Devonrex
Sr. Member
- Jan 6, 2012
- 351
- 1,260
- 🥇 Banner finds
- 4
- Detector(s) used
- XP DEUS, Nautilus DMC IIB
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Was just too tired to post this last night. Got up early yesterday and gathered my metal detector and all my pit digging gear and was out the door just before dawn. I got to my site just as the sun was rising. I briefly paused and thought about what exactly must have been going on at this site 230 years ago. I honestly believe this area was either used as a hospital site where diseased uniforms were being burned or a place where new uniforms were issued. I briefly tried to find any surface finds with my Nautilus I may have missed but after 2 hours with only 5 musket balls I went back to digging out the second pit I discovered just a few days ago. Expanding outward on one side, I uncovered lots of ash along with the usual iron nails, oyster shells, and brick. Suprisingly no glass was uncovered. It didn't take long before I had my first French button followed by another a few shovelfuls later. Then came another bayonet clip that was broken followed by several musketballs and then ANOTHER French button. When this one came out I could see the 41 easily. After the finds began to play out on that side of the pit I expanded the other side. I can remember thinking how I wanted to find another cut Spanish reale and not more than 15 minutes later I had one in my hand!! The 4th French button was soon to follow and directly beneath it a 5th!!! When the 5th flipped out I couldn't believe it..... just like the coat I had found on my last outing, this button was emerald green and the number 70 was just staring up at me!!!!!!! I had never found a 70th regiment before. The side had a little minor rim damage but other than that it is perfect and beautiful. I then started digging the pit deeper and my first giid signal was a heavy long brass object. It was covered in ash but I could tell it was part of a flintlock rifle right away. Next came a coat button with crossshanks on the back followed by yet another French turrent shank button. That was a record 7 buttons for one day. As I gathered up all my gear I briefly detected the dirt I had thrown up in a huge mound and got just the slightest beep on my detector. Would you beleve it, the last signal of the day turned out to be yet another quarter of a 2 reale! WHEW! With that I left....... I had been lut almost 8 hrs and I was exhauted. The buttons turned out to be 3 small 41's, a small 30 (the first I have found), and a small 70 (the first I have found). The coat crossshank button is silver plated and after reading in Don Troini's book appears to be a coat button attributed to Lauzun's legion. He states in his book " the Hussars of the legion wore ball type buttons without an anchor. These buttons were fastened by a means of crossed wires on the back". Again what a find! And the last French button's face is so deteriorated I unfortunately can't see a number. The 2 quarter reales unfortunately don't have the 2 ending numbers that would give me the date. One has a 17 and the other piece has neither. This was a record day of rev war button for me with 7! The site I feel may have some more discoveries awaiting me but I also realize soon it will be played out and I am a little sad. This has been the best Rev War site I have ever disovered and I will surely miss it when it is over. HH Devonrex
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