Archaeologists Unearth Hessian Mass Grave at Red Bank Battlefield, Revealing 1777 Combat Realities
Volunteers at New Jersey's Red Bank Battlefield Park uncovered a mass burial of Hessian soldiers from the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, providing rare physical evidence of Revolutionary War casualties.
During a four-day volunteer excavation at Red Bank Battlefield Park, archaeologists uncovered a trench containing the remains of fifteen Hessian soldiers who died in the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, a rare mass burial from the Revolutionary era. Historical records indicate that the battle resulted in 111 Hessian fatalities and many more wounded, with Colonel Christopher Greene ordering the dead to be buried in a ditch the following morning.
The recovered bones, including crania and femurs, bore evidence of musket balls, canister shot and grapeshot, reflecting the brutal weaponry used. New Jersey State Police forensic anthropologists conducted careful recovery and analysis, while specialists in stable isotope and ancient DNA work at Dartmouth College identified a European diet and northwestern European ancestry among the soldiers. The find, situated near Fort Mercer and the historic Whitall House, underscores the tangible human cost of the conflict and offers new data for scholars studying 18th-century warfare.
Why it matters
The burial reveals the true human toll of a key Revolutionary War battle and advances scientific understanding of 18th-century soldiers.
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