More than two centuries after he fell in battle, a Revolutionary War soldier has finally been given back his name — thanks to modern DNA science.
John Pumphrey joined the Continental Army as a teenager in 1777 and went on to fight in several significant engagements during the Revolutionary War. He was ultimately killed in action during fighting against British forces in Camden, South Carolina.
Pumphrey was among a group of unidentified soldiers whose remains were discovered at the site of the Battle of Camden. DNA analysis has now succeeded in identifying him from among those unknown soldiers, and the testing has gone a step further — linking him to living descendants.
The identification marks a remarkable moment for both historians and the families connected to this long-forgotten soldier, bringing a measure of closure to a story that had gone untold for well over 200 years.
