contemporary maps to find the 1781–1782 march route and associated camps of General Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau's French army in Connecticut. The project was highly successful and has led to efforts to preserve those camps.
In Chapter 9, Daniel Cruson discusses results of excavations of two enlisted men's huts and a field officer's quarters at Redding, Connecticut, which revealed different construction techniques, possibly due to different construction traditions by soldiers from different regions.
The volume begins with a foreword by David Starbuck and an introduction by editor David Orr. When it comes to understanding the lives of soldiers, they point out that examining campsites provides more holistic perspectives than does a focus on battlefields, which are staging grounds for episodic and dramatic events rather than settings for long-term experiences. Sgarlata's concluding chapter adeptly summarizes highlights from the book, including its illustration of the importance of applying multiple independent lines of evidence as well as considerations of data at multiple geographic scales to reconstruct what life was like for soldiers during the American Revolution. Overall, Historical Archaeology of the Revolutionary War Encampments of Washington's Army is a worthy contribution to the global literature in conflict archaeology.
