A teenage soldier who died fighting for American independence has finally been identified—246 years after his remains were left in a shallow grave on a South Carolina battlefield.

Researchers say the young man was Pvt. John Pumphrey of Maryland, a Continental Army soldier killed during the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780.

Pumphrey was one of hundreds of American troops killed when British forces under Gen. Charles Cornwallis routed the Continental Army. Many of the dead were never properly buried, leaving their bodies exposed to animals, heat and humidity.

The forgotten soldiers remained beneath the battlefield until 2020, when archaeologists noticed human bones protruding from the ground. An excavation eventually uncovered 14 sets of remains, including 12 Continental soldiers and two men believed to have fought for the British.

Pumphrey’s remains were originally cataloged simply as “Camden 9B.” He and four other soldiers had been hastily covered with only a thin layer of soil.

Investigators attempted to recover DNA from his teeth, but the samples produced little usable material. They eventually turned to a dense section of bone located near the base of the skull.

That tiny piece of bone yielded something extraordinary: Pumphrey’s complete genetic profile.

Investigators uploaded the results to public genealogy databases and received approximately 20,000 potential DNA matches. Genealogists then began the painstaking job of constructing family trees and comparing genetic evidence with military and historical records.

The trail led to John Pumphrey, an orphan from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, who may have joined the militia when he was only 13 years old.

His exact age remains unknown because researchers have found no birth certificate. However, his bones showed that the growth plates around his knees had not completely closed, confirming that he was still a teenager when he died.

Historical records revealed that Pumphrey served with the 7th Maryland Regiment and endured the winter at Valley Forge with George Washington’s army. His unit also participated in several major battles, including Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth.

Researchers estimate that the young soldier marched approximately 1,000 miles before dying at Camden. His precise cause of death cannot be determined because no obvious injury remains on his skeleton. He may have suffered a fatal wound to soft tissue from a musket ball, blade or bayonet.

Pumphrey and the other Continental soldiers were reburied with full military honors in 2023. At the time, his gravestone still identified him only as an unknown Revolutionary War soldier.

His surviving relatives were recently informed of the discovery during an emotional gathering in Maryland. The family now hopes the federal government will formally accept the identification and replace the “UNKNOWN” marker with one bearing his name.

The timing is especially significant: Pumphrey has regained his identity as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

After nearly two and a half centuries, the teenager who helped fight for the creation of the country is no longer merely a set of bones marked “Camden 9B.”

His name was John Pumphrey—and America finally remembers him.

Source: Associated Press

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