Archeology of the Battles of Fort Recovery, Mercer County, Ohio: Education and Protection
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ARCHEOLOGY OF THE BATTLES OF FORT RECOVERY, MERCER COUNTY, OHIO: EDUCATION AND PROTECTION A Cooperative Project with National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program Grant # GA-2255-10-002 Ball State University Ohio Historical Society Fort Recovery Historical Society By: Christine Keller Colleen Boyd Mark Groover Mark Hill Project Manager: Christine Keller Edited by Christine Keller and Eliot Reed With contributions from: Jarrod Burks Melanie Cabak S. Homes Hogue Deb Hollon Julie Koogler Elodia Leavitt Jessie Moore Eliot Reed Stefan Woehlke Tyler Wolford December 2011 Applied Archaeology Laboratories Department of Anthropology Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 Phone: 765-285-5328 Fax: 765-285-2163 Web Address: http://www.bsu.edu/aal For copies: Kirsten L. McMasters, Archeologist Planner and Grants Manager, National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program, 1201 Eye Street NW (2255), Washington, DC 20005 (202-354-2037) 1 Table of Contents Chapter I. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 14 Significance of the Battle of the Wabash and the Battle of Fort Recovery .................. 14 Project Goals ................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter II. Historic Context .............................................................................................. 19 Northwest Territory during Early Federal Period ......................................................... 19 Native American Confederacy ...................................................................................... 21 Native American Battle Strategies ................................................................................ 26 Chains of Forts in Northwest Territory ......................................................................... 28 Fort Jefferson ................................................................................................................ 29 Battle of the Wabash ..................................................................................................... 31 Fort Recovery Construction .......................................................................................... 39 Battle of Fort Recovery ................................................................................................. 39 Post-Fort Period and Community Growth .................................................................... 41 Discovery of Battle Dead and Reburial ........................................................................ 44 Previous Archeological Excavations ............................................................................ 45 Fort Reconstructions ..................................................................................................... 49 Chapter III. Research Design and Literature Review ....................................................... 54 Battlefield Archeology .................................................................................................. 54 Native American Battlefield Archeology .................................................................. 55 Archeology and the Struggle for the Ohio River Valley (1762-1795) ...................... 57 The Battle of Fallen Timbers – Archeology .............................................................. 60 Additional Military Studies in the Ohio River Valley............................................... 61 1791 Battle of the Wabash: Battlefield Boundaries, Battle Details and KOCOA Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 62 1794 Battle of Fort Recovery: Battlefield Boundaries, Battle Details and KOCOA Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 73 Fort Archeology ............................................................................................................ 78 Fort Standardization .................................................................................................. 78 Fort Jefferson Layout and Architecture ..................................................................... 79 Fort Recovery Layout and Architecture .................................................................... 81 Northwest Territory Fort Typology ........................................................................... 82 Chapter IV. 1791 Battle of the Wabash: Field Methods, Results, and Analysis .............. 88 Battlefield Reconstruction Methods ............................................................................. 88 Informant and Collector Interviews ........................................................................... 88 Battlefield Survey and Testing Methods ................................................................... 89 Metal Detector Testing .............................................................................................. 92 Gradiometer Testing .................................................................................................. 95 Resistivity Testing ..................................................................................................... 96 Laboratory Activities ................................................................................................. 96 Battlefield Reconstruction Results................................................................................ 96 Informant and Collector Results ................................................................................ 96 Metal Detecting Results .......................................................................................... 102 Results of Gradiometer and Soil Resistivity Surveys.............................................. 121 Battle Reconstruction and GIS Data Modeling .......................................................... 126 2 Spatial Analysis of Artifact Data ............................................................................. 127 Additional Analysis of Terrain using KOCOA Methodology ................................ 130 Identification of Battlefield Boundaries – Battle of the Wabash ............................ 143 Chapter V. 1794 Battle of Fort Recovery: Field Methods, Results and Analysis .......... 149 Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Methods and Results ............................................ 149 Site Excavation Results: 2011 BSU Field School ...................................................... 172 2011 Excavation Summary ...................................................................................... 172 Site Occupation Periods .......................................................................................... 176 Field Methods .......................................................................................................... 179 Excavation Units ..................................................................................................... 179 Artifact Analysis Results: 2011 BSU Field School .................................................... 186 Site Chronology ....................................................................................................... 194 Analysis by Occupation Period ............................................................................... 204 Analysis of the Faunal Remains from the Fort Recovery Excavations ................... 208 Battle / Fort Reconstruction and GIS Data Modeling ................................................. 218 Spatial Analysis of Artifact Data ............................................................................. 218 Additional Analysis of Terrain Using KOCOA Methodology................................ 223 Identification of Battlefield Boundaries – Battle of Fort Recovery ........................ 229 Chapter VI. Interpretations, Recommendations and Conclusions .................................. 233 Research Objectives .................................................................................................... 233 Statement of NRHP Eligibility ................................................................................... 235 Recommendations for Site Preservation ..................................................................... 236 Future Research .......................................................................................................... 238 Community Involvement ............................................................................................ 239 Appendix A: Photos of Existing Battle Artifacts Appendix B: Photos of Battle Artifacts from ABPP Grant Appendix C: Metal Detecting Artifact Catalog Appendix D: Field School Excavation Artifact Catalog Appendix E: Parcel Images Appendix F: GIS Model Methodology and Parameters Appendix G: Data Collection Forms 3 List of Figures Figure 1: Location of 97 acre core battlefield area. .......................................................... 18 Figure 2: Map of Northwest Territory. ............................................................................. 21 Figure 3: Northwest Indian Confederacy - Tribal Territories (based on Gallatin 1836; Shetrone and Sherman und., Sturtevant 1967). ................................................................. 25 Figure 4: Native American villages of the 1790s (based on Shetrone and Sherman und.). ..........................................................................................................................................