Veteran-led dig of Revolutionary War battlefield seeks to shed light on history, empower disabled vets

The project, which was organized by the American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR), took place over the course of four weeks and ended in February. 

Fourteen veterans came to Kershaw County in South Carolina to excavate where the Battle of Camden was fought in August 1780, and they weren't just looking for musket balls. 

AVAR founder Stephen Humphreys told Fox News Digital that the archaeologists-in-training were using GPS receivers to collect spatial data in order to learn more about the battle, which was considered a devastating loss for the colonial forces.

Part of the mission was to improve historical understanding of the conflict by gathering enough data to generate a heat map of the battle's movements.

Looking for old artifacts may sound more straightforward than what the AVAR archaeologists are doing, but Humphreys emphasized that collecting spatial data helps shed more light on the movements of the battle.

"And what you end up with is basically a heat map that shows patterns on the battlefield, and we use that to evaluate where the troops were firing from, where they were firing at," Humphreys added.

The AVAR founder also said that working on-site can help reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression for disabled veterans - but the main focus of AVAR is to get them jobs.

"They bring excellence and teamwork," Humphreys said of his veterans. "They can bond together really, really quickly. They understand how to get the work done. The veteran work ethic really is unsurpassed in this field."

"Our vets do work harder than most of the other people out there, and they are in demand for that," he added. "And they're willing to put in the extra work, go the extra mile to find every artifact that might relate to that person and tell that personal story."

"They have a profound appreciation for those sites as hallowed ground," he said. "You walk out there, you feel the wind blowing through the pine trees that are there now, and it's just got a presence to it."

American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan told Fox News Digital that it was an honor to be part of the excavation.

"AVAR's mission demonstrates multiple ways in which preserved battlefields remain impactful: as a means for us to deepen our understanding of the past through tangible exploration and as a venue for the betterment of the mental and physical well-being of veterans," Duncan said. 

"We were honored to bring this immensely impactful program to Trust-owned land and be a part of this meaningful program." 

Fox News Digital's Brooke Curto contributed to this report.