The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Tennessee Soldier's Teeth Point to Ancestry-- Part 1

From the Dec. 21,2011, Nashville Tennessean "Civil War soldier's teeth point to ancestry" by Kevin Watters.

Workers constructing the site for a Chick-Fil-A store on Columbia Avenue in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2009 came across a badly decomposed skeleton which had a mix of Native-American and European ancestry.  The soldier probably did not die from gunshot at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.  This according to newly released archaeological findings.

The soldier was buried at Rest Haven Cemetery and attracted thousands and national attention.  Sadly, his name and cause of death are still not known.

Hugh Berryman, forensic anthropologist at Middle Tennessee State University said the incisor teeth shaped like a shovel is a genetic trait shown by Asians and Native Americans.  He was probably in his twenties at death and stood five foot ten inches.

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

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