All photos: Courtesy of Rowan University
A team of Rowan University archeologists had been digging all summer at New Jersey’s Red Bank Battlefield Park to find remnants of Revolutionary War battles. They were thrilled to find a rare coin dating back to 1766 – but they were shocked to find something else: A human femur.
Over 4 digs, archeologists and volunteers uncovered the remains of 13 Hessian soldiers (German troops hired by the British) in what they think may have been a mass grave.
Take a look behind the scenes at the dig that unearthed some major South Jersey history.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-264-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-264-scaled.jpg)
Wade Catts, principal archaeologist, records findings in the Fort Mercer trench during the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-101-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-101-scaled.jpg)
Each item found at the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation is examined on site and cataloged before being removed for cleaning and laboratory analysis.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-33-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-33-scaled.jpg)
Meticulous notes on each item found at the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project will help historians refine and confirm the details of the battle at Red Bank.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-2-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-2-scaled.jpg)
While most of the work in the trench required careful manual labor with hand tools, the team also used a metal detector and ground penetrating radar at key points in the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-265-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-265-scaled.jpg)
History professor Jennifer Janofsky holds a rare 1766 King George III gold guinea, the equivalent of a soldier’s wages for a month, found during the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan-Red-Bank-IMG_9196.jpeg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan-Red-Bank-IMG_9196.jpeg)
Archaeologist Dana Linck, forensic dentist Stuart Alexander and New Jersey State Police forensic anthropologist Anna Delaney confer at the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan-RedBank-IMG_9191-scaled.jpeg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan-RedBank-IMG_9191-scaled.jpeg)
Archaeologist Dana Linck, forensic dentist Stuart Alexander and New Jersey State Police forensic anthropologist Anna Delaney confer at the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project excavation.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-91-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-91-scaled.jpg)
Volunteers Joe Reilly, Drew Stanzeski, Guy Digiugno and others processed tons of soil and debris from the trench to salvage tiny artifacts from the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-86-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-86-scaled.jpg)
Volunteers Joe Reilly and Guy Digiugno helped process tons of soil and debris from the trench to salvage tiny artifacts from the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project.
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-181-scaled.jpg)
![](https://sjmagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rowan_RedBank_072522-181-scaled.jpg)
Volunteer Guy Digiugno screens material at the excavation site during the Red Bank Battlefield Archaeology Project.