Greetings! I am putting this in today's finds, as yesterday the guys that I have been going with and I just completed an exhausting dig around a house that burned in 1864 during one of the battles in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Dating the house to probably 1840-50, the Yanks were encamped around it and were surprised by the Confederates! Whoops! So we detected, then dug some, then detected then dug some, then, repeat, repeat. I can only go maybe four hours at a clip, so it took me 7 days (or about 28 hours) to detect the site. Every time we dug some, we'd come up with non metallic items also. Pic heavy, so this may take awhile. Go to the end of the "rant" as I posted my favorite pieces last.
The first day was almost a waste digging out big iron and aluminum can bits, but, after a couple hours of that, we started finding goodies.
Bits and pieces of china from the house were scattered across the plowed field, so they were eyeballed. Numerous kinds, from the CW period.
This is blue and white spongewear and Leedsware "feather edge" ironstone china. Ironstone china was a 19th century invention.
I also got a few small pieces of redware. That all helped date the site.
Circling where the house was, the goodies started turning up with the detector. I am surprised the folks I was digging with missed them!
Harmonica reed parts, various pieces of spoons and tableware and a "regulation" type folding spoon a soldier used during the war, and back piece to a pocket watch, the round thing. These (folding spoon sets) were purchased at various sutlers' shops.
Some iron equipment type buckles and pieces from a grate from (assumedly) the house.
Once we started getting the bigger pieces out of the way, we started finding a lot of flat buttons.
It was a surprise to dig this! Right next to the building was this trigger assembly to an Enfield rifle. Now, a few of these items have been shown previously, but I wanted to get everything together in one place.
From the home, not the battle, came some marbles and doll baby parts in porcelain.
We only found a few pieces of pipe stem and part of a bowl. Those were scarce.
All around the area we would take a spell and just dig a hole and rake out what we found. We found a lot of porcelain buttons, a couple mother of pearl buttons, and some Goodyear rubber buttons.
And some fancy buttons too!
And what would a Civil War site be without minie balls, they were few and far between. I did have numerous tiny pistol bullets and balls but no pic.
This little glove button was a favorite.
We scratched out a little glass, but most of it was smashed so we discarded it.
After awhile I started detecting essentially in concentric circles getting farther and farther from the hilltop, it's a little hill, and to my shock found the straightened out butt plate to an Enfield rifle in brass. That made the earphone almost blow off my head!
This spout to a presumably Confederate canteen also was no slouch target.
Another pic of the little glove button and a destroyed hat pin, probably 6th corps.
One of my coolest finds, stamped brass pin about 1" tall, castle motif, believed to be non regulation Confederate engineer's hat pin. These were not regulation per se, but there was a small school in Virginia, the Westwood school that produced a button with a castle on it and it may have been from there. Best guess.
My best quality eagle button.
Thimbles, pins and bits and pieces.
My favorite, a man's wedding ring in brass, undoubtedly lost by a soldier during the battle.
Civil war buttons including a Block I Confederate, and eagles and some fancy buttons. I have to dig out the Virginia button and post it. I don't think I ever did!
And the coins from last week!
Little buggers were falling out of a hole and I said to myself "what are those white discs"? Yeah, really.
The only "good thing missing is the Virginia button from a few weeks ago. It's already in the safe deposit box. AND...the Virginia button.
Enjoy. BTW I just added the 4 silvers as one photo. They tumbled out of the same hole, same shovel.
The first day was almost a waste digging out big iron and aluminum can bits, but, after a couple hours of that, we started finding goodies.
Bits and pieces of china from the house were scattered across the plowed field, so they were eyeballed. Numerous kinds, from the CW period.
This is blue and white spongewear and Leedsware "feather edge" ironstone china. Ironstone china was a 19th century invention.
I also got a few small pieces of redware. That all helped date the site.Circling where the house was, the goodies started turning up with the detector. I am surprised the folks I was digging with missed them!
Harmonica reed parts, various pieces of spoons and tableware and a "regulation" type folding spoon a soldier used during the war, and back piece to a pocket watch, the round thing. These (folding spoon sets) were purchased at various sutlers' shops.
Some iron equipment type buckles and pieces from a grate from (assumedly) the house.
Once we started getting the bigger pieces out of the way, we started finding a lot of flat buttons.
It was a surprise to dig this! Right next to the building was this trigger assembly to an Enfield rifle. Now, a few of these items have been shown previously, but I wanted to get everything together in one place.
From the home, not the battle, came some marbles and doll baby parts in porcelain.
We only found a few pieces of pipe stem and part of a bowl. Those were scarce.
All around the area we would take a spell and just dig a hole and rake out what we found. We found a lot of porcelain buttons, a couple mother of pearl buttons, and some Goodyear rubber buttons.
And some fancy buttons too!
And what would a Civil War site be without minie balls, they were few and far between. I did have numerous tiny pistol bullets and balls but no pic.
This little glove button was a favorite.
We scratched out a little glass, but most of it was smashed so we discarded it.
After awhile I started detecting essentially in concentric circles getting farther and farther from the hilltop, it's a little hill, and to my shock found the straightened out butt plate to an Enfield rifle in brass. That made the earphone almost blow off my head!
This spout to a presumably Confederate canteen also was no slouch target.
Another pic of the little glove button and a destroyed hat pin, probably 6th corps.
One of my coolest finds, stamped brass pin about 1" tall, castle motif, believed to be non regulation Confederate engineer's hat pin. These were not regulation per se, but there was a small school in Virginia, the Westwood school that produced a button with a castle on it and it may have been from there. Best guess.
My best quality eagle button.
Thimbles, pins and bits and pieces.
My favorite, a man's wedding ring in brass, undoubtedly lost by a soldier during the battle.
Civil war buttons including a Block I Confederate, and eagles and some fancy buttons. I have to dig out the Virginia button and post it. I don't think I ever did!
And the coins from last week!
Little buggers were falling out of a hole and I said to myself "what are those white discs"? Yeah, really.
The only "good thing missing is the Virginia button from a few weeks ago. It's already in the safe deposit box. AND...the Virginia button.
Enjoy. BTW I just added the 4 silvers as one photo. They tumbled out of the same hole, same shovel.
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