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DNA technology identifies Revolutionary War soldier buried in South Carolina

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • DNA technology and historical records have identified the remains of a Revolutionary War soldier buried in South Carolina.
  • The soldier, John Pumphrey, was identified as a young man from Maryland who enlisted in the Continental Army's 7th Maryland Regiment.
  • His identification allows his family to finally know his story and for his tombstone to be marked with his name.

Centuries after a brutal clash in the pine forests of Camden, South Carolina, a Revolutionary War soldier has finally been identified. Battlefield archaeologists Jim Legg and Steve Smith discovered several sets of remains buried in shallow graves at the site of a 1780 Continental army defeat. Metal buttons suggested the men were Continental soldiers, but they remained nameless, their fates unknown to their families.

three different types of DNA

— Allison PeacockAllison Peacock, a genetic genealogist who uses DNA and family trees to identify remains, explained the methods used for identification.

Advances in DNA technology, however, have changed what's possible. The remains, previously known only as 9B, have been identified as John Pumphrey, a young man from Maryland. Pumphrey enlisted in the 7th Maryland Regiment as young as 13. Genetic genealogist Allison Peacock explained that researchers used "three different types of DNA" and biographical data to make the identification, a process that gave her "goosebumps on her arms."

Records show Pumphrey's family had deep Maryland roots and owned property, but court documents indicate the estate was lost after his father's death. Peacock suggested a need for money may have prompted the teen's enlistment. Pumphrey likely marched over a thousand miles with his regiment, fighting alongside Gen. George Washington in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

goosebumps on her arms

— Allison PeacockAllison Peacock described her reaction to the successful identification of the soldier's remains.

The Pumphrey family still exists today, and DNA from three women, Pam Donahue, Karen Pumphrey Etchison, and Nancy Pumphrey White, led to the identification. Donahue expressed pride that her fourth-great-uncle fought for the United States. "To find out that we do have a young man that sacrificed his life for the development of our country, it's amazing, absolutely amazing," she said.

I'm sure he just was building a new life for himself

— Allison PeacockAllison Peacock speculated on the possible motivations for John Pumphrey's enlistment at a young age.

In late June, extended family members gathered to hear Pumphrey's story and speak his name for the first time in centuries. His remains will be interred in South Carolina with a tombstone that will soon bear his name, replacing the "Unknown" marker. "I think it's a gift to the whole country to know his story," Peacock added.

To find out that we do have a young man that sacrificed his life for the development of our country, it's amazing, absolutely amazing

— Pam DonahuePam Donahue, a descendant of John Pumphrey, expressed her feelings upon learning of her ancestor's sacrifice.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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