Connecticut Revolutionary War Camp Found

"Western Connecticut State University professors announced last week a Revolutionary War archeological site off Limekiln Road is almost certainly from the same time period as Putnam Park, confirming a decades-long assumption the site was home to patriot soldiers during the winter of 1779.

Interesting stuff.
“Of course one of the first things we looked for was to make sure this is the camp we think it is,” said Beth Morrison, a professor at WestConn who studied the site. “[We asked:] Were there similar behaviors here [as at Putnam Park]?”

What Morrison and her fellow professor Laurie Weinstein found during a study that ran from 2007 to 2016 on the “Middle Encampment” area was its soil structure matched that found at Putnam Park.

“The soil profile is exactly the same at the Middle Encampment. And though, at first, other kinds of artifact densities appeared to be less … we did a very small amount of metal detecting and our numbers went back up. It definitely matched the profile,” she said during a presentation at the Redding Historical Society barn.

Specifically, Putnam Park’s soil profile is dominated by a layer of brittle, fire-damaged animal bones that were thrown into fires after soldiers finished with them. Tiny bone fragments were later tracked around the camp.

“Anytime you put a shovel six inches into the ground, there’s is a layer of debris made up of bone,” at both Putnam and the Middle Encampment, Morrison said.

In terms of artifacts, the team was able to find a great deal of metal remains of the Revolutionary War camp, including military buttons, shoe buckles and musket balls.

“We’re happy to say that every single [site] we put a hole into came up with a period-specific artifact,” Morrison said."
http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2016/06/06/experts-found-60-revolutionary-structures-off-limekiln-road/

 

Most interesting they used the term "balls" for bullets.

 

At least in US usage that I'm familiar with round projectiles are usually referred to as bullets. Using my Walker as an example it can either fire .45 caliber balls or the .45 caliber Walker bullets. The MInie Ball being at least one exception to this as it's bullet shaped but obviously titled a "ball". I don't think there were many if any conical bullets used in the Rev War though, if there were I'm sure we'll be enlightened soon.

*** edit for ***
I messed up what I was trying to say rather badly. Round projectiles were and are often refered to as balls but may also be referred to as bullets. "Connical" projectiles almost always (see the exception above) are refered to as bullets. Thus the projectiles from rev war muskets (and pistols) will often be referred to as "balls" unless they are subcaliber in which case they may be referred to as "shot", "buck shot", or "buck" (as in "buck and ball" a load of both a full caliber projectile along with several subcaliber ones).

Clarifications or corrections are welcomed.

 

I believe you are correct. To the best of my knowledge the first conical bullets came out in the 1820s, with the Minie Ball being the first to see widespread use in the 1840s.

 

My Alma Mater. Well done WestConn