ADRIANA DIAZ:
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Bradley Blackburn has the story of how one of the oldest cold cases in the country now has answers. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): The pine forests of Camden, South Carolina, have hidden a secret as old as America itself. These woods were once a battlefield where the Continental Army suffered a terrible defeat. Yeah, it was really brutal. Of course, all parties present fought very obstinately. Was this a big setback for the Americans? It was a disaster. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): Battlefield archeologist Jim Legg and Steve Smith have been studying this site for decades. But a few years ago, they made a discovery they never expected. You were genuinely surprised. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. We had no clue. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): They found sets of remains buried in shallow graves just inches into the sandy soil. His head was here, right where the flags are. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): Metal buttons suggested some were Continental soldiers, but there were no other clues about who they were. Remains were given numbers instead of names, like 9b. The bones were weathered white where they had been sticking out of the ground. Because the individual was buried about 8 inches deep. That's just kind of stunning. It's like, whoa. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): The Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780, is in the history books, and Hollywood movies. This battle was over before it began. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): Some 2,000 Continental soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. When men never returned home, their families could only assume their fate. Fire in the hole! BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): But centuries after their deaths, an explosion in DNA technology is changing what's possible. When we met a year ago, you knew this person as 9b. Mm-hmm. Now you have a name. We have a name. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): Alison Peacock is a genetic genealogist who uses DNA and family trees to identify remains. How certain are you that you have the right person? Pretty darn certain. We have three different types of DNA that prove it, and we have a life story that fits with the circumstances that we've uncovered. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): We met in Maryland, where centuries ago, a young man, maybe just 13 years old, left home to go to war. His name was John Pumphrey. Private John Pumphrey. Private John Pumphrey, How does it feel just to be able to say the name? Well, I have goosebumps on my arms. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): The Pumphrey family has deep Maryland roots. They own sawmills and real estate. A Pumphrey once lived in this historic House. We thought, why would a young man, from a prominent family, why would he go to war as a young teenager? BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): Court records suggest the family's estate was lost in a dispute after John Pumphrey's father died. You think that John Pumphrey, when he was just 13, may have enlisted in part because he needed the money. He probably did. Just a teenager that enlisted for two new shirts, a pair of shoes, and some money and meals. I'm sure he just was building a new life for himself. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): With the 7th Maryland regiment, he likely marched more than 1,000 miles fighting in battles with General Washington in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The paper trail actually includes John Pumphrey's reenlistment. He signed with an X because he never learned to read. I think it's a gift to the whole country to know his story. To find out that we do have a young man that sacrificed his life for the development of our country is amazing. Absolutely amazing. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): The story is personal for Pam Donahue and her sisters, Karen Pumphrey Etchison and Nancy Pumphrey White. Their DNA helped link John Pumphrey's bones back to his family tree. Out of all of the soldiers and bodies left behind and stuff, he's that one, and he's been identified as our fourth great uncle. Is this a proud day for the Pumphrey family? Absolutely. Oh, yes. Oh, very much so. Yeah. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): In June, members of the extended family came together to hear his story-- To give the ultimate sacrifice. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): --and say his name for the first time in centuries. John Pumphrey. John Pumphrey. John Pumphrey. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): The Pumphrey family cemetery is not far away, where stones mark the graves of generations. The people buried here may have been missing him when he disappeared. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): His remains will stay in South Carolina, where he and the other soldiers discovered received a full military burial in 2023. The tombstones still marked unknown. And soon, John's name will be on there. Yes. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): A mystery solved for a young warrior. Our very first patriots who gave the ultimate-- I see a little bit of mist in your eyes, even thinking about it. Why is that? To have that commitment to your country and to your freedom and your rights, and soon thereafter, lose your life for it. Once that generation passed, many people never knew anything about him until now. BRADLEY BLACKBURN (VOICEOVER): For CBS Saturday Morning, I'm Bradley Blackburn. When we first shared this story last year, we aired a list of names that researchers were trying to track down. Listen to this. A man in South Carolina who was watching CBS Saturday Morning saw his name and submitted a swab. That helped researchers make a definitive DNA link. That's incredible. Isn't it just an amazing story? And I love that point. He probably enlisted 13 years old because he needed some money, and he had this life that was about to start. And it's just so incredible that technology has been able to give him the honor and dignity. And the sacrifices that generations of people made so we can have the freedoms that we have today. Yes. And that is something that we celebrate today, but we must never forget every day.
