A Few Decent Finds in Alabama

[N.O. noir et d'or]

I dug a few good artifacts on a recent hunt in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Eight cannon friction primers, nine minie balls (with a particularly long Enfield and a Selma Arsenal manufacture both in the middle of the bottom row), seven Williams cleaner bottoms, four percussion caps, piece of a Bormann time fuse and a frag of perhaps an 8 inch mortar shell. Thanks for looking.

 

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[relic nut]

Excellent finds! That's a great day of CW relic hunting. I've yet to find a friction primer. Congratulations!

HH, RN

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Thanks RN - I always enjoy your posts! It was a rainy, muddy day - We're having a very wet summer down here.

 

[relic nut]

Thanks RN - I always enjoy your posts! It was a rainy, muddy day - We're having a very wet summer down here.

We are experiencing the opposite here. Hot and dry. I found one bullet this morning, three inches deep and I never thought I'd get too it. Ground is like concrete. By 9:00 it was 85 degrees and I quit. I'll be glad when fall comes.
Looks like you have a great site. Enjoy

HH, RN

 

[alabama11]

Nice work. Great photos. We got 10 inches of rain since late June, but now the heat is on. I been hunting a plowed field and is getting harder every time i go there.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Thanks A11 - It's raining almost every afternoon here. It's keeping the temperature down, but dealing with the mud is getting really old. Except when I get to Alabama, I hunt a couple of sugarcane plantations on the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The soil is clumpy, and when wet, it's like dealing with hunks of glue. Although, I shouldn't complain as on my last hunt I dug a pewter, Old English script "I" US Army Infantry cuff button in great shape. They were utilized from 1812 through 1815, so I would guess War of 1812. Definitely my oldest button and hope I can dig a few more. By the way, I always enjoy your posts as well!

 

[Davers]

First
Very nice Spanish Fort finds, love the Selma Arsenal , & the long Enfield ( reckon it was a 58 fired through a 54 cal barrel ?)
I thought "Wintworth" at first. ..Huge Shell Frag!

Now the 'I' button is Awesome , It has "That look" . The one I like.

It has rained a-lot here in N-Metro Atlanta as well , I love it.

I recall the end of last Summer when we got '0' rain for over a Month.

Oh ..Keep -em Coming. lol

 

[Davers]

Excellent finds! That's a great day of CW relic hunting. I've yet to find a friction primer. Congratulations!

HH, RN

Oh .almost forgot .
I have never dug a Friction Primer either.....YET!!!

 

[alabama11]

My guess is when the shell exploded there was wasnt many people left standing. Do you think its a Navy shell or smaller.

 

[relic nut]

Oh .almost forgot .
I have never dug a Friction Primer either.....YET!!!

I like the way you think!!

HH, RN

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Thanks Davers - Hope you keep em coming as well as I enjoy your posts!

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

A11, I'm fairly positive that it's a Naval shell. Looking at an old battle map I'm almost certain that I'm close to a Confederate battery position. I've dug about three dozen friction primers in the area and a lot of large frags to include an unexploded 10 inch Columbiad weighing in at 77lbs. It had gone easily through the sandy soil until it indented into the clay bed at about four feet. This would have had to have been fired from a Union naval vessel in Mobile Bay. I guess I didn't realize how accurate artillery could be fired back then as it was around 10 yards from the suspected battery position. Actually, in the suspected spot the old guy who owns the property has been throwing all his junk there for the last 45 years. I'd like to try and dig out the location, but it would be a mammoth undertaking. I'll post some photos of it and the hole it came out of.

 

[Davers]

My guess is when the shell exploded there was wasnt many people left standing. Do you think its a Navy shell or smaller.

Only the 'lucky' ones . 'ever see Pulp -Fiction'?

 

[Davers]

A11, I'm fairly positive that it's a Naval shell. Looking at an old battle map I'm almost certain that I'm close to a Confederate battery position. I've dug about three dozen friction primers in the area and a lot of large frags to include an unexploded 10 inch Columbiad weighing in at 77lbs. It had gone easily through the sandy soil until it indented into the clay bed at about four feet. This would have had to have been fired from a Union naval vessel in Mobile Bay. I guess I didn't realize how accurate artillery could be fired back then as it was around 10 yards from the suspected battery position. Actually, in the suspected spot the old guy who owns the property has been throwing all his junk there for the last 45 years. I'd like to try and dig out the location, but it would be a mammoth undertaking. I'll post some photos of it and the hole it came out of.
View attachment 1473976 View attachment 1473977 View attachment 1473978

WOW!
I just been sitting here for about 15 min staring at yr Mortar Ball , thinking about the time when it was fired , picturing the Soldier on the Boat picking it up with the 'Tong ' Things , loading it & the BOOM! it would have made when fired.

I also wonder what the sound it would have made (incoming).

I got to ask , did yr detector hit on it?

You gotta love digging in Sand, still my back hurts thinking about pulling that 77 lbs out of a deep hole.

I heard of a guy in SC I think that found Shells in a Swampy area by 'Dowsing' . It worked well I hear.
but
Digging them out of the water filling hole of sucking muck was not so easy. lol
GD

 

[Javadroid]

Loving these artifacts! Wow what a great hunt! Congrats!

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Thanks Javadroid!

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Davers, I was using a Garrett ATX, their PI machine, which goes deep. There is a drawback to using the ATX as the area has to be clear of every other speck of metal. I hit the area with my VF detector first then with the ATX, and it hit on it. It did take a lot of effort to bring it up as at least half of it was indented into the clay bed. I went in head first to try to dislodge it. I had a guy holding my feet in case I somehow got stuck. Although, if something would have happened there would have been no way he could have pulled me out - lol. I dug a few other artillery shells there. I'll post some pics.

 

[Davers]

I scan read sometimes. Hate that , lol.

Somehow I missed that ATX, Know a guy here who runs a GPX 4800, a Couple with TDI's.

I thought about getting a Used ATX (seems many folk around here ,did not like them that much) 'Most likely the users Fault' or a TDI of some type but just not that many places to use a PI machine around here.

There are many places with Hot Rock that drives my machines crazy ;Sooo

I still wonder since most PI machines are 'All metal' I think one of the GPX types has some kind of discriminator .
How they see through the Iron Rock Hmmm

Oh the ATX is waterproof if I recall right & that would be a big + living where you do.

That's a great assortment of Shells you have dug , I never dug a whole one. & They look Great even to my perfectionist eye's .

Thanks for answering my inquires & Continued Success o your hunts.
Davers

 

[alabama11]

That shell is too much. What an experience finding that one? Keep the photos coming. Outstanding find.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

That shell is too much. What an experience finding that one? Keep the photos coming. Outstanding find.

Thanks A11! It was a great experience - I just hope that it's one I can repeat. I will definitely post more photos, if I can find more artifacts - lol! I've hunted this area for over four years now, so there are no more fairly easy recoveries left. I'll post a photo of the only button I found there. Keep posting your finds as well!! Dan