Defending a Nation: Synthesizing Geographic Information System Analysis and Ground Penetrating Radar to Locate Battlefield Features Associated with the 1780 Siege of Charleston

Common methods used to locate battlefield features have not been utilized extensively on the Charleston peninsula. This thesis explores methods used to locate battlefield features and their effectiveness on the Charleston peninsula. The methods were utilized in areas related to the Siege of Charleston in 1780 during the American Revolution. These methods include research into historic accounts of battlefield features, geographic information systems (GIS) to georeference historic maps of the Charleston peninsula, LiDAR to detect the topography of the land and locate any changes to the land over time, and finally ground penetrating radar (GPR) to locate any battlefield features. Through this study you will see that all these methods work together well to locate battlefield features. The final method, GPR, located the remains of the earthwork fortification in Wragg Square, the tabby hornwork in Marion Square, and the foundation of the Cistern Yard barracks on the College of Charleston campus. These combined methods located areas related to the Siege of Charleston that had not been mapped