The American Civil War was a defining event in the history of the United States, and scholarly and public interest in the conflict remains high. Archaeological sites from the Civil War can provide valuable data that cannot be gleaned from the archival record or oral history. The archaeological study of battlefields, skirmish sites, earthworks, trenches, camps, and picket posts provides specific details that augment the other data sources. However, the archaeological treatment of Civil War sites-specifically the use of inappropriate methods-continues to be a problem. As many areas of the heartland of the Civil War face growing development pressures, it is imperative that archaeologists reconsider their approaches to Civil War sites.
Investigations at the Native American site complex of Stark Farms in Mississippi, USA, have yielded numerous examples of metal artifacts of European origin. Our study suggests that they derive from contact between the AD 1540–1541 winter encampment of the Spanish Hernando de Soto expedition and the local Indigenous polity. The artifacts display a wide range of modifications, uses, and depositional contexts congruent with hybrid practices. We argue that the early colonial setting of Stark Farms requires a different perspective on cultural mixing than is often applied in studies of European colonialism. This is highlighted by the strongly improvisational nature of the modification of the metal objects, embodying a political climate in which European incursions were precarious and in which hybridity and power were heterogeneous and fluid.
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