The Discovery at Red Bank Battlefield
Division of Collections & Infrastructure
Printmakers include P. Canot, H.B. Hall, S.V. Hunt, J.B. Longacre, J.M. Probst and Paul Sandby.
Printmakers include P. Canot, H.B. Hall, S.V. Hunt, J.B. Longacre, J.M. Probst and Paul Sandby.
During the summer of 2022, Rowan University sponsored public archaeological digs on the site of the Red Bank Battlefield. This particular battle saw fierce combat, with Americans claiming victory over Hessian soldiers who fought for the British. More than 100 volunteers combed the site, looking for artifacts and battle remnants, when one of them found a human femur.
What was supposed to be an ordinary dig turned into something extraordinary. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of 13 people that had been buried for more than two centuries, suggesting the discovery of one of the only known Hessian mass graves from the Revolutionary War. Forensic experts were called in to identify bone fragments and to handle the remains appropriately.
Supported by an NEH Celebrate America! grant, forensic anthropologist Dr. Raquel Fleskes and a team of researchers are using advanced DNA technology to reconstruct the lives of the Hessian soldiers, integrating their stories into a broader digital humanities initiative that fosters public engagement and tells the story of the battle from a different lens.