Researchers, Rowan University students working to identify remains found at Revolutionary War battle site in New Jersey
NATIONAL PARK, N.J. (CBS) — Two years after historic human remains were unearthed at Red Bank Battlefield, we're seeing a glimpse of what the soldiers may have looked like.
The remains date back to the Revolutionary War, and researchers are continuing their work to learn who they were.
"I love history, and if you love history, you should love your own history and your local history," Bob Gilliam said.
Red Bank Battlefield Park has always held a special place in Gilliam's heart. He has been coming to the park since he was a child, posed for pictures under the trees on his wedding day, and is a self-proclaimed history buff.
In 2022, CBS News Philadelphia reported on the skeletal remains of Hessian soldiers unearthed at Red Bank.
Hessians, by the way, were German soldiers hired to fight for the British Army in multiple wars including the American Revolution.
Many of the soldiers were from the state of Hesse-Cassel, earning them the name "Hessians."
Gilliam has been following the project, and he and his wife donated $20,000 to help researchers and Rowan University students work to identify the soldiers found in a mass grave near the Fort Mercer Trench.
"I'm excited now to be able to see just what we can do with identifying some of the people that we found here after all of this time, and try to give them some dignity and recognition," Gilliam said.
For the first time, researchers have uncovered the possible face of one of the young men killed during the landmark Revolutionary War battle in 1777. Working from a skull recovered at the site, a New Jersey State Police forensic artist created a composite sketch.
"It moves beyond seeing them as skeletal remains and it moves them into the world of humanity," Rowan University public historian Jen Janofsky said.
Janofsky said DNA analysis concluded the 15 sets of remains were all men, but they didn't learn much more because of the poor condition of the bones, which were degraded from sitting in wet soil for nearly 250 years.
In the fall, researchers will examine the petrous bone, which is the hardest bone in the body and tends to contain well-preserved DNA. Stable isotope analysis on the teeth will also be conducted, and the main goal is to identify at least one of the soldiers.
"If we can share their stories with our park visitors, it will provide a more nuanced and complicated understanding of the American revolution," Janofsky said.
"We could actually knock on a door in Germany and have a conversation with a person about their ancestor and what they did here," Gilliam said.
Two years after the discovery, interest in Red Bank continues to grow. Park volunteers, including Rowan students, will give guided, registration-only tours of the Hessian discovery site on three Saturdays in August — the 10th, 17th and 24th. Registration is online. Visitors must create an account and click the "activities" tab to go to the registration site.