Back to the Picket Line!

[mangum]

Hello everyone. I got out Saturday with 3 friends to a picket line we had found on a previous trip. This was part of Sherman's army. We still haven't been able to find the main camp associated with the picket. I did OK, I ended up with 2 type 3 Williams cleaner bullets, a 3 ringer (all pulled) and a straight razor (neat personal find). I also found a random wheatie that sounded awesome but was a disappointment considering the site we were on. Overall we found 24 bullets, 9 buttons (6 cuff & 3 full size). There was also a knapsack hook & gun tool found. It was a nice day to get out with some friends & save some history. Thanks for looking & HH!

 

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[HomeGuardDan]

I spent many years following Sherman's route through NC - his camps were spread out and always tough to figure out. The fact that you are finding pulled bullets tells me that you are either at the camp (that has been dug) or very close to it. Soldiers pulled their bullets after returning from picket duty, not while on it. I found a few camps where pockets of these were strewn about the roadbed, and even some where less lazy simply fired them into the ground (blanked of hard impact bullets) alongside the road.

 

[mangum]

I spent many years following Sherman's route through NC - his camps were spread out and always tough to figure out. The fact that you are finding pulled bullets tells me that you are either at the camp (that has been dug) or very close to it. Soldiers pulled their bullets after returning from picket duty, not while on it. I found a few camps where pockets of these were strewn about the roadbed, and even some where less lazy simply fired them into the ground (blanked of hard impact bullets) alongside the road.

, This particular spot has not been dug, everything came from a relatively small patch. If it was a camp it was very small, maybe 15-20 men. We were also finding dropped (not pulled) bullets. Hopefully the large one will be found soon. My buddies think Sherman's engineer must have been drunk a lot because sometimes things are way off from where they should be! Thanks for the input Dan.

 

[ModernMiner]

Great info from Dan. Definitely something to think about.
Congrats on the recovers. The razor is a great find. I've never dug a pulled bullet yet. Mine are always Enfield, 3-ringers, or Williams Cleaner drops. Also a lot of carved bullets. All found in the Raleigh area. A buddy of mine discovered a Union camp a few years ago in Raleigh area and made out like a bandit.
Well done guys,
Doug

 

[metalev4]

Good finds, hopefully the site continues to produce

 

[HomeGuardDan]

, This particular spot has not been dug, everything came from a relatively small patch. If it was a camp it was very small, maybe 15-20 men. We were also finding dropped (not pulled) bullets. Hopefully the large one will be found soon. My buddies think Sherman's engineer must have been drunk a lot because sometimes things are way off from where they should be! Thanks for the input Dan.

No worries - just saying, there were many of times I thought I was near the camp, only to find out that years ago someone else had pounded it and I was actually in it. The cluster of pulled bullets is a good sign though. Sherman's camps are more so roadside plots - very scattered. I worked one stretch in the 90's that was every bit of a mile and never more than 100' from the road. Just little hot spots of fire pits and such. The picket camps I found were always small and usually on a ridge overlooking a water source and the road. Typically no fire pit, but handful of drops and P-caps.

Now, the camps post skirmishes and battles were full of pulls as well - especially the later days as April became VERY wet and many of muskets were clogged. I read accounts where one regiment alone had to extract almost every bullet due to the weather. Never found that camp ha ha.

 

[mangum]

Thanks for the great info. I'm still really green as far as Civil War specific relic hunting. I will have to say that I really like it so far. It's great to pull history that you can associate with a specific date/event. This was a friends site that they have been researching for a while. It's a lot of land to cover. This type of hunting definitely takes persistence & patience... Too bad you didn't find the camp with all the pulled bullets. It sounds like that would have made for a great hunt!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Great finds congrats!

 

[VOL1266-X]

Good finds MG!! Anyrtime you can dig 24 buttons, that's a good hunt. Come to think of it, I have never dug a pulled Williams Cleaner. HH, Q.

 

[Ahab8]

Mangum that's a very interesting site you have there. Hopefully you guys can find the hotspot there and find that one amazing relic that blows your mind. I wish you all the best of luck, Abe

 

[tennessee]

Congratulations. Great saves. Research is awesome, but actually developing a plan and have it piece together is wonderfully satisfying.

 

[treblehunter]

Nice finds.

 

[Tenspeed]

Great finds Josh! Eventually you guys will hit that camp.

See you tonight.

 

[Burnt Chimney]

Being the old knife guy that I am ! the razor is Sweet. Congrats on the Bullets also.