Posted on 06/08/2006 10:46:48 AM PDT by Pharmboy
FORT EDWARD, N.Y. - A husband and wife team of amateur archaeologists have unearthed human skeletons, believed to be about 250 years old, at a burial site here on the Hudson River island that's considered the birthplace of today's U.S. Army Rangers.
AP - Mon Jun 5, 1:18 PM ET JoAnne Fuller unearths a skeleton on Rogers Island at Fort
Edward, N.Y., Thursday, June 1, 2006 . The Fullers, a husband and wife team of
amateur archaeologists, have unearthed human skeletons on the Hudson River island
that's considered the birthplace of today's U.S. Army Rangers. (AP Photo/ Jim McKnight)
Richard and JoAnne Fuller said it's very likely the remains found on private property date back to the French and Indian War, when Rogers' Rangers earned a place in American military lore while operating out of Fort Edward. The couple said the skeletons appear to be buried in an unmarked cemetery that doesn't appear on any colonial or contemporary maps. No other cemeteries are known to have existed on the island over the past 200 years.
"Everyone knows there's something on Rogers Island. Nobody knew where the cemetery was," said Richard Fuller as he showed a reporter the gravesites last week.
He said buttons found among the bones could give clues to whether the remains are those of some of the 15,000 soldiers and civilians who lived here in the late 1750s, when Fort Edward was the largest British military outpost in North America. It was also the base of operations for the guerrilla fighters known as Rogers' Rangers.
"Are they red coats? Are they Rangers? Are they colonial militia? Are they Native Americans enlisted in the service of the king? Were they blacks? Were they camp followers?" Richard Fuller said.
The Fullers said the discovery may have solved a mystery that has perplexed professional and amateur archaeologists for decades. Many have tried to locate the final resting place of the hundreds of soldiers knoSwn to have been buried here during the French and Indian War. Some died of battle wounds, but most are believe to have succumbed to illness or diseases such as small pox.
However, there are concerns that the Fullers' activities could jeopardize what one archaeologist called "quite a significant discovery."
"You don't just rush out there and start digging because you think it's interesting," said David Starbuck, who spent more than a decade conducting extensive excavations on Rogers Island and at nearby sites but didn't uncover any cemeteries. "It's important to proceed very cautiously."
While he and his wife aren't professional archaeologists, Richard Fuller said they're "well-versed in archaeology techniques" from their previous work with an Albany-area archaeological firm. The Fullers and some friends are painstakingly excavating the graves, removing dirt layer by layer using garden hoes, paint brushes and dental tools.
There are no plans to give professional archaeologists access to the site, although Richard Fuller said he has talked with an anthropologist about having the skeletons analyzed and studied.
Their work at the site is being questioned by some local officials who have been at odds with the couple over development plans for the island.
"It's certainly a major concern," said Town of Fort Edward Supervisor Merrilyn Pulver, adding that "all digging should cease immediately."
Most of Rogers Island, named for French and Indian War hero Maj. Robert Rogers, is private land owned by Frank Nastasi, a retired Long Island construction executive. He owns 33 acres on the 42-acre island, including the site where the skeletons were found. Nastasi is a fellow French and Indian War buff and Rogers' Rangers aficionado, said Richard Fuller, who works for Nastasi as caretaker of the Rogers Island property.
Nastasi has abandoned plans to build a marina and hotel on the island and is instead considering building a park dedicated to Rogers and the Rangers, or selling the site to New York state, which is eyeing the parcel as a possible park.
It was on the island, in 1757, where Rogers wrote his "Rules of Ranging," a manual on guerrilla warfare that became a blueprint for modern Army Ranger fighting tactics. His original 28 rules have been boiled down over the years into the 19 "Standing Orders" taught to today's Army commandos.
Fuller said he discovered the first skeleton late last fall while looking for other artifacts, and reported the find to local police. Village Police Chief Walter Sandford said the county coroner's office determined the remains were of a historical nature and not from a recent crime.
The burial site was protected by several feet of dirt dredged from the river 90 years ago and deposited on the island. Nastasi had the dirt removed several years ago, Richard Fuller said.
In one of the uncovered graves, a full skeleton lay on its back, its hands folded on its pelvis. The skull, which contained a full set of teeth, was caved in on the left side. Other partial skeletons were lined up in 18-inch-deep plots nearby, with another set off a few feet away. Blue tarps covered the graves to protect the remains from the elements.
JoAnne Fuller has given the remains names such as Caleb and Sammy, taken from the actual colonial militia rosters the Fullers have among the extensive French and Indian War collection that fills their nearby home.
"You always read about the heroes," said JoAnne Fuller, 54, a former tourism director for Washington County. "You never read about the regular soldiers."
___
Monica?
George Washington, anyone?
As I remember a book I once read on Robert Rogers said that Col Rogers was still owed a considerable sum of money by the British government. He was chronically broke, so he tried to simultaneously get the money he was owed by the British and offer his services to Washington. Also it was not a particularly well kept secret, so he ended up spoiling his relations with both sides. He also wanted assurances that land the Brits had promised him but never actually gave him title to would be honored by the new US govt. Eventually time ran out, the US govt lost patience with him and he was left basically holding a meager British offer. His Rev War exploits for the British were mostly forgettable.
If it happens, I hope the purchase is not the Kelo v. New London fashion.
Does anybody recall such a book?
If I remember right Alan Eckert's "That Dark and Bloody River" has a scene something like that. It follows the story of the Ohio River Valley settlers.
Unlike Washington, Rogers returned to England between the wars. Moreover, Washington had a financial stake in American Independence while Rogers was fairly destitute.
I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip.
Eckert was a fascinating read. In fact, Eckert's history didn't say so, but it occurred to me in the middle of reading it that Finmore Cooper in "The Last of the Mohicans" was writing some "reasonable" historical fiction in terms of Cooper's framework for his story.
Eckert would take documents and reports of the era and place them in chronological order so that a story unfolded. The incident you mention sounds like the torture/death of Col. Crawford who was captured after a terrible battlefield miscalculation against the Shawnees.
Daniel Boone (Morgan's cousin) was also there, as was Hugh Mercer ( all the Mercer Counties are named after him) who died a hero's death at The Battle of Princeton.
reamarkable how well these tactics hold up in modern warfare.
I was particularly struck by the technique recommended for retreat in No. 9. It is remarkably like the technique used by our special ops people to 'peel back' using fire-suppressive cover while making use of terrain.
Am I supposed to care? 250 years. Give it to some archeologist and let him go over it for the next twenty years.
Thank you for the interesting article. (was on vacation and now catching up on FR)
You are most welcome, but the greater credit goes to SunkenCiv and blam who email the link to me--independently. They found it...
...as my teenagers used to say..."whatEVer."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.