PENOBSCOT EXPEDITION- BUCK & BALL PLUS LINKS

[Castineman1779]

Well folks yes I know was done hunting Castine until the Fall . However the weather has been favorable , below 85, and the Maine bird, mosquitoes are mostly in town now sucking the blood out of the tourists. Yes I know any good reason to pick up the Deus and swing the coil. Anyway got an early start this morning and on site and in the woods by like 7:30 ish. Since Castine was so good to me on the 13th with finally an 82nd REgt of Foot coat button headed back to that area. My first target half hour in an American 69 cal dropped musket ball. Good start to my day. Half hour later got a light reading hardly registering a number on my screen. Curiosity got the better of me and up came what looked like a button. However closer look with my cheaters looked like two together. Nope a nice officers pair of sleeve links we call today cuff links. These are always great finds and rarely lost usually for being under fire. Cleaned up and beautiful. All quiet on the Western Front and then got an 84 reading. Usually that is a musket or pistol ball. Up came another 69 cal American musket ball. Sweeping the coil over the hole yet another reading and up came a smaller looking pistol ball about 50 cal. Two more sweeps two more balls. They were all drops and since two sizes have to be two loads for a Buck & Ball. These were used during the Revolutionary WAr up thru the Cival WAr. The musket was loaded with 2 balls instead of one and the idea was two balls could find their target better than one. Washington urged his troops to use the BUck & Ball loads. These are the first ones I have found together and rare as such. I did end my hunt with 3 more dropped musket balls . all American. BTW a dropped musket ball means usually during a skirmish when trying to load on the rum they are dropped on the ground and not always recovered . It was a good day . Stayed tuned and hopefully before the severe heat sits end get a few more hunts in. As always thanks fir looking. Gary

 

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[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[A2coins]

Those are some really coolfinds I would love to hunt a place like that

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice set of cufflinks!

 

[Silvermonkey]

Very nice finds! Glad to hear that the mosquitos were targeting the tourists. I wish I was so lucky down here in Mass... Those cufflinksare quite nice.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very nice relics, congrats!

 

[Megalodon]

Very nice finds and discussion. I hunted deer for years with a 50 cal muzzleloader and always worried about the possibility of a double load - of the same size. The smaller second ball in a buck & ball load might be more likely to be a flyer - but at the time, was worth getting more lead in the air with a single reload. I wonder if it was done in hunting as well as in battle.

Good reason for more 'skeeters in town is that they are likely coming from the clogged rain gutters. Doubt there is any standing water where you are hunting!