Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Charles Cobb

Abstract

The siege of Fort Motte took place between May 6 and 12, 1781. This battle was part of the American offensive against British posts in South Carolina during the American Revolution. During the siege, British troops were confined within the fort while American Continental forces as well as the South Carolina militia maintained a presence outside the walls. In addition to discussing the general history of the battle, I will specifically discuss the cultural variability of lead shot recovered from this site during archaeological excavation and systematic metal detection between 2004 and 2012. During the mid-eighteenth century, British troops were issued .75 caliber muskets. American Continentals were generally armed with .69 caliber muskets. The South Carolina militia was armed with a variety of firearms including muskets and rifles. Due to the firearm technology of the eighteenth century, it is possible to determine the type of firearm that fired individual lead shot. Surface characteristics as well as the weight and diameter of lead shot can be used to identify individual action. This information, combined with spatial distribution data, allows a close analysis of group and individual combat behavior in the context of the battle. This behavior is then analyzed in terms of agency.

Rights

© 2013, Stacey Renae Whitacre

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