Virginia Department of Historic Resources DHR ID: 068-5015 Architectural Survey Form Other DHR ID: 44OR0353
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Virginia Department of Historic Resources DHR ID: 068-5015 Architectural Survey Form Other DHR ID: 44OR0353 Property Information Property Names Property Evaluation Status Name Explanation Name Function/Location Somerset Ridge Earthworks and Camp The Primary Resource is no longer extant. Property Addresses Current - Germanna Highway Route 3 County/Independent City(s): Orange (County) Incorporated Town(s): No Data Zip Code(s): 22508 Magisterial District(s): No Data Tax Parcel(s): No Data USGS Quad(s): MINE RUN Additional Property Information Architecture Setting: Rural Acreage: .9 Site Description: [May 2011] Resource 068-5015 (44OR0353) is a historic site dating to the third quarter of the nineteenth century. It is located in the 1158 feet (352.9) southeast of Somerset Ridge Road, running perpendicular to Route 3. The site is two parts, as construction of the access road and stormwater management facility destroyed the central portion of the site. Because of their known historic connection, they are deemed to be one resource. The northern portion of the site measures approximately 242 feet (73.8 m) north/south by 236 feet (72 m) east/west, comprising 1 acre (0.4 hectare), while the southern portion measures approximately 112 feet (34.1 m) north/south by 128 feet (39 m) east/west, comprising 0.2 acres (0.08 hectare). The resource is situated along a slight knoll in the northern portion, and rests on the northern slope of a slight knoll in the southern portion, both within a deciduous wooded area. ----------------------------- [May 2011] No secondary resources are associated with this resource. ----------------------------- [Gonzalez 2013] Site 44OR0353/068-5015 is made up of two segments due to recent construction bisection the area. As part of the Phase III archaeological data recovery, Dovetail conducted mapping of the two earthwork segments prior to the archaeological testing. This work was done with a laser transit to capture the earthworks in an accurate fashion as possible. Once mapping was completed, the data was loaded on base maps to show their position in relation to other geographic features. The northern earthwork segment measured 205 feet (62.5 m) in length and was approximately 10 feet (3 m) wide and approximately 2–3 feet (0.6–0.9 m) tall. The southern segment measured 130 feet (39.6 m) with a 55-foot (16.7-m) long fork extending to the east. The overall projected length of the earthwork from Route 3 to the power line is 1,060 feet (323.1 m). However, it is known based on historic maps from the period that the earthwork extended through the existing power line and likely ran for several hundred more feet. This line of entrenchments was part of the second line of defenses during the Battle of Mine Run. They were strategically positioned back from the river and were part of a larger defense system which was called the Rapidan Line. The earthworks also appear on maps from the Battle of Wilderness and are represented at being Confederate. An 1867 map shows the general alignment of the earthworks and their relation to the segments recorded at site 44OR0353/068-5015. However, documents suggest that when the Union Army encountered the earthworks during the Battle of Wilderness, they were already abandoned. It is not known if they were reused. Surveyor Assessment: [May 2011] The significance of site 068-5015 (44OR0353) was evaluated in relation to the NRHP eligibility criteria. The site was evaluated in regards to Criterion A, for its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; Criterion B, for its association with people significant in our nation’s history; Criterion C, for its embodiment of the distinctive characteristics of a style; and Criterion D, for its potential to yield information important in history. The site was first used during the Battle of Mine Run, when Confederate troops erected a set of earthworks to help guard Route 3/Plank Road—the primary route connecting Germanna Ford to the west and populated places to the east. Preliminary research suggests that the area was also utilized by Union troops as a campsite during the Mine Run campaign. The relationship of the Confederate and Union occupations of this area before, during, and after the Battle of Mine Run was not determined during the reconnaissance-level research conducted during this Phase I study. It is possible that Union troops erected the camp after the battle, during the subsequent days of the Mine Run campaign but before formal winter quarters were established. Although the occupation only lasted a few weeks to a month, temperatures were cold, necessitating Union soldiers to dig holes for their sleeping quarters. The earthen depressions, combined with use of their tents as canvas covers, may have provided insulation from the frigid air for soldiers. Additional research on the Mine Run campaign will help determine the exact chronology of area occupation during this period. The Battle of Wilderness occurred the following Spring. Although the core of the fighting occurred several miles to the east, Confederate troops reoccupied the same earthworks they erected almost a year earlier on the current project parcel to help guard the roadway. Maps, drawn after battle, include trenches throughout the region, accompanied by several lunettes. The trenches were abandoned following the completion of the Battle of Wilderness. The central segment of the earthworks was destroyed sometime after 2000 when a paved road was erected within the project parcel, obliterating all evidence of a large section of the earthwork. The southern terminus containing the prominent “fork” in the earthwork design, and the northern section with the nearby camp, are still intact. As with much of Virginia, Orange County sank into a deep recession, resulting in little alterations to the war-torn landscape. Providing January 04, 2016 Page: 5 of 15 Virginia Department of Historic Resources DHR ID: 068-5015 Architectural Survey Form Other DHR ID: 44OR0353 the poor economy, along with the remote nature of many battle-related sites, earthworks commonly went untouched. Resource 068- 5015 (44OR0353) appears to be witness to such a fate, as the resource contains remnants of both the Union campsite and the Confederate trenches. The presence of multiple layers of Civil War occupation is not entirely unfounded in this area, but the existence of a place with both Union and Confederate modifications with overlapping visual evidence extant on the ground surface today is somewhat less common, especially one that was reused three times within a one-year period. The site has the potential to reveal information on the Battle of Mine Run, an event that has, in general, received less attention than its surrounding counterparts of Chancellorsville and Wilderness. It also represents one of the last sets of remaining earthworks from the Wilderness campaign on the significant Germanna peninsula, as most other sets of above-ground resources have been destroyed such as those in Spotswood Estates to the northwest. In addition, shovel testing and metal detecting unearthed the presence of artifacts within intact soils, suggesting additional information potential in this area. Given this, the site exhibits the potential to yield significant information on military/defense, during the Civil War Period (1861–1865), potentially meeting Criterion D of the NRHP. There are notable associations between the site and a significant historical event or pattern of events—a Union campsite and Confederate trenches used during two battles—potentially meeting Criterion A of the NRHP. The site does not have any known association with significant persons (Criterion B), and the deposits do not illustrate the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction (Criterion C). As such, resource 068-5015 (44OR0353) is recommended as Potentially Eligible for the NRHP under Criteria A and D. In addition, the resource is potentially a contributing element to the Wilderness Battlefield (088-5183), mapped across the project parcel. Confederate troops used the earthworks present at this site to help guard Route 3/Plank Road, the primary thoroughfare through this corridor at that time. Although first use of the earthworks by Confederates, and the subsequent occupation of the campsite by Union troops is related to the Battle of Mine Run, the boundaries of this resource lie several miles south of the current project area. The miles between the archaeological site and the battlefield boundaries contain an abundance of non-contributing elements, thus divorcing the site from the larger contextual framework of the Mine Run battlefield. As such, it is suggested that the site is not a contributing element to this resource. Although the boundaries of Chancellorsville Battlefield (088-5180) are mapped across a portion of the project area, current research suggests that extant resources have no association with this battle, thus it is suggested that the site is not a contributing element to this battlefield. ----------------------- [Gonzalez 2013] In sum, the remains of site 44OR0353/068-5015 represent a Civil War-period site associated with the Battles of Mine Run and Wilderness. The site was seen as a potentially contributing element to the Wilderness Battlefield (088-5183). Through the excavation of features and test units within the earthworks as well as mapping of the existing trench lines, additional information on the Civil War in Orange County, Virginia was obtained. This data can assist in the greater interpretation of Civil War life from both the civilian and military perspective. During Dovetail’s archaeological excavation, 10 features, four test units, and two large trenches were excavated. Test units and trenches were placed within the earthwork feature. Feature excavations produced no artifacts, and were ultimately determined to be naturally occurring. Artifacts recovered from the test unit excavations and the metal detector survey include wire and cut nails associated with general discard.