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The Battle As Told by Archeology: a Story to Be Continued…

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The Battle As Told by Archeology: a Story to Be Continued… The Battle as Told by Archeology: by Roger G. Moore, Ph.D., R.P.A., and Douglas Mangum he battlefield at San Jacinto the Mexican camp was long assumed to be an quickly overturned T archeological slate wiped the assumption that clean. It was assumed that what no trace remained of souvenir hunters had not carried away the battle. We were had been covered by Ship Channel more than relieved dredge spoil. Previous archeological and frankly ecstatic work at the site had been restricted to to discover that some the ground disturbance “footprints” chalk marks and of specific projects such as utility smudges do indeed lines and other improvements, and, remain on the slate perhaps critically, none of these of the San Jacinto prior investigations appear to have Battlefield. Our task utilizedA metalStory detectors. Whatever to Beis now Continued… to read these the reason, no first-hand evidence of marks intelligently to the battle had been obtained by these see if they can tell us small survey excavations. In matters anything new about archeological, however, ultimate this critical conflict. 2003 aerial photograph of San Jacinto Battlefield. All photos, unless otherwise noted, courtesy Moore Archeological Consulting, Inc. (MAC) authority rests with what comes Work so far has been out of the ground, and rumors of limited to three general men) at the confluence of Buffalo finds outside the site suggested that areas. A small amount of work has been Bayou and the San Jacinto River. conventional wisdom might be flawed. done in the area of the Texas camp, • The Mexican infantry probes the Texas position in the tree line First Systematic Archeological significant sampling has been done in and is repulsed by artillery fire. Research Investigation at the aforementioned area of the Mexican • An artillery duel between the single San Jacinto Battleground camp, and a swath along the shoreline Mexican cannon and the two State Historical Site of Peggy Lake has been surveyed. Texas cannon lasts much of the The Texas Parks and Wildlife afternoon with no real results. Synopsis of the Battle • An attempt by the Texas cavalry Department, the San Jacinto Historical and its Significance to attack the retreating Mexican Advisory Board, and the Friends of This synopsis of the battle is based artillery piece is repulsed by San Jacinto Battleground ensured on letters from various participants the Mexican cavalry. that systematic research archeology • Both sides retreat to encampments. as well as the traditional account. The Mexican units build a breastwork was included among the tasks to Many of the events in this timeline be carried out by a park planning out of packs, saddles and brush. may have left physical imprints • The Mexican army is reinforced in consulting team. Moore Archeological that can still be discerned if we the evening by General Cos with Consulting, Inc. (MAC) was selected are able to look for them. approximately five hundred men. to conduct these investigations in the April 21, 1836 vicinity of the Mexican Army camp. April 20, 1836 • Texas forces (ca. 700 men) meet • Neither side engages the other Recovery of significant quantities of with Mexican forces (ca. 800 throughout the morning. indisputable battle-related artifacts from • Around 3 p.m. the Texas forces form in line in a low spot in the About the Authors: battlefield and advance toward Roger G. Moore, Ph.D., R.P.A., founded Moore Archeological Consulting, the Mexican defenses. Inc., of Houston, Texas, in 1982. His dissertation focused upon • The Mexican forces recognize Southeast Texas hunters and gatherers over the last 2000 years. the advance late and attempt to form up to meet it. Douglas Mangum, a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, has worked on • Texas cannon and sharpshooter fire archeological sites in Scotland, England, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas, strike the Mexican forces before a before joining Moore Archeological Consulting. He acts as GIS manager for line of battle can be established. the firm and has developed many of the maps for the San Jacinto project. Houston History Volume 4, number 2 spring 2007 61 6010845_UofH_Text.indd 61 10/13/10 6:15:09 AM • Texas infantry swarms over the force (bullets and cannonballs) remain with a MAC staff member and an Mexican breastwork and drives where they fall unless disturbed by Archeological Steward. At all times their opponents towards a boggy cultivation or construction. And, MAC staff members were present stream behind their position. • Mexican forces break and as the result of an archeologically when excavations and artifact flee. Many are killed trying distinctive and virtually instantaneous retrieval took place. MAC staffers to cross the boggy creek. event, no confusing second or third or stewards recovered and bagged • Texans essentially capture or kill layers of occupation are added to the all artifacts and kept field notes. entire Mexican force while losing archeological record of a battlefield fewer than thirty killed and wounded. When a team found a “hit,” efforts unless the ground is soon fought over were made to determine the size April 22, 1836 again. The distribution of artifacts and potential depth of the artifact. • Gen. Santa Anna captured across the hallowed landscape thus fleeing on foot. The size of the hole excavated was becomes a lens to peer through the “fog dependent on this effort. Archeologists From the perspective of the of war” despite the passage of 170 years. and stewards attempted to minimize number of participants (roughly Data Recovery Methods the size and depth of the excavation 2,000 total) and the time it took (less The stereotypical image of an to what was absolutely necessary than twenty minutes for the main archeologist digging large, square to recover the artifact. Excavations conflict), the battle of San Jacinto holes by hand in hopes of finding were filled back in immediately after was little more than a skirmish. artifacts does not apply here for the recordation with the total station. However, its outcome was far- reasons outlined above. Instead, the reaching as readers will appreciate. A Sokkia Set 6F total station was investigations at San Jacinto have, and used to gather the location data for The Battle as Artifact will continue to rely heavily on metal each artifact. Permanent benchmarks San Jacinto may have been a detectors—in fact, the use of metal close to the work area were created particularly brief battle, but no battle detectors and volunteer operators to and used to set up the blocks within lasts more than an instant in the find the artifacts was essential to the the Project Area. This allowed for a timeframe of archeology. We are success of this investigation. Efforts high level of accuracy and precision accustomed typically to excavating sites to recover artifacts using traditional in recording the location of the that were utilized for tens to thousands archeological sampling methodology artifacts. This effort was critical to of years. Battlefield archeology is most would be prohibitively expensive and exciting and yields the most insight time consuming with no when the dynamic and ephemeral guarantee of equal results. character of conflict and its intent are Additionally, it is reasonable central precepts of analysis. Battles in to expect that a large history are semi-organized projections percentage of the possible of force between groups of men, and artifacts associated with the that force has been projected at the battle will be made of metal. level of hand-to-hand conflict through The volunteer operators the movement of armed men, on foot bring a level of expertise in or on horseback. Attack from afar is the use of their machines accomplished by the flight through the that could not be matched air of physical projectiles, from the first by professional archeologists, cast of a spear to the relative perfection who typically have little of the nineteenth century gun. experience using metal Movement and intent are key detectors. The subtleties concepts for conflict archeology of the machines and their because battles are not “constructed”— effective use are as much once begun, they simply happen, an art form as a science. resulting in scatters of arms, projectiles, By teaming the volunteer personal items, and ultimately human metal detector operators with remains across the landscape. With professional and avocational the significant exceptions of collection archeologists, MAC of booty and the burial or scavenging achieved the combination of human and animal remains, of maximum artifact nobody tidies up after a battle. The retrieval with assurance miscellaneous debris of combat and of full documentation. Archeologists, Stewards, and volunteers working in Mexican especially the aerial projections of Each operator was teamed camp area. Photo: Peter E. Price 62 Houston History Volume 4, number 2 spring 2007 6010845_UofH_Text.indd 62 10/13/10 6:15:10 AM the investigation because it allowed of artifact types. us to look for both large and small Further divisions were patterns in the distribution of the made where possible artifacts. Large patterns could include including uniform spread of shot from artillery rounds parts (buttons, and distribution of fired musket balls. insignia etc.), gun Small patterns could include items parts (ram rods, lock- dropped by a single individual or plate screws), and items scattered around a campfire. by size of musket Blocks balls. These results For the sake of time and control it were combined with was necessary to limit the excavations the initial location to a sample of the available areas. data and examined With this in mind, “blocks” were in detail for more established within each general area to subtle patterns. Such be examined. The initial blocks were patterns included placed to maximize coverage of each examination of area while not surveying the whole.
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