Very interesting Ebay auction

[rammjäger]

Hi,
someone has found at a confederate campsite some of these brass bells
They seem to be small size.Presumibly they were used as alarm bells around
the camp, all tied together by a string.... did somebody see or heard of such
a device during the CW ?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting
HH,
Miguel

[Kentucky Kache]

The guy is asking for opinions on what it might be. He thinks its a Civil War bell.
I think I would have tried to get it identified before putting it on Ebay.

[BuckleBoy]

This is not an alarm bell. It is either a crotal bell or a sleigh bell. They can be found at Numerous civilian sites across the eastern United States.


Due to this fact, I do not think a Civil War connection can be established unless the seller found these in a CW camp (and perhaps not even then, since the crotal bells were livestock related).




Regards,



Buckles

[jeff a]

sleigh bells, i have found them in some of the fields i look for arrowheads in northern ohio

[Woodland Detectors]

hmmm, thats new to me too...I'd like to know I haven't ever found any of these on my sites. I trust what BB sais

[rammjäger]

This is not an alarm bell. It is either a crotal bell or a sleigh bell. They can be found at Numerous civilian sites across the eastern United States.


Due to this fact, I do not think a Civil War connection can be established unless the seller found these in a CW camp (and perhaps not even then, since the crotal bells were livestock related).




Regards,



Buckles

Yes,this is a logical conclusion.But so many precisely found at this area? - perhaps they were re-adapted
for that purpose.Well,I guess I will never know it for sure.....

[ivan salis]

while there is no doubt they could have been used as a sort of trip wire alarm --these were commonly used as livestock bells to help find livestock in wooded areas --the sound would give away their location in the thick brush * as far as saying 100 % they were alarm bells unless they were found wired together or something like that ---very hard to "claim" that in my veiw --but as they say --you dug it --you call it what you want to --(or what will sell best --- CW alarm bells does sound better --than livestock bells )

as for finding so many in one spot area ---might have been a live stock holding pen area or (slaughtering) area thus the bells were discarded there --- because no soldier would want to carry a bell on his person -- since in battle it could give away their location --bad bad bad

[rammjäger]

Hi Ivan,
....." what will sell best - CW alarm bells does sound better --than livestock bells ) "......
That's for sure
I didn't mean that soldiers should carry them ......
But
if I was in that time and had those bells at hand,I would use them
for instance as alarm near to where the horses (if Cavalry) were or so.....
Just my idea......
I only wanted to know if similar alarm systems during the CW were
written down or reported in CW books .
As an example : during the 2 WW the US paratroopers used those "Frog" -
( tick-tack) devices as
code (friend or foe) after D-Day in France. - Why not similar devices earlier too ?
HH,
Miguel

[Tnmountains]

They posted sentrys. Never have read of them using bells. That would be pretty slack when your life was on the line .Not saying it did not happen just no way to prove it.

[ivan salis]

with a lot of them being found in a small area --think live stock pen --where the animals werekept for slaughter--as they wetre killed their bells were removed --when being moved they had bells on the so if theybstrayed they could be rounded up easily --opnce at the pen and slaughtered there was not farther beed for the bell --since to carry one on your person could give away your location to enemy soldiers ---sentry;s were posted to stand guard ---to fall asleep while on guard duty could het you shot by your officers --- could they be used in addition to sentry's maybe its possible but in place of sentry;s ? very very doubtful in my veiw /

I hold thatn they are simply civil war era live stock bells , the large numbers found in a small area -- mean live stock /slaughter pen area .

[stefen]

I once found a modern soda pulltab at a "site"....I think I'll call it a civil war backscratcher....yeah

Great statement....so many times someone will post an item and claim its from the CW just because it was found on or near a known site...there are so many layers of junk and one must make an informed decision (and not wishful thinking).

[BuckleBoy]

I once found a modern soda pulltab at a "site"....I think I'll call it a civil war backscratcher....yeah

Great statement....so many times someone will post an item and claim its from the CW just because it was found on or near a known site...there are so many layers of junk and one must make an informed decision (and not wishful thinking).

Exactly. What the find IS is the most important factor in Identifying it. Where it was found, and what was found with it is not so important. It is amazing to me that there are so many common civilian "floral buttons" that have been "found at CW sites" and are now being sold for anywhere between $5 and $30 on the internet. I'm Certain that Confederate troops in many cases used what they could find--But, there are also many, Many sites with multiple occupation times--especially in Virginia. Does that mean that a colonial era clay pipe stem is a CW find? Or a large 1700s flat button? Either this is First Class deception, or I have $500 in nice floral CW buttons laying around. :P



The longer I do this hobby, the more I realize that just about anything can be found just about anywhere.




Regards,



Buckles

[Woodland Detectors]

Agrred. I dug a boxplate behind Applebees restraunt

[BuckleBoy]

Agrred. I dug a boxplate behind Applebees restraunt

That's AWESOME! One day, when the obvious and not-so-obvious sites have been found, only the boxplates behind the Applebees restaurants will be left to find.

[ivan salis]

well they just found a union soldier during building a burger king parking lot not long ago.

[Woodland Detectors]

Amazing