Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

VOL1266-X

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Jan 10, 2007
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Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

We (Tenn. Trio) haven't hunted much lately. I've been trying to catch up on my farm work so it won't interfere with Fall relic season-LOL and writing a few new relic/treasure magazine articles. Dman has been working in his store and winning his golf club championship. Josh has a new supervisor job which Dman and I predict he will resign from just after the first Fall frost so he won't miss relic hunts with us-LOL. He already has 4 businesses to run anyway.
Monday afternoon, I had a message on my machine from a friend giving us a tip on where we may dig a few CW relics. Even though it was a scorcher, Dman and I went to the site on Wednesday a little after daylight. We lasted only about an hour and half. The ground was hard and dry. Dman claims he had an encounter with a scorpion and a rattlesnake but he can tell about that. Our finds were mostly agricultural as shown in the first pic. We gave the landowners most of those finds. Note the round object on the right side. I tried to trick Dman by holding it in my hand where it looked like a cannonball but he knew we weren't that lucky.
I thought a lot about the round object as I initially dismissed it as being a hub from an old wagon axle. The more I thought about it yesterday, the more convinced I was that it may be a frag from a Hotchkiss shell. I refreshed my memory by looking at the CW Artillery Book last night.
Today, Dman wanted to work in his store so I returned solo to the same site just after daylight. I dug 3 pieces of lead sabots from the shells, a dropped buck'n ball, and more iron ag. parts in 4 muggy, hot hours until my 2 bottles of water and Diet Mt. Dew gave out. When I gave those parts to our landowner friends, They gave me the round object back to research in the hope it was a shell frag for my collection and were happy to get more ag. parts from where their father had farmed the land.
Lo and behold, the round iron object had 3 flame grooves and was an exploded 3 inch U.S. Hotchkiss base as shown in the last two pics. If the landowners had not requested that we save the ag. parts for them, I may have chucked it. Check your finds carefully because you just never know!!!
Thanks for looking and stay cool, Quindy.
 

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Upvote 1

treasurehound

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Jan 23, 2008
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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

Woodland Detectors said:
treasurehound said:
Nice finds Quindy. I congratulate you for getting out in this heat. I haven't been out in 3 weeks but the itch is starting to catch up with. I have been doing a lot of research during this heat and trying to line some places up this fall. Nice finds and wish you well on your future hunts. The east Tennessee trio (Mike, Guy and myself) will have to get together with you later this year.
Oooooh, sounds like a Tn trio show down. :laughing7:

The older guys against the old guys

Mike..... Are we the older guys or the old guys??? We qualify for both, lol. May have to invite these guys to that Confederate site I got permission to hunt where the landowner found the CS spur and bullets. I haven't hunted it yet Quindy and the landowner is not allowing any hunting on it but told me I could hunt any time. He said several people have knocked on his door to hunt but he told them he doesn't allow any hunting. Sounds like a great site for us.
 

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VOL1266-X

VOL1266-X

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

treasurehound said:
Woodland Detectors said:
treasurehound said:
Nice finds Quindy. I congratulate you for getting out in this heat. I haven't been out in 3 weeks but the itch is starting to catch up with. I have been doing a lot of research during this heat and trying to line some places up this fall. Nice finds and wish you well on your future hunts. The east Tennessee trio (Mike, Guy and myself) will have to get together with you later this year.
Oooooh, sounds like a Tn trio show down. :laughing7:

The older guys against the old guys

Mike..... Are we the older guys or the old guys??? We qualify for both, lol. May have to invite these guys to that Confederate site I got permission to hunt where the landowner found the CS spur and bullets. I haven't hunted it yet Quindy and the landowner is not allowing any hunting on it but told me I could hunt any time. He said several people have knocked on his door to hunt but he told them he doesn't allow any hunting. Sounds like a great site for us.
Randy, I suggest this: You, Guy, and Mike go to that site, dig only 2 CW bullets or relics each, STOP, go home, and call me in the morning. Dr. VOL1266-X-LOL. HH, Quindy.

By the way, I'm surprised MM hasn't named you guys "The ET3".
 

treasurehound

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

VOL1266-X said:
treasurehound said:
Woodland Detectors said:
treasurehound said:
Nice finds Quindy. I congratulate you for getting out in this heat. I haven't been out in 3 weeks but the itch is starting to catch up with. I have been doing a lot of research during this heat and trying to line some places up this fall. Nice finds and wish you well on your future hunts. The east Tennessee trio (Mike, Guy and myself) will have to get together with you later this year.
Oooooh, sounds like a Tn trio show down. :laughing7:

The older guys against the old guys

Mike..... Are we the older guys or the old guys??? We qualify for both, lol. May have to invite these guys to that Confederate site I got permission to hunt where the landowner found the CS spur and bullets. I haven't hunted it yet Quindy and the landowner is not allowing any hunting on it but told me I could hunt any time. He said several people have knocked on his door to hunt but he told them he doesn't allow any hunting. Sounds like a great site for us.
Randy, I suggest this: You, Guy, and Mike go to that site, dig only 2 CW bullets or relics each, STOP, go home, and call me in the morning. Dr. VOL1266-X-LOL. HH, Quindy.

By the way, I'm surprised MM hasn't named you guys "The ET3".

OK Quindy we can do a pre hunt but it will be hard to stop at two finds apiece. Last year Guy and I found 16 bullets in a hour not too far from there.
 

Woodland Detectors

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Nov 23, 2008
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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

treasurehound said:
Woodland Detectors said:
treasurehound said:
Nice finds Quindy. I congratulate you for getting out in this heat. I haven't been out in 3 weeks but the itch is starting to catch up with. I have been doing a lot of research during this heat and trying to line some places up this fall. Nice finds and wish you well on your future hunts. The east Tennessee trio (Mike, Guy and myself) will have to get together with you later this year.
Oooooh, sounds like a Tn trio show down. :laughing7:

The older guys against the old guys

Mike..... Are we the older guys or the old guys??? We qualify for both, lol. May have to invite these guys to that Confederate site I got permission to hunt where the landowner found the CS spur and bullets. I haven't hunted it yet Quindy and the landowner is not allowing any hunting on it but told me I could hunt any time. He said several people have knocked on his door to hunt but he told them he doesn't allow any hunting. Sounds like a great site for us.
MM says they are the old farts Randy... :laughing7:
 

steelheadwill

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

That Hotch is a beauty!
I pay for the relics sometimes too, you can't dig em all :-[
You should see this belt plate I picked up, it stopped a musket ball :laughing9:
 

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VOL1266-X

VOL1266-X

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

sekypaleo said:
WOW Quindy that's awesome! Great find, and keep hittin that spot!
Thanks Bill and come on Fall. I'm looking forward to seeing your article in the Oct. issue of Western & Eastern Treasures. HH, Quindy.
steelheadwill said:
That Hotch is a beauty!
I pay for the relics sometimes too, you can't dig em all :-[
You should see this belt plate I picked up, it stopped a musket ball :laughing9:
Herbie, it's depressing to find relics that you paid for years ago-LOL. Watch for those FAKE plates with the bullet in them. I know you saw that episode too. The person selling it to you can actually be injured by busting their ribs laughing after you leave and they get to thinking about the sucker they sold that junk to-LOL. Stay cool my friend, Quindy.
 

treasurehound

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

steelheadwill said:
That Hotch is a beauty!
I pay for the relics sometimes too, you can't dig em all :-[
You should see this belt plate I picked up, it stopped a musket ball :laughing9:

Oh were you the one that bought that plate from the American Picker guys :laughing9:
 

ModernMiner

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

treasurehound said:
steelheadwill said:
That Hotch is a beauty!
I pay for the relics sometimes too, you can't dig em all :-[
You should see this belt plate I picked up, it stopped a musket ball :laughing9:

Oh were you the one that bought that plate from the American Picker guys :laughing9:

LMAO!!!
Quindy has one of those too now. :laughing7:
-MM-
 

Nana40

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

No telling what I've thrown away that I shouldn't have. :-X The first two years I hunted, I saved EVERYTHING. Charlie soon tired of having to step over the boxes of horseshoes and farming implements in the basement and I ultimately had to part with the majority of them. :tongue3: Seriously, I need to start re-checking the bucket of non-keeper finds before they get tossed. You did good to go back and retrieve yer keeper, Q!

Nana~
 

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VOL1266-X

VOL1266-X

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

Nana40 said:
No telling what I've thrown away that I shouldn't have. :-X The first two years I hunted, I saved EVERYTHING. Charlie soon tired of having to step over the boxes of horseshoes and farming implements in the basement and I ultimately had to part with the majority of them. :tongue3: Seriously, I need to start re-checking the bucket of non-keeper finds before they get tossed. You did good to go back and retrieve yer keeper, Q!

Nana~
Nana, Dman almost chucked a pre Civil War clipped corner brass shoulder plate when hunting an old home solo in his hometown about 5 years ago. Fortunately, he recalled what I had shared with him when he started relic hunting regarding "Don't throw anything away until someone who knows looks at it" advice someone gave me when I started hunting. Thanks for looking and the days of the snakes and ticks are declining day by day and Fall will be here before you know it Southern Belle. HH, Quindy.
 

TheCannonballGuy

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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

VOL1266-X wrote:
> It's an exact match with the 3 in. U.S. common Hotchkiss shell in our collection.

I may be misreading the way you used the word "common" in that statement. To a civil war artilleryman, the term Common Shell meant a time-fuzed explosive shell which contained only powder (with no antipersonnel balls/slugs).

By that definition, the sabotless Hotchkiss in your photo is not a Common Shell ...it is a Case-Shot shell (which does contain antipersonnel balls). A Hotchkiss Case-Shot's nose-tip is more "rounded-looking" in comparison to the Common Shell version of Hotchkiss.

Your 3" Hotchkiss Case-Shot is the Type 2 model, which had flamegrooves and a brass time-fuze. The Type 2's earliest known usage in combat occurred during Spring 1863. It superceded the Type 1 model of Hotchkiss Case-Shot, which had a "white-metal" timefuze, and until late-1862 did not have flamegrooves.
 

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VOL1266-X

VOL1266-X

Gold Member
Jan 10, 2007
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Northern Middle Tennessee
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Re: Tennessee CW Artillery Relics-3 in. Hotchkiss Base, Lead Sabot Pieces, & HEAT!!!

TheCannonballGuy said:
VOL1266-X wrote:
> It's an exact match with the 3 in. U.S. common Hotchkiss shell in our collection.

I may be misreading the way you used the word "common" in that statement. To a civil war artilleryman, the term Common Shell meant a time-fuzed explosive shell which contained only powder (with no antipersonnel balls/slugs).

By that definition, the sabotless Hotchkiss in your photo is not a Common Shell ...it is a Case-Shot shell (which does contain antipersonnel balls). A Hotchkiss Case-Shot's nose-tip is more "rounded-looking" in comparison to the Common Shell version of Hotchkiss.

Your 3" Hotchkiss Case-Shot is the Type 2 model, which had flamegrooves and a brass time-fuze. The Type 2's earliest known usage in combat occurred during Spring 1863. It superceded the Type 1 model of Hotchkiss Case-Shot, which had a "white-metal" timefuze, and until late-1862 did not have flamegrooves.
Thanks for the information. We dig few artillery artifacts where we hunt so my knowledge of artillery is limited at best. The full Hotckiss without a sabot in my collection came from Petersburg. Dman did find a case shot ball within 50 ft. of where the base came from a few years ago. This site was an artillery target range according to local historians. Thanks for your expertise and HH, Quindy.
 

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