Though many of us know about the bigger battles of the Revolutionary War, one of the most pivotal fights is often overlooked. A group of Patriots led by Col. Andrew Pickens defeated a force of British Loyalists twice their number when Pickens’ troops caught the British troops caught off guard in Georgia. For nearly 240 years, most of the soldiers who died lied untouched in makeshift graves. But according to Walker Chewning, president of the Kettle Creek Battlefield Association, cadaver dogs surveyed about a quarter of the battlegrounds near Washington, George, trying to sniff out where soldiers could have fallen. From there, scientists used ground-penetrating radar and excavation to find the graves. Archaeologist Tom Gresham said they could not find any traditional burial markers like teeth or jacket buttons but did spot shallow pits with clusters of rocks, according to Fox News. Because of this discovery, Kettle Creek Battlefield Association announced the acquisition of 180 additional acres – tripling the American Revolutionary War park’s size – during the anniversary month of the hasty encounter. Thanks to contributions from the Civil War Trust, Watson-Brown Foundation and the American Battlefield Protection Program, the preserved area expanded from 77 to 257 acres, for nearly $430,000.
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