Sooper Dave
Bronze Member
I was busy Saturday with chores and it was our anniversary, but I managed to get 30 minutes of detecting in at dark on a new spot I've been digging Civil War relics out of. I headed straight to a grown up fence line and my first signal was iffy, like a deep bullet right in the thick brush. I'm under there on my hands and knees hoping for a bullet and out pops a complete US spur! I couldn't believe it didn't make more of a high tone but I sure was excited! I took a few pics of it in the dark and hunted a little bit longer digging trash and then lucked up on a New York Militia button. It's smashed and crusty but a cool find. I got home and handed the spur to my wife and told her I got her something nice for our anniversary. She loved it but I don't think that's what she had in mind for a gift. It's a model 1859 plain and it appears that someone started to carve their initials into the side.
The next morning my wife said I should go back to that spot and she would go with me to finish her Christmas shopping on her phone while sitting in the truck. Man I've got the best wife ever! We stopped for breakfast and coffee to go and away we went. It was a cold and rainy morning and she just laughed at the crazy fool for a husband to be out digging in this mess. I got to hunting and started things off with a nice Williams cleaner and then an Infantry Eagle button. As I would find a relic I would walk over to the truck and put it on the console for her to check out. I didn't dig anything but trash for a long time and I was digging anything that made a signal that I could pinpoint on. I worked my way over to a tree and got a great high tone that was a beer can down under the roots. I moved over beside that hole and got another nice tone and was in shock when I saw the S and knew I had half of a US plate and my first one! I ran over to the truck and couldn't get the words out fast enough. She was as excited as I was, or pretty close to it. I took a bunch of pics and sent texts out to some buddies. I finally pulled myself back together and continued on, but kept replaying that moment over and over. It slowed way down again as I dug pull tab after pull tab and tons of other great sounding garbage. By now my finds pouch was filled with trash and I was thinking it was time to head out. I figured I would give it another hour but then I found a nice dimpled base Sharps and then a smashed 3 ringer. I worked my way back to the area that I've made most the finds and just slowed down even more. I got another nice Eagle button and then a nice 3 ringer. I found myself back close to the tree where I got the buckle half. About 12' away from that spot I had another nice tone and dug a nice big plug. As I was scooping dirt out I saw what I thought was a glimpse of the little "puppy paw" on the back of a buckle. I immediately jumped up took my headphones off and widened the hole way out so I wouldn't risk hitting what ever was in this hole. I go back in by hand, I feel something to grab a hold of and I pull out a rusty old horseshoe. I just laughed about how my mind was playing tricks on me and that from the shape of the horseshoe and having very little discrimination on the Etrac it must have falsed in as a high tone. I hung the shoe on the side of my pouch and covered the hole back up nice and neat. I stood up and rechecked the hole and there was that high tone still screaming at me. In an instant I'm pulling the plug back up, scooping dirt out as fast as I can and sure enough I pull up a beautiful complete US belt buckle! I dropped it like I was just electrocuted, quickly ran over to the truck and by then I was just grunting and pointing like a caveman but some how she knew to come over and check out what I had just discovered. She was in as much disbelief as me and thought I was messing with her. It's a humbling experience to see these relics come out of the ground, especially one that was so personal to a soldier. A belt buckle that had a soldier's hands on it many times. It makes you stop and wonder how it ended up there and what happened to the man that wore it. Well after that I was pretty much done on concentrating on anything else. I don't think I could have ended the hunt on a higher note. This hunt is probably the most special one I've had with just the Civil War history I was able to save but even more to share the experience with my wife. HH-David
The next morning my wife said I should go back to that spot and she would go with me to finish her Christmas shopping on her phone while sitting in the truck. Man I've got the best wife ever! We stopped for breakfast and coffee to go and away we went. It was a cold and rainy morning and she just laughed at the crazy fool for a husband to be out digging in this mess. I got to hunting and started things off with a nice Williams cleaner and then an Infantry Eagle button. As I would find a relic I would walk over to the truck and put it on the console for her to check out. I didn't dig anything but trash for a long time and I was digging anything that made a signal that I could pinpoint on. I worked my way over to a tree and got a great high tone that was a beer can down under the roots. I moved over beside that hole and got another nice tone and was in shock when I saw the S and knew I had half of a US plate and my first one! I ran over to the truck and couldn't get the words out fast enough. She was as excited as I was, or pretty close to it. I took a bunch of pics and sent texts out to some buddies. I finally pulled myself back together and continued on, but kept replaying that moment over and over. It slowed way down again as I dug pull tab after pull tab and tons of other great sounding garbage. By now my finds pouch was filled with trash and I was thinking it was time to head out. I figured I would give it another hour but then I found a nice dimpled base Sharps and then a smashed 3 ringer. I worked my way back to the area that I've made most the finds and just slowed down even more. I got another nice Eagle button and then a nice 3 ringer. I found myself back close to the tree where I got the buckle half. About 12' away from that spot I had another nice tone and dug a nice big plug. As I was scooping dirt out I saw what I thought was a glimpse of the little "puppy paw" on the back of a buckle. I immediately jumped up took my headphones off and widened the hole way out so I wouldn't risk hitting what ever was in this hole. I go back in by hand, I feel something to grab a hold of and I pull out a rusty old horseshoe. I just laughed about how my mind was playing tricks on me and that from the shape of the horseshoe and having very little discrimination on the Etrac it must have falsed in as a high tone. I hung the shoe on the side of my pouch and covered the hole back up nice and neat. I stood up and rechecked the hole and there was that high tone still screaming at me. In an instant I'm pulling the plug back up, scooping dirt out as fast as I can and sure enough I pull up a beautiful complete US belt buckle! I dropped it like I was just electrocuted, quickly ran over to the truck and by then I was just grunting and pointing like a caveman but some how she knew to come over and check out what I had just discovered. She was in as much disbelief as me and thought I was messing with her. It's a humbling experience to see these relics come out of the ground, especially one that was so personal to a soldier. A belt buckle that had a soldier's hands on it many times. It makes you stop and wonder how it ended up there and what happened to the man that wore it. Well after that I was pretty much done on concentrating on anything else. I don't think I could have ended the hunt on a higher note. This hunt is probably the most special one I've had with just the Civil War history I was able to save but even more to share the experience with my wife. HH-David
Amazon Forum Fav 👍
Last edited:
Upvote
67
Now as the finds go, WOW!
The things every civil war relic hunter dreams of just came true for you mate. Your beloved obliging you with her wonderful presence made this a lifetime memory and story to be handed on for generations. Ya'll are very well blessed indeed and I'll try not to be just a tad bit envious. Congratulations for the TEAM recoveries!!!
Well from that trash pit I found a dated rubber goodyear button, some more iron knives, part of some scissors and I think a few tiny roundballs and buttons along with melted lead. My brother found one of the brass sleeves with a ring off a Confederate sword scabbard in that trash pit also. Other than that just pieces of unidentifiable iron and lots of square nails. I love plates of any kind and hope to dig another U.S. plate like yours soon too. Those are always good finds.
