Last weekend, I traveled to Orange, Virginia, to visit Montpelier, home of President James Madison. While there, I had the pleasure of visiting the sight where a Civil War camp once stood. Excavations revealed a virtually untouched Confederate encampment at this location. The sight of the camp is located on Montpelier property, however, James Madison passed away in 1836, so by the time the Civil War blew through the area, Madison was no longer there.

Archaeologists determined that Samuel McGowan's South Carolina Brigade camped at this site. Rich finds provide a picture of the soldiers' daily lives as they struggled here during the harsh winter of 1863-64.

In the picture below, notice how Archaeologists excavated the sites of two Confederate huts and the remains of a hearth (rock mounds) surrounding a fireplace (patch of red clay) scorched by fires.

Very few food containers or animal bones were found at this camp, indicating that the soldiers' sparse diet consisted of corn meal, salt pork, hardtack, etc.

Soldiers were issued only a tent and a handful of nails with which to construct their huts. They obtained the rest of the materials-- timbers, stone, etc-- from the woods around them. Each hut held four soldiers.

Was it previously unknown that the camps had been there?

(12-30-2015 12:56 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Was it previously unknown that the camps had been there?

Hi Bill,

Although no battles were fought on Montpelier property, during the winter of 1863-64, Montpelier was the location of many encampments occupied by General Lee's army. These camps were settled across Orange County including Montpelier. For awhile, local relic hunters found many artifacts from these encampment sites at Montpelier. In 2002, the relic hunters provided archaeologists with the location of the camps as well as many of the precious artifacts they had found. By examining the artifacts, archaeologists were able to determine that one set of camps was occupied by General McGowan's South Carolina Brigade.

From there, archaeologists were able to map these encampments to create the pattern and layout of the huts. After this, archaeologists spent months excavating many hut sites to establish the style of the huts.

Montpelier does a wonderful job preserving the property's rich history. The area provides a fabulous glimpse into the lives of Mr. & Mrs. Madison, their slaves and the Civil War.
Many of the artifacts the archaeologists found from this Civil War camp are on display at the Archaeology Museum at Montpelier; unfortunately, this museum was not open last weekend during my visit, due to the Christmas holiday. I plan to go back this spring to see these artifacts.
Below, I am standing where the camp was discovered: