Archaeology has finally taken up the American Civil War, and in a big way. Studies of the physical evidence of the war brings new information and new insights to perhaps the most written about event in the history of mankind. Historical archaeology is a relatively new discipline in the United States; it’s a multi-discipline field that seeks to combine history, anthropology, and archaeology in order to understand the past. So what can this new approach tell us about a conflict that has produced tens of thousands of volumes? Plenty, it turns out.
Editors Geier and Potter have assembled 18 essays for this volume, dividing them into three basic areas of study. “Tactics and the Conduct of Battle” explores the fighting. Making abundant use of new technology, modern archaeologists are able to recreate the course of battles by the physical remains of war. From the siege of Atlanta to bloody Antietam, archaeology gives us new dimensions of great battles.
“The Home Front and Military Life” explores military support institutions like prisons and hospitals. An examination of domestic life includes the lives of slaves and whites from the north and south, and tells us of the travails of civilians in the path of war.
Four chapters discuss the new methods and techniques of Civil War archaeology. Integrated technology is now able to plot the course of battles. High-tech metal detectors locate spent ordnance, which is plotted by satellite locating devices. All this data is then churned by a computer to produce pictures of the battles. Most battles are fought in a fog of confusion. Too often the confusion is reflected in the first-hand accounts. But the physical evidence of battle tells a different story, one devoid of panic and emotion. It’s an exciting new tool for scholars of America’s greatest conflict.
