Battle of Bladensburg

n August 24, 1814, British troops defeated American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg, O and went on to burn important public buildings in the Nation’s Capital. The 1814 battlefield, which is bisected by Bladensburg Road, symbolizes an important chapter in our history. Covering a large area of almost 1,000 acres, many parts of the battlefield have been disturbed by development. Maryland State Highway archeologists, funded by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grant, began investigations to find out if parts of the battlefield remain intact, including areas along state roads.

Archeologists first studied documents written by people who took part in the battle, and overlaid historic maps in GIS to pinpoint the locations of American and British forces. They also identified areas where intact Possible lead flint wrap archeological deposits might exist. Metal detectors were used to search the Fort Lincoln Cemetery and nearby Archeologists found evidence of the Civil War areas to determine whether artifacts from the battle are fortifications that were constructed throughout the area, still present. along with artifacts and features from several farmsteads that existed at the time of the battle. Metal detector operators recovered a number of musket balls from the battle, and although many parts of the landscape have been destroyed by development, artifacts still exist in undisturbed areas. All of the battlefield artifacts recovered thus far come from the Third American Line, where Joshua Barney’s Flotillamen and Captain Samuel Miller’s US Marines stood their ground against elite British troops until they ran out of ammunition and were deserted on the battlefield.

The District of Columbia and Smithsonian Institute archaeologists also searched for evidence of historic features mentioned in the battle narrative. Despite being surrounded by 20th century residential homes, the team identified the location of Joshua Barney’s battery of cannons and the spring where Barney was said to have been taken after he was wounded.

Minie balls and musket balls

Click here to view the full archaeology report (28 MB)

BladensburgArchaeology.com