CSI Annapolis Royal

From Nova Scotia comes news of the possible identification of a British soldier who died in the late 1700s. The Annapolis County Spectator reports on a “Cold Case at Fort Anne”:

Lillian Stewart, of Parks Canada, was there when the bones were found. . . . Of special interest to researchers was the added treasure of almost perfectly preserved artifacts ranging from shoes and regimental buttons, to an unidentified piece of leather.

The bones were sent to the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, where scientists thought it was likely an 18th century soldier in his thirties, about 5'6" in height. . . .

At that time, they believed the man had died during a siege against the fort in 1711. However as Denise Hansen was processing the artifacts in Halifax, she noticed that the buttons were from three different regiments.

This in itself wasn't unusual because it was common for soldiers to swap buttons, but buttons weren't marked until 1768 suggesting the soldier died about 50 years later than originally thought. . . .

Finally Hansen had a breakthrough when she consulted Don Hagist, a Rhode Island scholar who specializes in researching soldiers from that period. He was able to find muster rolls for the 57th Regiment in Ireland.

The records show that of the eight men who died at Fort Anne during this time frame, only a Private James Simpson, who died on Oct. 13, 1784, had served in both the 57 and 36th Regiments. The regimental buttons found on the body were from 57th, 36th and 43rd Battalion.

While not conclusive, Don’s documentary evidence suggests that this soldier was most likely Pvt. Simpson.

The remainder of the article discusses other ways that Parks Canada has been trying to shed more light on this individual soldier.