Forensic Art Brings Revolutionary War Soldier ‘Back To Life’

Nearly 250 years after his death, one Revolutionary War soldier has a face again.

The New York State Museum recently unveiled a forensic facial reconstruction created by artist Jenny Kenyon, giving the public a haunting glimpse at one of dozens of colonial soldiers discovered in Lake George back in 2019.

The reconstruction honors one of more than 40 soldiers whose graves were accidentally uncovered during a construction project in Lake George. Archaeologists later determined the remains belonged to colonial soldiers who likely died in 1776 after contracting smallpox or other diseases while serving during the American Revolution.

The soldiers were believed to have been buried near a makeshift military hospital connected to Fort George. Researchers say the remains belonged to young soldiers and civilians who were placed in unmarked graves after the outbreak swept through the camp.

The discovery stunned historians and locals alike when construction crews first uncovered the remains nearly seven years ago. The bones were eventually transferred to the New York State Museum in Albany, where they were carefully studied and preserved.

Now, those soldiers are finally heading home.

On May 20, 2026, the museum will take part in a dignified transfer ceremony as the remains are escorted from Albany to Lake George Battlefield Park. Two days later, on May 22, the public will be invited to attend a formal reinterment ceremony honoring the 44 individuals discovered at the site.

Officials in Lake George say the ceremony is meant to recognize the sacrifice of soldiers whose stories were almost completely lost to history. A new memorial plaza and columbarium have been created near the battlefield to serve as their final resting place.

Revolutionary Soldier facial reconstruction / NYS Museum Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/nysmuseum?__cft__[0]=AZbUaRDZPzxmZgUrF_lK188YXG_Uj_yLU6a-BgTJ-v2DtLJjYBlvR-nYg2KYh14f0XlV46HcKs2f16IrFKxQuTna7qzbs3wETUPS26IpP7v2DSNC_bJP3w1u-RTnOTR06esd_tuBHaSv85g2KQxGi62fM5NnXHC-0GHOmZmUP7NGzW6rgOE-tzcrqW-BTkHN43o&__cft__[1]=AZa6aDYM4hHsLf0PeSZHPfFBAgXier6No_cvhI1cmEXNPvw4uGswHMfLIz3fUN9KfTSBx4JTuX8fSJCJZSEqRgYXBcSf7arKTN2N8OgWu3TfzdIk3ux-07bByVcuGoobdMKdmbqgV0TYoJByXnJZLoq6_KXGgMHlXh_9nTRQFnQAMkCPzfl8iZQChtT8xE1QmWM&__tn__=-UC%2CP-y-R[/caption]

And thanks to modern forensic artistry, at least one of those soldiers is no longer just a name lost in the fog of the Revolution. He now has a face staring back across nearly two and a half centuries.