DNA Analysis Identifies America's Oldest Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier

WHO:

CNN - Pvt. John Pumphrey, a Maryland teenager and soldier in the Revolutionary War.

CNN - Allison Peacock, founder of FHD Forensics.

CNN - Russ Hudson, a retired federal agent in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

CNN - Becky Berman, Pumphrey’s first cousin, 10 times removed.

WHAT:

CNN - DNA testing and genealogical research identified Pvt. John Pumphrey as "America’s oldest John Doe."

CNN - Pumphrey died at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780.

CNN - 14 sets of remains were identified at the battlefield, with 12 being Continental soldiers.

CNN - The remains of Pumphrey were initially labeled as "Camden 9B."

CNN - The Richland County Coroner’s Office collaborated with FHD Forensics for the identification.

CNN - The DNA extraction process yielded three types of DNA: autosomal, X chromosome, and Y chromosome.

CNN - Peacock's team found 20,000 matches in genealogical databases.

WHERE:

CNN - The Battle of Camden, South Carolina.

CNN - Anne Arundel County, Maryland, where Pumphrey was from.

CNN - The 19th century Benson-Hammond House in Anne Arundel County, where a ceremony took place.

WHEN:

CNN - Pumphrey died on August 16, 1780.

CNN - The identification of Pumphrey occurred just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation.

WHY:

CNN - The identification was motivated by a desire to honor the contributions of soldiers like Pumphrey to the nation.

HOW:

CNN - Archaeologists discovered human bones in 2020 during a survey of the battlefield.

CNN - DNA was extracted from a petrous portion of the temporal bone for analysis.

CNN - The remains were examined and cataloged, with the 12 Continental soldiers later reinterred with full military honors.

(UPDATED July 18, 2026 11:17 UTC)

In a significant breakthrough, DNA testing and genealogical research have identified Pvt. John Pumphrey, a Maryland teenager who fought in the Revolutionary War, as "America’s oldest John Doe," after he died at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780. The Richland County Coroner’s Office worked alongside Allison Peacock's FHD Forensics team, which found 20,000 matches in genealogical databases, leading to the identification of Pumphrey among 14 sets of remains at the battlefield, 12 of which belonged to Continental soldiers. A ceremony honoring Pumphrey's contributions to the nation took place at the historic Benson-Hammond House in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just in time for the upcoming 250th birthday of the nation.