Construction project in Virginia leads to surprising Revolutionary War-era discovery

Archaeologists in Colonial Williamsburg have discovered what they believe to be Revolutionary War barracks in the historical city located in Virginia. The finding came as officials with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation prepared to break ground for a new indoor sports complex, and Dr. Jack Gary, executive director of archeology, was brought on board to examine the site. Fox News Digital spoke to Gary about why experts have linked the discovery to colonial barracks.

Yet British troops destroyed them while on their way to Yorktown under the command of Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis in 1781. Gary said he and the team learned the barracks had been destroyed after a Revolutionary War soldier's request. 'Later on, after the Cornwallis troops moved through, they could see the barracks on fire in the distance.' 'There has to be a description of the soldiers' activities in the war in the pension request,' he said.

Gary said there's a simple explanation for the tooth marks in the lead shot discovered on-site: boredom. 'The soldiers would chew on the bullets in the shot,' he said. ' kind of one of those things to pass the time. I think any soldier out there can probably tell you that there's a lot of downtime in the military.

Archaeologists have been conducting surveys of Colonial Williamsburg since 1928. These experts plan to expand operations to a brand-new center for archeology. The Campbell Archeology Center will be open to the public in 2026, per a spokesperson for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

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