Archaeologists find musket balls and fort linked to the Battle of Bunker Hill
The dig also uncovered musket balls, gun flints and other battle artifacts, while confirming a 1775 redoubt shape from a historic map.
- City archaeologist Joe Bagley confirmed the location of the revolutionary-era redoubt in Charlestown, Boston, after ground-penetrating radar identified the fort's position. The discovery validates a centuries-old map depicting the fort's square shape.
- On June 17, 1775, American patriots constructed an earthen fort to oppose British forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Rebels instead occupied the more vulnerable Breed's Hill, where most fighting occurred.
- Within a 3-foot-deep ditch, excavators unearthed musket balls and gun flints confirming the defensive structure. The site provides physical evidence of the battle, which saw more than 1,000 British casualties.
- Tourist Greg Nockleby called the live dig a "wonderful surprise," as the project allows public witnesses to the recovery of artifacts from one of the American Revolution's most consequential battles.
- Though the Bunker Hill Monument stands, visible fortifications had long been absent from the site. Bagley noted the trench discovery is essential because "very little of what's here visibly is from 1775.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Archaeologists unearth musket balls and fort linked to the Battle of Bunker Hill
Inspired by a centuries-old map, archaeologists have been digging in the park that sits on the site where American patriots hastily constructed an earthen fort to slow advancing British forces at what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Archaeologists find musket balls, fort linked to Battle of Bunker Hill
Inspired by a centuries-old map, archaeologists have been digging in the park that sits on the site where American patriots hastily constructed an earthen fort to slow advancing British forces at what became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Hidden for 250 Years, Seeds of War Emerge in Boston
Generations of Boston families played and picnicked on the grassy, sloping lawns of the Bunker Hill Monument . Musket balls and other artifacts from one of the American Revolution's most consequential battles were buried just below their feet the whole time. Inspired by a centuries-old map and indications from ground-penetrating radar,...
Buried beneath Boston for centuries, this Revolutionary War fort is finally found
An archaeological dig at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill has revealed ammunition used in the fight along with the outlines of an earthen fort built to protect the patriots fighting the British
Archaeologists find musket balls, fort linked to the Battle of Bunker Hill
An archaeological dig at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill has revealed ammunition used in the fight along with the outlines of an earthen fort built to protect the patriots fighting the British.
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