Fox's Gap Battlefield (18WA507)

Fox's Gap (18WA507) is a portion of a mid-19th-century Civil War battlefield associated with the September 14, 1862Battle of South Mountain. The setting for the tested portion of Fox's Gap is heavily wooded with dense underbrush in the northern section and more open with deciduous hardwoods to the south. The area has an intact stone wall and an old road trace trending east-west. Overall, the area is gently sloping and agricultural.

In October of 2019, Dovetail CRG conducted a Phase I assessment of the site on behalf of the Maryland State Highways Administration. This study consisted of a controlled metal detector survey of the property and adjoining parcel where the most intense Civil War activity occurred. Prior to any subsurface investigations, a base line, running generally magnetic north-south, was established. It was used as a reference point for the 50-foot interval perpendicular transects used for the metal detector survey. Because the area was heavily wooded with secondary ground and dense underbrush, archaeologists hand cleared 6-foot wide swaths at each 50-foot transects to allow for adequate coverage with the metal detectors.

The site consists of a portion of the Fox's Gap battle that took place September 14, 1862. In addition to artifacts (ordnance included Minie balls, buckshot, Enfield caliber, Sharps, Gardner, Shalers, artillery shell, as well as percussion caps, bayonet scabbards, tin cup, pocket knife fragments, harmonica parts), several surface features were noted and recorded such as old road beds, a hastily constructed defense position, and stone walls.

(Edited from archeological site survey form, Maryland Historical Trust, by Patricia Samford)