Union soldier found 162 years after battle is set to be buried at Arlington
Archaeologists at Manassas National Battlefield Park have uncovered the remains of a young Union soldier from the 1862 Second Battle of Manassas. The site also yielded surgically amputated limbs, providing new insights into Civil War-era battlefield medicine.
Why it matters
The discovery offers a rare, tangible connection to the human cost of the American Civil War and advances historical understanding of 19th-century medical practices.
More than 160 years after the Second Battle of Manassas, the remains of a young Union soldier are set to receive a final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery. According to the National Park Service, archaeologists uncovered the nearly complete burial of the soldier during excavations at Manassas National Battlefield Park in March 2024. Analysis indicates that he was between 16 and 19 years old and likely fought in the August 1862 battle. The excavation also recovered four surgically amputated limbs belonging to wounded soldiers who had been treated at a nearby Civil War field hospital, offering a rare glimpse into battlefield medicine and the human cost of the conflict.A burial lost for more than 160 yearsThe young soldier was discovered at a site associated with a Civil War field hospital at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia.
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