WASHINGTON — It's a discovery for the history books.
The National Park Service has found the remains of two Civil War soldiers and a battlefield surgeon's pit at Manassas National Battlefield Park.
This discovery marks the first time in history that a surgeon's pit at a Civil War battlefield has been excavated and studied as well as the first time that killed-in-action Civil War soldiers have been found in an amputated limb burial pit, according to a park service statement.
The park service and the Smithsonian Institution recovered two complete sets of remains, 11 partial limbs and several artifacts from the site.
The two soldiers will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery later this year in coffins constructed from a downed tree from the battlefield.
Read Full Article »