WAR ON THE CHESAPEAKE: ARTIFACT ANALYSIS OF A WAR OF 1812 FLOTILLA SHIP

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine and evaluate the material culture recovered from an early nineteenth-century vessel that operated in the Chesapeake Flotilla during the War of 1812. The shipwreck site, designated 18PR226, is located near Upper Marlboro, Maryland and has been the subject of historical and archaeological research by Donald Shomette and the Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archaeology Branch. This thesis examines the artifacts recovered from three excavations in 1980, 2010, and 2011. This thesis attempts to objectively evaluate and examine the artifacts recovered from the vessel to determine its original function, rather than focus on the identification of the shipwreck. This material culture study was accomplished by evaluating the shipwrecks artifact collection using a method developed from E.M. Fleming's model for studying artifacts. This project developed a model specifically for studying the material culture recovered from Site 18PR226. A statistical analysis of the artifacts recovered from the site was also conducted in an attempt to further understand the function of the vessel within the Chesapeake Flotilla.