A mosaic shows likely trajectories of bullets fired by Union troops (MNPD) |
Both take extreme care with evidence. They create detailed notes and
photographs, make measurements and diagrams, then document and analyze the
data.
These skill sets came into play when the Metro Nashville Historical Commission partnered with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to study two unoccupied log structures at Sunnyside Mansion in Sevier Park.
They wanted to solve the mystery regarding embedded bullets and holes discovered earlier this year in the cabin walls. The 44 “defects” – bullets, holes and chips – were associated with the December 15-16, 1864, Battle of Nashville, a significant defeat for the South.Nashville police photographs of bullets, defects and removed projecticle |
Sunnyside Mansion, the headquarters for the commission, has been
undergoing an extensive restoration.
“I went and looked at the building and I noticed the bullet
holes,” said Fracchia, who found more upon inspection. A forensics colleague
suggested he reach out to the police department. “We wanted to get a (look at
bullet) trajectory and where they were fired from.”
For Nashville police, the partnership was an excellent way to further test their FARO 3D scanners, which were used in the investigation of the 2020 Christmas Day bombing in the city. The scanners take 360-degree measurements and capture other details from a crime scene. (Photo courtesy of FARO Technologies)
Taking advantage of modern technology, police merged the scans
with images they took by drones to make a mosaic of the mansion – which was
built in 1852 – and show likely bullet trajectories and direction.
The project was only the second time that the department
combined FARO and drone data, said Officer Douglas Belcher of the crime scenes detail.
“This gave us a great opportunity to test the technology we
have and we think it did very well,” Belcher told the public during a July 13 presentation in the visitor center at Fort Negley, a large Union defensive
fortification.
Another disastrous battle for Confederates
Nashville fell to Union forces in early 1862, relatively
early in the Civil War. Tennessee was a strategic location for the Northern
army and it built defenses in the capital.
Following a disastrous loss at the Battle of Franklin in
November 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood moved upon Nashville, digging in
below the city. Federal Maj. Gen. George Thomas attacked about two weeks later,
sending Hood’s battered army off the field on Dec. 16.
The property now in Sevier Park is in the middle (click to enlarge map) |
The bullets and bullets in the log structures were found in
February as restoration work reached that area on the north side of the house.
Until the damage was found, officials did not know whether
the structures might have been elsewhere on the property before being moved to
the house. Fracchia theorizes they may have been used as a kitchen or other
ancillary purposes. Evidence of cabins for enslaved persons has not been found.
The north face in the 1980s and now (red is the area of study) |
Fracchia said officials don’t have detailed descriptions of
what happened on the property during the battle, but they believe Confederates
must have been a significant target because of the number of bullets and holes.
They eventually were forced to retreat.
Siding still covered the buildings when restoration began. “The more siding we took down, the
more we found,” Fracchia said.
Crime scene unit logs entry points with rods (MNPD) |
The police crime scene unit’s work at Sunnyside Mansion
wasn’t all fancy gadgets. Officers did old-fashioned work first, marking and
photographing the “defects” and using handheld rods to help determine
trajectory and origin. An angle finder helped plot direction of impact – from
the “leading edge” of the bullet. All of this information, including labeling
of the defects, was used to complete the analysis.
“The goal is we want to determine origination. We are trying
to figure out where the bullet came from,” crime scenes investigator George
Bouton told the Fort Negley audience. “Bullets are predictably unpredictable,”
he said. Flight paths are dynamic, including the effects of gravity on
trajectory.
Police found and marked 44 bullet "defects" (Image MNPD) |
The archaeologist said a total of seven bullets were embedded
in the two log structures. Most remain in the larger of the cabins. The
smaller cabin, unfortunately, had to be taken down after the police examination
because of its poor conditions. The logs have been kept.
The presentation included photos of a three-ring Minie ball
and a Williams cleaner bullet.
“We are assuming they are Union bullets, given they were
coming from the north, and fits the battle.” Some of the shots fired upon the
mansion also came from the northwest.
The two embedded bullets mentioned by police are soft and
burrowed themselves into the cedar. They are fairly well lodged in there, Fracchia
said. “We don’t know exactly how far they were fired from.”
Officer Steven Jones said the logs had the density of railroad ties. “So it was extremely good cover.” He said most of the bullets were likely .40- or .50-caliber. "
While Sunnyside Mansion is not a crime scene, it was an
interesting opportunity for the police department to employ old skills and new
technology.
“The last time a human touched this was in 1864,” said
Bouton. “It has been that long. It is still right there where it ended up.”
Maps of Federal attack and Southern positions and bullets (MNHC) |
There’s more work ahead, but the project already is helping
flesh out details of the fight around Sunnyside as Union forces swept in from
the west and north.
“We see a much more complicated picture out of the battle and
how it actually played out,” said Fracchia. “It was crucial to tell this part
of the Battle of Nashville.”
The commission has found rifle pits and entrenchments on the
land. One pit was found this spring when crews were digging a new sewer line to
the mansion. “They hit a discoloration in the soil.”
“The soil was burned and there was charcoal. We found melted lead and two percussion caps.” Fracchia (left) said it was evidence of a small fire. “It was very cold during this time period.”
A researcher from Louisville, Kentucky, is doing dendrochronology
work to determine the age of the logs.
“We are working on researching what else these bullet holes
may tell us,” said Fracchia, adding he may do metal detector surveys and
research the site using geophysics. (Metal detecting is illegal on any city
property, including parks, he said).
The aim is to tell a wider story and put up interpretive
panels next year after the renovation. The archaeologist would like the
surviving cabin to have a few places left open so that visitors can see
bullets, holes and chinking between the logs. (The holes would be protected by
plastic or thick glass.)
Sunnyside Mansion was built in 1852 and it included outbuildings |
His goal in Nashville and Davidson County is to build
awareness “that could lead to stewardship and ownership and preservation.”
“What is really surprising is the depth and interest in
history and the fragility of these resources. We don’t know that they are there
until we find them.”
Editor's note: Please contact Adam Fracchia at adam.fracchia@nashville.gov if you have questions or want to join the work on site.
One of the bullet holes tested in a log structure (MNPD) |
The rear of the log structures; the one on the right has been removed (MNPD) |
No comments:
Post a Comment