Revolutionary war mini ball ???

[DelcoGreg]

Hello -

I was starting to get discouraged, but I think I finally found a spot worth working for a while. I stopped for a half hour or so at a spot right across the street from the entrance to a revolutionary war battlefield and I found a mini ball. It looks like a 50 caliber to me. Would that be consistent with the revolutionary war? I found a number of old shotgun shell caps too, so it could have been a stray bullet from any time I guess. The picture isn't that great, but I think it will give you a decent idea of what it looks like. It is hard to see, but it is mostly white from the corroded lead - it came right out of the ground like that (I haven't cleaned it).

I also found a few mystery relics (likely small pieces of them) in bad condition and what appears to be a copper (maybe) button. It is very flat/thin overall and has what looks like the remains of a loop in the center of the back of it. It kind of looks like it could have originally been a coin, but it is too corroded to make out anything and I am sure nothing at all would come out in a picture. Any advise on how to attempt to clean the corrosion would be welcome, but I am not confident that there is any detail left to uncover.

Greg

 

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[DelcoGreg]

I hate to answer my own post, but I think I finally found something useful once I started searching for "musket ball" instead of mini ball. It may be that my find is from an American pistol, which typically shot a .50 caliber ball according to this page:

http://www.davekopel.com/NRO/2000/Guns-of-Our-Freedom.htm

I am saving that link in case I find another one as it mentions the different sizes used by different weapons on both sides.

Greg

 

[ramjet2187]

Well, congrats on a great find, no matter what it turns out to be. It definately looks like a musketball (I've dug a few of them). I generally clean them under a slow stream of water in the bathroom sink, while (gently) scrubbing them with an old toothbush. Can't really hurt them too much, they're lead, after all.

The button is another story. Some of the wiser relic hunters (nearly everyone here except me) can probably help you with that one. I'd say stay away from scrubbing that one.

Congrats again, and be sure to stay on the OUTSIDE of the Rev. War park. You don't need that kind of trouble.

Roger

 

[DelcoGreg]

Thanks for the congrats.

The button is another story. Some of the wiser relic hunters (nearly everyone here except me) can probably help you with that one. I'd say stay away from scrubbing that one.

The more I look at it, the more I think it is just the back plate of an old button with corrosion on it. I thought I saw something that looked like lettering, but now it seems more like an ink blot test than a button (I see whatever I want to see in it).

Congrats again, and be sure to stay on the OUTSIDE of the Rev. War park. You don't need that kind of trouble.

Yes, I am sure that would be trouble. I probably wouldn't even be where I am now except that they are digging/grading it for some kind of construction project. There is a 2+2 lane divided highway between where I was and the park, so there will be no confusion about the boundary.

Greg

 

[Nana40]

Awesome Greg! I love to find those little round bullets!

Congrats! And good luck on your return trip there.

Nana

 

[lordmarcovan]

The term is Minie ball, not "mini". The Minie bullets were among the first conical bullets that resemble the shape of modern bullets. They are named after their inventor, a French officer named Claude Minie.

As you discovered on your own, your artifact is more likely to be a musket ball, since it is round. Round musketballs were fired from smoothbore weapons, whereas the conical Minie bullets were usually fired from weapons with rifled barrels, which made them more accurate.