Sacred Ground

In the fall of 1864, Camp Lawton, Ga. may have been one of the most miserable places on Earth.

The Confederate prison camp just outside of Millen housed more than 10,000 captive Union soldiers on a sprawling 42-acre compound and was the largest prison camp of the Civil War. While the camp was surrounded by a stockade wall and equipped with guard towers and a few buildings, prisoners were left to come up with their own shelter. For most, that was nothing more than a shallow trench they dug in the ground, covered by whatever scrap material they could find. Death was a constant at the prison where malnutrition, injury, exposure to the elements, and disease claimed dozens of lives every week. The only bright spot was a natural spring, which provided the camp with thousands of gallons of fresh water a day.

Camp Lawton was supposed to be the Confederate Army’s long-term solution to the notorious Andersonville prison, where conditions were so bad and death rates so high that Army leaders had no choice but to construct an alternative. But life at Camp Lawton was almost as dire. The prison was only occupied for six weeks; records indicate that during that time anywhere from 700 to 1,300 men died there.

In November 1864, Confederate guards roused prisoners in the middle of the night and began a hurried evacuation of the prison. Sherman’s “March to the Sea” was bringing the Union Army dangerously close to Camp Lawton, and Confederate guards had to move the prisoners to other prison camps or risk them being set free by Sherman and re-enforcing the ranks of his army. Camp Lawton was abandoned.

As the years went by, all traces of Camp Lawton, except for a few earthworks that made up part of the Confederate fort outside of the prison, disappeared. A century-and-a-half passed with the secrets of the prison, and the stories of the soldiers who lived and died there, hidden by time and layers of foliage and earth. They may never have been found, if it were not for a Georgia Southern alumnus, a faculty member and a student whose work uncovered a buried past that everyone assumed had been lost forever.

The First Step

In 2009, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Clark (’92) was looking for a way to re-ignite interest and excitement in Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen. The park is located in Jenkins County, which had suffered several devastating economic blows when major employers closed their doors and moved their operations. Clark knew increasing tourism at Magnolia Springs would be good for the park and good for the county.

The fact that the park was situated at the site of Camp Lawton was part of its appeal to tourists. With a few Confederate earthworks still visible and a small display highlighting the history of Camp Lawton at the entrance to the park, those interested in the Civil War had a reason to make a stop at the park as part of their drive through Jenkins County – or even take a short detour – to see the site. But Clark envisioned something more. If the location of the original stockade wall could be found, more extensive displays and interpretations could be offered, giving tourists one more reason to stop at Magnolia Springs. Clark, who had served as student government president at Georgia Southern, turned to his alma mater for help. He approached anthropology professor Sue Moore with his idea.

“I was telling her about some of the opportunities that I thought we had, particularly at Magnolia Springs, and how interesting it would be if we could look and see what we could find about Camp Lawton,” Clark recalled.

Moore agreed to help Clark and knew a search for the footprint of the camp’s stockade wall would give her graduate students the practical, hands-on experience needed for a thesis – and would also be a great service project.

“I remember thinking to myself this would not be a difficult project to manage, as I did not expect we would find a lot in the way of artifacts,” Moore explained. “I was optimistic that we could find evidence of the stockade and maybe some of the support buildings that went along with the prison camp. “Archaeologists have agreed for years that there were no artifacts left on this site. The vast majority of Civil War sites have been farmed, developed, looted and basically stripped of artifacts. The same was assumed of Magnolia Springs. Archaeologists dismissed the idea of finding anything here decades ago.” Moore assigned graduate student Kevin Chapman (’07) to head up the project.

“I thought all of the ground-breaking archaeology of the Civil War had been done,” Chapman recalls. “The battlefields had been studied, the campsites had been studied, and the maritime aspect had been studied. And certainly no one believed there was anything left of importance at Magnolia Springs.”

The Research

Guided by Moore, Chapman and his team of students took a careful scientific approach to the project as they began the search for the stockade wall. Using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems along with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the team was able to do a survey of the area that turned up things not visible to the naked eye. Among those was a disturbance of the soil underground – which turned out to be from the stockade wall – and other formations and indentations that led the team to believe they could narrow down the area where prisoners had encamped. The team then plotted a grid of the site and began painstaking excavation work in an effort to find any artifacts.

They didn’t have to look very long.

“On the first day of surveying we found a button and we found a cut musket ball,” Chapman remembered.

“About five or six minutes after that we found a coin, a U.S. large cent, which was dated before the Civil War. That was the moment we all had to stop and back up and say, ‘We have found something here, it is undisturbed and it’s significant, and we have to stop and slow down and really do this right.’ ”
Even Moore, who has spent 30 years on archaeological digs, was stunned.

“I had to sit down on the ground because I thought, ‘I do not believe we just did this.’ I was just humbled by this find.”

The Georgia Southern University team had proven conventional archaeological wisdom wrong. There were many artifacts to be found at Camp Lawton – a place the team now knew was the only undisturbed Confederate prisoner of war camp in existence.

The Artifacts

The artifacts found went beyond bullets and buttons – items Chapman refers to as “the accessories of war.” The artifacts recovered at Camp Lawton are extraordinary because many of them are one-of-a-kind personal items that were owned and treasured by the soldiers.

“Many of these items were things the prisoners would have kept hidden from their Confederate guards,” Chapman explained. “These were reminders of home and the life they had before the war. Other items, like bullets that were melted down for gaming pieces, show how prisoners struggled to hold on to some sense of normalcy despite their captivity.”

The items are also a poignant reminder of the horror of the war and life at Camp Lawton. Chapman unearthed a tourniquet buckle, used to fasten bandages, with a small piece of cloth still attached.

“I found that tourniquet buckle and it took me off guard. I honestly didn’t recognize what it was immediately. It had a little scrap of cloth and I thought, ‘This can’t be Civil War, can it? Cloth after 150 years?’

“I realized that this tourniquet during its service would have wrapped around the arms and legs of many servicemen as they lost a limb,” Chapman recalled.

‘Easy project’ becomes major find for graduate student Chapman

When the artifacts found at Camp Lawton were publically unveiled on Aug. 18, Kevin Chapman was the undisputed star of the show. The 36-year old graduate student charmed the audience when he told them he had wanted an easy project for his thesis that wouldn’t take a lot of time out of his busy life.

Instead, he made the discovery of a lifetime.

The Summerville, Ga., native enrolled in the University’s Master of Arts in social science program after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Georgia Southern. As the graduate supervisor for the Camp Lawton/Magnolia Springs project, Chapman’s knowledge and surveying skills led the team to the area of encampment for Union soldiers imprisoned there during the Civil War.

And the rest is history. History that could have been lost to the ages, but instead will be studied by researchers for decades.

“I believe we have only begun to scratch the surface of what remains to be found at Camp Lawton,” Chapman said. “There are many more artifacts to be found and many more stories to be told.”

Chapman may be able to relate to the items found in a way that his counterparts cannot. Before coming to Georgia Southern, Chapman served 11 years in the U.S. Army National Guard and was activated for duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Chapman said when he realized at Camp Lawton that he had found a tourniquet buckle used for amputating limbs of wounded soldiers in the Civil War, he could not help but be moved.

“I am ex-military and I have served overseas. I’ve lost friends, so that artifact in particular really spoke to me,” Chapman recalled.

Chapman’s archaeological discovery soon led to a position with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Specialized Career Education Program, where Chapman supervises the federal land area where the artifacts were found. And when the artifacts were unveiled to the public, Chapman quickly found himself in the media spotlight. He was featured in hundreds of newspapers and on countless television and radio stories. He and Moore even traveled to Atlanta to be interviewed on the set of CNN.

“All of a sudden I’m getting dozens of friend requests on Facebook and hearing from people I haven’t talked to in years,” Chapman laughed. “One of my old buddies from the National Guard called me and said, ‘You must be the luckiest guy in the world,’ because I had some pretty good luck in Bosnia. Maybe, he’s right.”

Later that same day, Chapman unearthed an improvised smoking pipe.

Chapman says a soldier took the stem from a broken pipe and attached it to a make-shift bowl made from melted lead in order to make it usable again. The owner’s teeth marks are still visible on the stem. It is Chapman’s favorite artifact, and he feels a connection to its owner whenever he sees it.

“We’ll never know his name – it’s been lost to history – but his story hasn’t, because when you see that pipe, you can almost feel that man. You can reach back 150 years and see him at Camp Lawton next to a small fire with a few scraps of wood he had managed to pull together on that cold November. He sat next to that fire and he had a little bit of tobacco that he bought from the guards or bartered from the guards and he enjoyed it. And, maybe, he thought of home.”

Other personal items include part of a picture frame, which Chapman said likely contained a photograph of a soldier’s mother or wife. A spoon that is clearly not military issue, and may have been brought by a soldier as a reminder of home, was also unearthed.

Chapman believes one possible reason so many personal artifacts were recovered at the site is because of the way Camp Lawton was evacuated as Sherman’s army approached.

“In the middle of the night, captives sleeping in shallow trenches were awakened and forced to the inner edges of the compound so they could be moved to other prisons,” explains Chapman. “Grabbing a treasured item like a pipe or photo frame hidden in their shallow trench or somewhere nearby may not have been possible.”

Preserving the Past for the Future

The artifacts found so far are in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because they were found in a portion of Magnolia Springs owned by the federal government. But, they will be displayed at the Georgia Southern Museum beginning Oct. 10. Later, displays will be mounted at Magnolia Springs State Park.

“The Georgia Southern Museum is the closest accredited museum to Camp Lawton that has the climate controls necessary to house the artifacts,” said Moore. “Georgia Southern, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service feel strongly that we have a duty to do our best to preserve the artifacts and the site.

“Archaeology has the chance, and I believe the duty, to try to tell the stories for those who cannot or did not. It gives the written record texture and depth. This site is precious and unique and we owe its inhabitants’ the chance to speak through the archaeology and history.

“Magnolia Springs is sacred ground,” Moore continued. “Hundreds of men died there, and many more suffered unimaginable trials during their imprisonment. As archaeologists and educators we must make sure the story of Camp Lawton’s past is preserved for the future. The artifacts – and the details they provide – were lost for a century-and-a-half. It’s our job now to try and preserve them forever.”

Georgia Southern’s Camp Lawton Team

Sue Moore, Ph.D.

Sue Moore is a professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Georgia Southern University.

Moore is the former chair of the department and the former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Georgia Southern University. Her research interests include historical archaeology, particularly southeastern U.S. colonial-postbellum periods.

Moore’s students are currently engaged in research at three locations: Mont Repose Plantation in South Carolina, Old Town Plantation near Louisville, Ga., and Camp Lawton at Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen, Ga.

Moore completed her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Florida.

Kevin Chapman

Kevin Chapman is the graduate supervisor for the Camp Lawton/Magnolia Springs project. Chapman found the first artifact on the Camp Lawton site and quickly realized he was working in an area that held numerous pieces of historical importance, despite the widely held belief by many professional archaeologists that nothing of significance remained on the Civil War site.

The discoveries at Camp Lawton have special meaning for Chapman, who served 11 years in the Georgia Army National Guard and was activated for duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina. His military background gives him a unique understanding of the items found at Camp Lawton, and what they meant to each soldier.

Chapman is a native of Summerville, Ga., and holds an Associate of Arts in criminal justice from East Georgia College and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Georgia Southern University. He is currently enrolled in Georgia Southern’s Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) program.

Chapman received the Cultural Heritage Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year and was recently accepted into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Specialized Career Education program.

Matthew Newberry

Matthew Newberry is the logistical coordinator for the Camp Lawton/Magnolia Springs project and assisted with the archaeological survey and test excavations of the site.

Newberry is a native of Hamilton, Ga., and earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Georgia Southern. He is currently enrolled in Georgia Southern’s Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) program.

In addition to the Camp Lawton project, Newberry’s archaeological interests include lowland and coastal plantation archaeology, prehistoric/historic pottery and ceramic analysis, and using remote sensing applications in archaeological research.

Newberry is the president of the Georgia Southern Anthropological Society and holds memberships in the Society for Georgia Archaeology, the Society for Historical Archaeology and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. After completing his master’s degree, he plans to work in cultural resource management.

Matthew Luke

Matthew Luke is the LiDAR scanning director for the Camp Lawton site. Luke performed the site mapping at Camp Lawton and managed data obtained from Geographic Information Systems technology.

Luke is a native of Byron, Ga. and earned his Associate of Science degree from Georgia Military College and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Georgia Southern. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) program.

Luke’s research areas of interest include the historical archaeology of military sites, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems data management. He is vice president of the Georgia Southern Anthropological Society and holds memberships in the Society for Historical Archaeology and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference. Luke plans to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology.

Amanda Morrow

Amanda Morrow assisted in the excavation of artifacts at the Camp Lawton site and photographed the artifacts for publication.

Morrow is from Marietta, Ga., and graduated from Georgia Southern with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and a minor in photography. Morrow is now pursuing her Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) from Georgia Southern.

Civil War history, artifact photography, and numismatics are among Morrow’s areas of expertise and professional interest. She is a member of Lambda Alpha Anthropological Honors Society, and plans to continue specializing in Civil War archaeology while pursuing her Ph.D.

Mary Craft

Mary Craft assisted in the excavation of the Camp Lawton site and is heading up the team’s educational outreach programs.

Craft is from Commerce, Ga., and received her Associate’s degree in anthropology from Gainesville State College and her Bachelor of Arts in anthropology with a minor in history from Georgia Southern. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) program at Georgia Southern.

Craft’s areas of interest include zooarchaeology and anthropology/archaeology educational outreach, and she serves as the secretary of Georgia Southern’s Anthropological Society. Craft’s professional goal is to continue to educate the public about man’s and culture’s rich history.

Christopher Kowalczyk

Christopher Kowalczyk helped set the initial layout and excavation of the Camp Lawton site. He also worked closely with LiDAR and electronic survey ideas at the site.

Kowalczyk served as a United States Navy rescue swimmer and intelligence specialist. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from Georgia Southern and is currently enrolled in Georgia Southern’s Master of Arts in social science (anthropology) program.

Kowalczyk’s interests include biological anthropology, evolutionary ecology, taphonomy and faunal curation and preservation by means of 3D scanning. Kowalczyk plans to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology.