Potential mass grave of African-American Union soldiers killed during the Civil War might be concealed beneath a soybean farm in Kentucky, according to advanced scans.
In an fascinating turn of events, it seems archaeologists have stumbled upon what could be the long-lost burial sites of Black Union soldiers, who were tragically massacred during the Civil War, thanks to modern technology and a relentless local historian.
On a frigid day in January 1865, a company of Black soldiers from the United States Colored Cavalry (USCC) were brutally ambushed by Confederate guerrillas in Simpsonville, Kentucky. This hub of the Union Army, Camp Nelson, was a depot where numerous enslaved men would enlist for their freedom, and the soldiers involved in this unfortunate incident were part of a convoy driving 900 head of cattle towards Louisville for the Union's supply chain.
These guerrilla troops - often referred to as bushwhackers - were infamous for bypassing the rules of war, preferring to launch surprise attacks and ambushes. Historian Philip Mink, a contemporary scholar at the University of Kentucky, described the aftermath of the ambush as a massacre, with most of the 22 soldiers being shot in the back while fleeing, cruelly targeted due to their ethnicity.
At the time, local news coverage was scant, with merely a few reports claiming that Simpsonville residents buried the slain soldiers in a trench. Unfortunately, no formal record of the burial site was documented, and the Union burial commission neglected to locate the soldiers' remains post-war.
Fast forward to 2008, and retired State Rep. Jerry Miller, the diligent local historian who would never give up, sifted through oral histories, archives, and aged maps in search of the mass grave from the Simpsonville massacre. After joining forces with Mink and his team, they conducted their initial investigation at a local African American cemetery but found no evidence of the mass grave.
But hope was not lost, as a significant breakthrough came in 2023 when Miller stumbled upon an old map from 1936 that clearly marked a Civil War burial mound on what is now the field of a soybean farmer. After confirming local farmers' anecdotal accounts of the burial, Mink and his team launched a geophysical study of the land using modern technology, such as drone-mounted magnetometers and ground-penetrating radar, to scan the ground for traces of the mass grave.
The archaeologists' painstaking analysis revealed an anomaly approximately 5 feet deep, 13 feet wide, and 65 feet long - all indicative of a potential mass grave - but another similar anomaly was also uncovered, suggesting the possibility of a second mass grave site. Due to a current soybean crop growing in the field, the archaeologists plan to dig a shallow trench this fall to confirm their findings.
"It's not what I expected," Mink said, "We may have uncovered not one, but two mass graves due to the nature of the attack." If this proves true, it may indicate the immediate burial of some soldiers and the later burial of the wounded.
Upon the confirmation of the graves, the archaeologists plan to collaborate with the descendant community, military representatives, and preservation experts to ensure a respectful and dignified reburial.
"Modern technology has finally given these long-neglected soldiers the recognition they deserve," said Colorado's state archaeologist, Holly K. Norton, upon learning about the discovery.
The Simpsonville massacre serves as a cruel testament to a dark period in American history when Black soldiers were targeted simply because of their race. This discovery reminds us of their sacrifice and the need to honor and remember these men. Preliminary headstones have been created, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky has erected a historic marker in remembrance of the massacre.
In an ideal world, these forgotten soldiers will be exhumed, given full military honors, and reburied alongside their comrades at rest in the Camp Nelson National Cemetery.
Related:
- Remains of 4 Confederate soldiers, amputated legs, and gold coins found at a Civil War battlefield in Virginia
- A Kentucky man discovers over 700 Civil War-era coins hidden in his cornfield
- Archaeologists uncover an unexploded artillery shell beneath the Gettysburg battlefield
- The use of modern technology and a relentless local historian unearthed potential mass graves of Black Union soldiers, who were massacred during the Civil War, raised important questions about health-and-wellness in historical contexts, particularly mental health, as these soldiers were targeted due to their ethnicity.
- In the field of science, archaeologists are employing fitness-and-exercise techniques, such as the strategic deployment of drone-mounted magnetometers and ground-penetrating radar, to scan the ground for traces of the mass graves.
- This discovery in the realm of general news could influence politics, as it draws attention to the historically overlooked experiences of Black Union soldiers during war-and-conflicts, potentially prompting policy changes and advocacy for greater acknowledgement and reparations.
