The remains of a young soldier who died fighting in the American Revolutionary War more than 245 years ago have been identified through DNA analysis, marking a major breakthrough in the use of genetic genealogy in military archaeology.
Researchers confirmed that the remains belong to John Pumphrey, a Continental Army soldier from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, who was killed during the Battle of Camden in South Carolina on 16 August 1780. Pumphrey was believed to have been no older than 18 when he died.
The identification was made by comparing DNA extracted from a small bone sample with genetic information voluntarily submitted by living relatives to public genealogy databases.
One of the war’s deadliest battles
The Battle of Camden was one of the bloodiest engagements of the American War of Independence. Around 900 American soldiers were killed or wounded, while another 1,000 were captured by British forces.
Today, the battlefield serves as both a historic site and a cemetery, as many of those killed were buried where they fell.
In 2020, archaeologists discovered the remains of 14 soldiers at the Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve. A team from the University of South Carolina’s South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology completed a full excavation of the graves in 2022.
The soldiers had been buried in shallow graves between 12 and 14 inches deep, alongside modest personal belongings. Historians believe the graves were dug quickly by prisoners of war during the intense South Carolina summer to prevent the spread of disease.
The remains were recovered, with many encased in soil blocks to protect fragile bones and associated artefacts. Archaeologists and forensic specialists examined the skeletons using X-rays, dental analysis and DNA testing before the soldiers were reburied with full military honours in April 2023 at Camden’s Old Presbyterian Cemetery. They were laid to rest in custom-made pine coffins sealed with hand-forged nails.
Teenage soldier identified
Analysis showed that many of the fallen soldiers were remarkably young. Half were under the age of 35, while two were estimated to have been between 14 and 16 years old.
The graves included one British Highland soldier from Scotland’s 71st Regiment of Foot and one Native American fighter believed to have served alongside British forces. The remaining soldiers were members of the Continental Army from Maryland or Delaware.
Pumphrey is the first of the group to be positively identified through forensic genetic genealogy.
Based on the development of his knee growth plates, biological anthropologists estimate he enlisted in Maryland’s 7th Regiment in Baltimore in 1777 when he was just 13 to 15 years old, making him one of the youngest soldiers in General George Washington’s famed Maryland Line.
Researchers believe he may have enlisted after being orphaned at the age of 10.
“Our soldier was orphaned at age 10, so it makes sense he would have journeyed to Baltimore to enlist in part for guaranteed clothes and food,” said Allison Peacock, president of FHD Forensics, the company that carried out the genetic genealogy research.
Hope for more identifications
FHD Forensics organised a family reunion in Maryland last month, bringing together living relatives of John Pumphrey to commemorate his life and military service more than two centuries after his death.
Researchers hope the same DNA-based approach will allow them to identify more of the soldiers recovered from the Camden battlefield, providing long-awaited names to those who have remained unknown since one of the Revolutionary War’s most devastating battles.
Sources : University of South Carolina