in the Hazen Monument. Archer, Burton,
and Parrot are types of artillery shells.
Following the battle, a detail of soldiers from the four regiments composing Hazenís Brigade set about the task of burying their dead. The site they chose was close to the crest of a hill near the railroad tracks. Hazenís Brigade was one of the few Union units that held their ground and never retreated during the heavy Confederate attack on December 31, 1862. Fifty-five graves surround the 10-foot high limestone monument that was constructed in the months immediately following the battle.
In 1985 it became evident that rainwater seeping into the interior of the monument had loosened and displaced the mortar between the limestone rocks of the structure. In order to properly seal the walls and preserve the monument, the top was removed and the interior fill materials were taken out, level by level. On July 29, 1985, work was halted when strange evidence appeared among the fill material.
Diagram 1 is a drawing of the interior of the monument six levels down. A six-pound shell and three other artillery shells were immediately visible to the archeologist on site. Two rifle barrels, a staff, and several other artillery shells were soon found. All the objects were battle related, and most of Confederate origin.
Questions for Photo 1 & Diagram 1
1. Examine Photo 1, the Hazen Brigade Monument. What is your immediate reaction to the design of the monument?
2. Why, considering the horror these soldiers endured at that location, would they would erect a monument so soon after the battle?
3. Examine Diagram 1. Why do you think these items were placed in the monument? Keep in mind that it was not expected that these items would ever be seen by anyone other than the monumentís builders.
4. If you constructed the monument, what items might you have included?
5. Do you think it was important to protect this monument from further decay? Why or why not?
* The photo and diagram on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 1 and Diagram 1, but be aware that each file will take as much as 40 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.