Bald Head Island bones from 19th Century; possibly slaves

Charlotte NC News 14 ^ | Friday, June 11, 2010 | Julie Fertig

[SunkenCiv]

Archeologists from the Office of State Archeology in Fort Fisher believe remains discovered on Bald Head Island in February belong to three slaves from the Civil War era.

Renovations on a golf course turned up the human remains. Initially, archeologists thought they could belong to Confederate soldiers.

"The buttons are perfect matches for Civil War period and they were found right in the middle of what was Fort Holmes during the Civil War," explained Nathan Henry, a state archeologist who studies historic artifacts.

After carefully examining the artifacts found alongside the remains, Henry determined soldiers would have had more decorated items in their coffins. He still believes the remains are from the Civil War era, but now thinks they belong to male slaves that Confederate soldiers brought to the island to build forts.

"Some of these workers were actually slaves that were loaned from area plantations, others were conscripted freemen," he said.

While hundreds of workers were brought to Fort Holmes, archeologists have only found the remains from these three bodies. Still, Henry said studying the bones and artifacts reveals new clues about what happened on Bald Head Island in the 19th century.

"Look at the things that people left behind and try to determine the story," he said.

On June 24, the remains will go to the Office of State Archeology in Raleigh for further examination.

[the invisib1e hand]

great, more reparations.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Cheetahcat]

So what does this “Find” mean to us??? I tire of the continual carping on this.

[JoeProBono]

[11Bush]

Henry determined soldiers would have had more decorated items in their coffins.

I doubt that the CSA would have wasted a coffin on a dead slave. Surprised that they would waste a coffin on one of their own. Most dead were lucky to have a hole to call their own.