How do you determine where to start looking for civil war relicts ?

[boarman1]

Ok guys I have a couple of places to Metal detect . One place is at a home that was a civil war hospital and the other is where a battle was at called glass mill battle . The first place has a barn on it that was there during this time. I went in there the last time I was there but the ground is so hard in there you couldnt drive a nail in the dirt. It was like concrete. I was thinking about going in one of the horse stalls and taking a pick axe and really digging. The other farm I have spent a lot of time on it but all I find is broken metal pieces that I normally dont know what it is or its just junk and then I find beer cans about 6" deep. I found 10 the last time i was there. So I just wanted to pick you brains to see your methods and techniques . The one farm that had the battle on it is on a creek and they say there is a camp sight near that area but I have not found it yet. The place with the home/hospital on it has been looked over for the past 50 years but only within 5 acres around the home. the farm is 300+ acres that goes all the way up to the Etowah river. And had a train that ran through the property during the civil war.

[Ads]

TreasureNet.com is the premier Treasure Hunting Forum on the internet. Registered Users do not see these ads. Please Register - It's Free!

[DeadElvis]

Wow it sounds like you have some great hunting areas lined up.

300 acres, that's tough call. I'd say look for creeks or hilltops, but I've failed in this arena myself. The couple of times I've searched fields I find beer cans and pull-tabs. This was a field in an (in)direct path of a CW campaign. I guess drinking beer and driving the tractor has been a tradition since the early days. It's what I do when I mow my lawn

As for tough dirt, go after or shortly after a rain, it seems to help where I hunt.

DE

[boarman1]

Its in prime area's from what I have researched but man its not easy. Im upgrading Metal detectors next week so that should help on so many false readings from our soil. My goal is to find buckles and canon balls. But you never know.

[DeadElvis]

Its in prime area's from what I have researched but man its not easy. Im upgrading Metal detectors next week so that should help on so many false readings from our soil. My goal is to find buckles and canon balls. But you never know.

Dig all targets until you are confident in your detector. Even then they are still wrong on occasion. I still dig all targets and have found some interesting, if not valuable, items. I dig a bunch of pull-tabs because I know one day a pull-tab target will be the Buffalo Nickel that's on my list of goals.

[spartacus53]

Boarman1, It's also time just to read up on the battle itself, and include troop movements prior to the battle as well as the aftermath. Are you sure this area is not part of the battlefield park

Example: "When Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was created in 1890, the veterans identified the road from Crawfish Spring to Glass's Mill as one of the important approaches to the battlefield."


Read accounts from as many sources as possible and try to visualize what happened.

[boarman1]

Yes this farm butts into what is marked at the battle of glass mill. The locals.Older group says there ancestors told them how the battle came through the area and say that a lot of the battle was fault right hera at this property and not where the state is saying it is and they are also telling me how the troups cross the property and where they came from. I have done tons of research of the one farm and the other farm you cant find anything on it. There is one place on the property that I thnk Im going to try out. No one goes there and it seems to be where a the battle might have crossed the field at. I know alot of the troups were on the other side of hte creek and somewhere in there there is a place they say in the story that the creek was crossed a lot by hundred of troups. Thats why Im thinking I need a metal detector that can detect in shallow water.

Boarman1, It's also time just to read up on the battle itself, and include troop movements prior to the battle as well as the aftermath. Are you sure this area is not part of the battlefield park

Example: "When Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was created in 1890, the veterans identified the road from Crawfish Spring to Glass's Mill as one of the important approaches to the battlefield."


Read accounts from as many sources as possible and try to visualize what happened.

[spartacus53]

I don't see hunting that creek yielding too much, unless you go downstream a good ways. It's been a long time since that battle and depending how fast that creek runs, finds, if any, may be miles away and rusted to nothing.

Just stick to the land and best of luck to you

[boarman1]

Ok thats what I was thinking. Thanks for the thoughts. I would guess the camp sight should have more near it.

I don't see hunting that creek yielding too much, unless you go downstream a good ways. It's been a long time since that battle and depending how fast that creek runs, finds, if any, may be miles away and rusted to nothing.

Just stick to the land and best of luck to you