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Excavation continues at Ridgefield home where possible Revolutionary War soldier remains found

Excavation work continues at a Ridgefield home where the remains of three people, possibly Revolutionary War soldiers, have been found.  Archeologists, historians, and scientists held a press conference yesterday on the findings that could be connected to the Battle of Ridgefield from April 1777. 

Two of the skeletons were buried side by side, and another was about 15 feet away.

(Sketch of remains found on Dec. 3)

State archeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni says he's 85 to 90 percent sure the bones date back to that time.  He cautioned that there are a lot of things that could disprove the hypothesis, though he has yet to find any of those things.  Ballantoni called it a hasty burial of three adult men, two of whom look to have been stripped of their clothes.  That practice was the British custom at the time for infantry men or non-officers in the army. 

So far there hasn't been any evidence of trauma, so Bellantoni is unsure of what the cause of death was.  But he says lab tests may reveal if there was a saber cut on any of the remains. 

No musket balls or any other weapons have been discovered on the site.  There's also no evidence of coffin parts. The remains were found buried about 3 feet deep. One has a series of buttons from the neck to abdomen. The buttons are corroded and being cleaned up. Five are brass buttons, with no insignia.  There was also a textile attached, with a piece of possible leather found in upper neck area.  A piece of pewter was also found. A lot of analysis to do.

The State Medical Examiner's Office has estimated that one of the men was 5 feet 11 inches.  The commingled bodies likely did not fight on opposing sides.  Local historian Keith Marshall Jones III says the British would not bury anyone but their own.

Jones says the most likely outcome is that they were British infantry men, rank and file.  The British Consulate in Boston has been notified.  Bellantoni wants to ensure they are reinterred with full military honors.  His preference would be that they will be interred in Ridgefield with their final resting place marked.

Bellantoni is applying for a National Parks Service grant under its American Battlefield Protection Program.  That could lead to an archeological survey of Main Street and other locations near the battle site.

Gary Aronsen, a biological anthropologist and supervisor of Yale’s University’s biological anthropology laboratories says their nationality is a challenging aspect to evaluate, but says the bones are in good enough shape to try to determine that.  He says there are tests that can be done to determine if someone was born here or if they immigrated here during the early part of American history.

Ground penetrating radar has not turned up any other evidence.

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Dave Rinelli

Local Headlines