KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Students and professors at the University of Tennessee uncovered remnants of a Civil War trench in the heart of campus recently.
State law requires excavation any time there is major construction on state-owned land. The university is building a new dorm near Circle Park, and the anthropology department helped with the dig.
Students uncovered Civil War-era bullets, called minié balls, glass, ceramics and more. Professors said they think the trench was likely dug by Union soldiers shortly before the Battle of Fort Sanders in 1863.
Before the battle, Confederate soldiers had left Knoxville to fight in Chattanooga which allowed Union leaders to move into Knoxville. When the Confederacy returned in November 1863, the battle ensued. Historians say it was over in less than 30 minutes, and the Union's win was a turning point in the war.
“I think a lot of the students get excited because people just don't realize how much history is right underneath our feet," said Kandace Hollenbach, an anthropology professor.
She led students on the dig as part of the department's hands-on "field school."
"[Students] can actually practice what they're learning in the classroom and put that directly to use in the field and get those skills," Hollenbach said.
The dig site was where an old parking lot used to sit on campus. Archaeology students were surprised so much history was right under their feet.
"I walked through that parking lot many times," said senior Lilly Hammer. "I never thought I would be uncovering these different artifacts."
Sophomore Knox Tabor pulled one of the minié balls straight out of the ground.
"I go over and I grab it, and it's this little minié ball covered in mud," Tabor said. "I cleaned it off and went and showed it to Kandace, and it was just surprising."
Union and Confederate trenches stretch across campus, and this wasn't the first that was discovered. The deep history in East Tennessee gives students a new level of appreciation for their school, Hollenbach said.
“I think they end up with a lot of pride in their school," she said "They already have that anyways, but to be able to see that kind of deep history on campus is a lot of fun for them.”