WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA—WAVY 10 reports that traces of a barracks dated to the Revolutionary War period have been found near the visitor center at Colonial Williamsburg. Historic maps and documents indicate that the barracks was constructed between 1776 and 1777 to house up to 2,000 soldiers and 100 horses on an area of roughly three to four acres. The structures are thought to have been burned down in 1781 by British troops under the command of General Charles Cornwallis. Artifacts recovered from the excavation, which was conducted ahead of a construction project, include bricks from eighteenth-century chimneys; gun hardware; lead shot; and officers’ high-end ceramics. The location of the new building was shifted to preserve the site. To read about another Revolutionary War site, go to "Off the Grid: Mount Independence, Vermont."
