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The Confederate Winter Camp Site at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia was occupied by troops during the winter of 1861 to 1862. Documentary research suggests that the unit was one of four regiments in Wilcox's brigade which are known to have camped in the area. Funded by the National Park Service, the park sponsored an archaeological investigation of the site to document the condition and nature of the remains, and to learn about the soldiers who occupied the site.
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Historic View of Huts in a Confederate Camp
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Recent developments prior to this study had encroached on the margins of the battlefield, and an unknown portion f the camp had been lost. Berger's investigations revealed that the surviving portion of the camp site included the remains of about 20 Civil War era structures. Evidence of most of these structures consisted of a stone pile that probably resulted from the collapse of a stone and mud chimney. Each of these chimney piles represents a Civil War soldier's hut.
The field work included a metal-detector survey and manual excavation of test units. Of the very few artifacts recovered, most were nails or scraps of unidentifiable metal. The only military artifacts found were two Minié balls, two musket balls, a small iron buckle, and a vent pick.
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