HIGHLANDER BADGE

AIRED: Season 4, Episode 5
THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: Lincolnton, Georgia

THE CASE:

Could an amateur treasure diver really have turned up a possible Revolutionary War artifact?

While scuba diving in the Savannah River 13 years ago, a Georgia man uncovered a mysterious badge. With the number 71 inscribed in Latin,and with imprints of a thistle and a crown, it looks like a Regimental badge.

But the item raises more questions than it answers. The last time there was a crowned head ruling over the Georgia area was during Revolutionary times. How could a badge be that old and appear so un-corroded? Moreover, what was the badge doing on the Rebel's side of the river?

The History Detectives head down South to uncover the truth about the Savannah River and the British High Command’s so-called Southern Strategy. Could this badge possibly have been from the 71st Highlanders—one of the fiercest troops of the war?

Was it part of a desperate maneuver by the British to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War and reclaim the U.S. colonies?

History Detectives uncovers some interesting little-known history and learns a little about antiquities along the way.

 

More Leads

National Institute of Oceanography
Professional body for underwater archeologists.

Historical Art Prints
Expert Don Trioni's site including watercolors of how the 71st Highlanders would have looked.

Book: The Southern Strategy
Information about David K Wilson's book that reexamines the major southern battles and tactics in the War for Independence.