An Archaeological Overview and Assessment of the
Main Unit, Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia

Chapter Three:  Paleoenvironment and Prehistoric Occupation (Part C)

Sample Units

The MAAR survey divided Fort Lee into eight sampling strata based upon geography, indicated in Table 3.4.

For comparative purposes with the Main Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield, the Bailey Creek stratum would be mirrored in the upper ridges and lower terraces along Harrison and Poor creeks and their tributaries.  The Harrison Branch and Watershed strata on the higher Sunderland Terrace, i.e., above 90 feet asl, are well represented in the eastern half of the Main Unit.  The strata on the lower Wicomico Terrace, i.e. between 70 and 90 feet asl, would be reflected in the Main Unit from Union Battery XIII north to the park boundary between Harrison Creek to the east and Poor Creek to the west.

The level terrace east of Harrison Creek at the base of the bluff at the north end of the park has an elevation of 40-50 feet asl that remains relatively level until the bluffs over the Appomattox River 3500 feet to the west.  This area should represent a separate stratum in an archaeological survey in the park, possibly similar to the Cabin Creek stratum at Fort Lee.  No equivalents of the Blackwater Swamp and Appomattox River strata exist within the Main Unit.

Probabilistic Survey

The survey methodology employed by MAAR at Fort Lee emphasized surface examination when possible and subsurface excavation of shovel test pits 1 foot square, generally to a depth of 1 foot.  The interval between shovel tests was 100 feet, which was reduced to 50 feet upon discovery of prehistoric or historic artifacts in a given shovel test.  The base was subdivided into survey units, each measuring 500 feet square or 5.74 acres.  Units comprising a total of 3609 acres were examined, which constituted a 66.7 % sample of the base (Opperman and Hanson 1985:5-2, 5-3).

Several modifications to the stratified random sample strategy were undertaken during the course of the Fort Lee project.  The random selection of survey units was restricted to those containing less than 50 % projected disturbance by development.  Nonrandom selection of proposed future construction areas resulted in examination of many areas considered to be more than 50 % disturbed.  Each random unit had an additional one to three adjacent nonrandom units selected for logistical efficiency during the field survey (Opperman and Hanson 1985:5-2).

These modifications would adversely influence the degree to which probabilistic statements of site location and density may be made and extended to the neighboring area of the Main Unit at Petersburg National Battlefield.  Nevertheless, the quality of the survey and its extensive coverage of the similar landforms at Fort Lee provides a database of considerable comparative value for estimating both the likely time periods of prehistoric occupations and the topographic settings of those occupations.

Potential Sampling Strata in the Main Unit

Harrison and Poor creeks: Areas of probable prehistoric occupation definitely include the upper terraces, ridges, and slopes above and the lower terraces along Harrison and Poor creeks (Figure 3.2).  The sampling strata should parallel these creeks and the unnamed stream at the north end of the park.  The width of the survey area on either side of the creeks may be arbitrarily determined; the MAAR survey considered a distance of 500 feet as having provided immediate or ready access to a given drainage (Opperman and Hanson 1985:5-1).  The width of the survey area should encompass both the lower terraces and the crests and ridges of higher terraces.

Higher terraces and ridges include the 100 foot (Sunderland) terrace at the north end of the park near Confederate Battery 5.  A prehistoric pottery sherd was recovered from this location in 1978, but the construction of earthworks during the Civil War may have disturbed prehistoric occupation evidence at this location.  The edge of the 100 foot terrace above Poor Creek near the Crater is another location of potential importance.

Important locations lie at or near the confluences of creeks and tributaries. A spur of the 100 foot terrace extends northward above Confederate Battery 8 near a tributary of Harrison Creek.  An interesting locality for potential prehistoric lies on a projection or broad spur of the 100 foot terrace on the east side of Harrison Creek near the Harrison Creek Trail.  The locality lies above the confluence of a tributary and Harrison Creek, north of the the now-drained artificial lake.  The broad slope to the north of the projection is another area of interest since it is less steep than others along Harrison Creek.  Since this slope descends or faces north, the lack of a southern sun exposure may have reduced its desirability for prehistoric occupation.

Lower terraces and flood plains of varying width occur along the creeks.  A flood plain and adjacent low terrace along the both sides of Harrison Creek and north of the modern park tour road represent areas of potential interest.  The 50-60 foot (Chowan) terrace to the west above the flood plain has evidence of World War I and possibly later road construction.  The flood plain broadens slightly on the east side of Harrison Creek at the ravine of a former tributary and possibly modern intermittent stream.

The ravine of a possible former tributary west of Poor Creek forms a portion of the northwestern boundary of the park.  The poorly-drained area has conditions that approach those of a swamp setting.  The ravine does open onto the narrow flood plain of Poor Creek.  Associated higher ground may have prehistoric sites and the flood plain may contain prehistoric occupation evidence stratified in flood-deposited alluvium.

Intertributary on the Sunderland Terrace: The 100 foot (Sunderland) terrace lies east of Harrison Creek in the eastern portion of the park and forms uplands near the heads of Harrison and Poor creeks along the southern boundary of the park.  Areas that have yielded evidence of prehistoric Archaic occupation at Fort Lee include locations near the heads of creeks, near the confluence of creek and tributary, and the intertributary or intercreek settings.  This stratum and the subsequent intertributary ones should be subdivided into sampling substrata by relative proximity to the various tributary drainages.  Areas of potential disturbance have resulted from activities during the Civil War, Camp Lee and park development, and private construction of twentieth-century houses along Hickory Hill Road and of a golf course near the Crater.

The head of an unnamed stream at the north end of the park lies east of Confederate Battery 7.  The area was disturbed by World War I activities from Camp Lee.  The heads of various tributaries of creeks lie on the 100 foot terrace, but the heads of Harrison and Poor creeks are found on the higher portions of the terrace south of the Main Unit.

Bluffs overlooking creeks such as the visitors center area and ridges between creeks and tributaries such as the Taylor house site have yielded evidence of prehistoric occupation.  Both of these locations, however, have been disturbed by either historic plantations or by the development of the park visitors center and maintenance area.  It will be remember, however, that the bluff of the 100 foot terrace near the visitor center holds at least the potential for early prehistoric (Paleoindian and Early Archaic) occupation.

Intertributary on Wicomico and Chowan terraces: Much of the central portion of the Main Unit lies on the Wicomico Terrace (70-90 feet asl), specifically from the west side of Harrison Creek to the western boundary along Poor Creek.  Disturbances include historic farming, extensive construction of Union earthworks and encampments during the Civil War, park developments such as the CCC camp (now an NPS maintenance area) and roadways, and pipeline right-of-way that crosses the park in a northwest-southeast orientation west of Harrison Creek.

Tributaries flow northward from the higher Sunderland Terrace along the southern edge of the park.  These tributaries combine to flow westward into Poor Creek near the Confederate Gracie's Salient earthworks.  The confluence of these tributaries may have been an area of prehistoric occupation, but the construction of Union earthworks and encampments along the ridge between these tributary branches probably disturbed earlier cultural evidence.  The confluence of the tributary with Poor Creek lay between the Union and Confederate siege lines and was probably spared extensive Civil War disruption, although the impact of historic cultivation was most likely considerable.  This confluence may lie within the Poor Creek sampling stratum.

Two discontinuous portions of the Chowan Terrace may be identified adjacent to Harrison Creek.  As mentioned above, a 50-60 foot terrace west of Harrison Creek and north of the modern park tour road has evidence of World War I road construction and possible encampments related to Camp Lee or CCC occupation.  The area is shown as a mixture of woods and possibly open pasture on the 1863 Campbell map (Campbell 1863).  However, no trace of the Confederate Harrison Creek earthworks survive on this level terrace, which probably reflects a combination of post-Civil War plowing and erosion of these hastily constructed earthworks.