No Ceremonies! Colonial Williamsburg Hides OUR Heritage
Confederate soldiers’ remains quietly buried at Cedar Grove in Williamsburg
“We were happy to get them reinterred quickly, quietly and respectfully," said Jack Gary, director of archaeology for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
That means no unsightly spectacles like those the SCV, UDC, and other organizations routinely provide for Confederate Veterans. If these were yankee invaders or especially USCT, Colonial Williamsburg would have been promoting a televised funeral procession through the middle of the historic district. But, no. These were Confederate soldiers. No honors for them. Wouldn’t want to upset the almighty Chamber of Commerce - DD
The remains of four unidentified Confederate soldiers and three amputated limbs that were discovered during a Colonial Williamsburg archaeological excavation in 2023 were reinterred at Cedar Grove Cemetery Tuesday.
The 2023 archaeological excavation of Colonial Williamsburg’s powder magazine unexpectedly revealed the remains and a nearby surgeon’s pit containing three amputated legs.
According to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, archaeological and documentary evidence revealed that the soldiers were casualties of the Battle of Williamsburg and had been buried near the Magazine after they died in a nearby church that served as a hospital during the war.
Using historical records, including account books and newspapers, the foundation said archaeologists narrowed down a historic list of 29 individuals who died on that site after the Battle of Williamsburg to a short list of individuals who might be matches for the burials. Bone samples collected from each of the four individuals yielded viable DNA, it added.
Using a combination of archaeological excavation and research, osteological analysis and DNA analysis, the foundation said archaeologists are attempting to identify the soldiers and their present-day…