And You Wish You Could Have Fought in the Civil War? Not After Seeing This!!

VOL1266-X · Jan 30, 2011

Too pretty a day In Tennessee to stay inside so I made the 5 mile drive to the Hartsville Battlefield where Morgan attacked the Yankee camp in Dec. 1862. Dman and I have dug many relics there. It's probably the hardest hunted CW site in Tennessee because permission was easy to get since the 1960s.
Look at this fired mushroomed .69 cal. 3 ring "Big Boy" bullet I dug today in comparison to a 1917 Half Dollar that I found with a Spanish 8 Reales near a spring at Battery Hill in Smith County, TN a few years ago. Before the smart remarks that will no doubt come from Modern Miner and Dman, I know it's a half dollar, it's not the first one I earned, and I did not fire that bullet in the Battle of Hartsville.
Still want to have been a CW Soldier? No wonder so many amputations were necessary. HH, Quindy.

mainer · Jan 30, 2011

Boy that would leave a nasty hole. Be hard to survive it with all the blood lost. Keep on digging Quindy. :thumbsup:

Coin Stalker · Jan 30, 2011

Wow they sure were using some big lead back then.... :thumbsup:

Damon64 · Jan 30, 2011

That would leave a mark!

ModernMiner · Jan 30, 2011

"Before the smart remarks that will no doubt come from Modern Miner and Dman, I know it's a half dollar, it's not the first one I earned, and I did not fire that bullet in the Battle of Hartsville."

Q-
You know us too well. :laughing9:

Seriously though, that sucker could have ripped a limb off!

That's a big hunk of lead there.
Can you post a picture of your 8 reales or e-mail one to me. I don't think I ever saw it. :icon_scratch:

Must of been back before you were getting harassed by me.

-Dug-

RickyD · Jan 30, 2011

Living in Washington State, civil war era bullets are not easy to come by, but when I found my first three ringer and held it in my hand, and personally seen its size and felt its weight, truely my first thought was, "Oh my Lord, the damage this must have did when it hit a human body." As detectorists, espeacialy back east where these mini's are quite common, sometimes we have to step back and remember what Lincoln said, "This is hollowed ground." No thank you, I am glad I did not have to be a part of it.

Nana40 · Jan 30, 2011

I can't believe that big ole fat chunk of lead was still there. Must be nobody uses an MXT in Tennessee.

Way to go on finding it, Brad! :icon_pirat:

I spend this lovely day recovering from the snow we had three weeks ago. :P The awning by the pool didn't make it. :'(

Now I'll have to have a new one! :laughing7:

Nana

steelheadwill · Jan 30, 2011

Great Post!
I posted a .69 drop with a comment about what it must have been like to be hit with one, I don't recall it's weight but they are massive.
good to see the 'after' photo, Whew

ringfinder · Jan 30, 2011

Nice find Quindy, I see that F-75 is still kicking Butt!! What caliber do think it is, must have been a big Rifle! I have a lot of .58 calibers but nothing that big that has been fired.

Denny

Iskuli · Jan 30, 2011

beautiful

Tnmountains · Jan 30, 2011

What a great day to be out. We wonder why there were so many amputations during the war. There ya go. Big ole chunk of flying lead. Even bigger when smashed !

DigginThePast · Jan 30, 2011

Wow!

Conjures some disturbing images. But still a very cool find. :headbang:

Dman · Jan 30, 2011

I wished I could have been there. Looking forward to getting back out. I know that 1917 half wasn't the first you ever earned because you retired before 1917.

ModernMiner · Jan 30, 2011

Dman said:
I wished I could have been there. Looking forward to getting back out. I know that 1917 half wasn't the first you ever earned because you retired before 1917.

Ouch! Even under heavy meds Dman still has some zingers! :laughing9:

mosemeister · Jan 30, 2011

I wouldn't want to be the recipient of that hunk of lead! Ouch!

mlayers · Jan 30, 2011

Man that would of knocked you on your __s. No I don't wish I could have been in the CW....Matt

Trigem · Jan 30, 2011

VOL1266-X said:
Dman and I have dug many relics there. It's probably the hardest hunted CW site in Tennessee because permission was easy to get since the 1960s.

New to relic hunting,
How does one get permission to hunt places like this? :dontknow:

VOL1266-X · Jan 30, 2011

Trigem said:
VOL1266-X said:

Dman and I have dug many relics there. It's probably the hardest hunted CW site in Tennessee because permission was easy to get since the 1960s.

Click to expand...

New to relic hunting,
How does one get permission to hunt places like this?

I think I covered this in one of our Western & Eastern Magazine articles but can't recall which one to tell you to look up, so here goes:
Find out who owns the land and GO (better than calling) to their home at as reasonable hour to request permission. There are no longer any livestock on this site but if there are cattle, etc. on the land you want to hunt, reassure the landowner that you will keep gates closed and fill in any SMALL holes you may dig. If they lease the land, you should ask if you need to contact the leaser for their approval too. That avoids problems if the person leasing the property sees you there and doesn't realize that you have secured permission. Offer to share examples of your recoveries with them as Modern Miner does. Most people don't want anything. Be prepared to be turned down in some cases. The guy who found the "Dark Ages Gold" in England was well publicized and some folks are afraid you will find something valuable and they will get nothing. Some people don't want the liability either. Lastly, keep your fingers crossed and good luck. HH, Quindy.

umrgolf · Jan 30, 2011

After i read this it made me wonder how many of my mushroomed bullets were mushroomed from connecting with a soldier. $:-\$ Probably a very small percentage (if any) since Ive never hunted a battlesite, but I guess its still possible.

ringfinder · Jan 30, 2011

I agree with Quindy on how to ask for permission to hunt a site. I have been detecting for over 25 years and I think asking for permission is the hardest thing to do, but do it you must. In the town I live in, I think I have hunted almost every house on Main street at one time or another. One time, I asked for permission and another property owner came out and said, Hey why don't you try your luck on my property, then another and another. I went down a whole block and really only asked for permission from one person. I love this hobby.

One thing you must remember, it is always better to ask for permission, than to have to keep looking over your shoulder for the owner or even worse the Sheriff. Being taken to court for not asking for permission to hunt a site, would be no fun.

One time I was detecting a one room school house, when a state patrolman stopped to see what we had found, the farmer, who was farming his land, saw the patrolman and came over to tell him we had permission to hunt his land. We all had a good laugh, but after the patrolman left, I told the farmer how much I appreciated him taking the time to tell the state patrolman we had permission to hunt his property. I guess the three wrenches I returned to him that he had lost in the field must have helped some too, and my partner and I also had given him several Indian Head pennies over the years as a Thank You for letting us hunt his property. It always pays to give back some, good PR is a must in this hobby.

HH all, Ringfinder