Another visit back to the Civil War Camp

[smokeythecat]

It's getting tougher and tougher to find Civil War relics. These days, anything mentioned in the historical literature has been dug or is off limits, like a park. I have several Civil War sites, and we also find occasional items from homesites. These little guys are from the last 2 day's hunts. It was really windy yesterday, and I do not like the howling winter winds.

The first picture is charcoal dug from about a foot underground from a Civil War campfire, with a few pieces of CW beer bottle.

Two .52 Sharps bullets, one has the cast line on the base, the other does not, a watch winder, two cuff Eagle buttons, two iron underwear buttons, a brass grommet and grommet with stud.

Large nail and a couple smaller nails, camp lead and damaged minie ball.

Six percussion caps (a tough find), rain poncho grommets, and camp lead.

Tough diggings. The HF 9.5" elliptical coil (the little laser) scored these. For a hunted out camp, not too bad. BTW everything comes out deeply stained RED due to the high iron content soil. I found the easiest way to clean it put in hot hydrogen peroxide, only takes a couple minutes.

 

[dirtlooter]

very nice as usual. love the watch winder (just way cool) and finding those percussion caps was pretty darn good

 

[dfallis1]

That is amazing. That is one of the hardest sites I have ever hunted. You did very well. When someone says they have a iron infested site, They have no clue. HaHa

 

[Colonial78]

Nice Assortment of Finds!

 

[smokeythecat]

No, they have no clue until they hit the Virginia Red Ground! It's not holy ground, it's holy terror.

 

[DCMatt]

The grommet with stud is a broken knapsack hook.

 

[dfallis1]

The grommet with stud is a broken knapsack hook.

Good call

 

[smokeythecat]

DCmatt, you are right. I didn't think about that. We have some whole ones from there, a couple plates, over 100 buttons, but if you look at the physical size of what's coming out now, the bullets are BIG targets.

 

[Hawks88]

Nice variety of finds. I like the old watch key. Congrats

 

[smokeythecat]

Hawks88, that is only the third watch key I have ever found. It was barely 1/2" deep. It was just missed from 50 years of detecting.

 

[Inspector]

Nice assortment, congrats on the saves

 

[Possum]

Nice collections of finds Smokey, Congrats!!! "D"

 

[smokeythecat]

I have one more piece to photograph from this week's digs. An iron piece to a Union saddle. I think. I thought it was brass at first because it was so clean, but apparently it had been in a fire. It's in the other room. My couch and around the computer looks like a playpen with all the relics getting sorted.

 

[Possum]

I cant wait to see it Smokey and with all the great stuff you've been posting I can certainly visualize all your relics sorted through out your home… LOL, Just keep swinging, I always look forward to your newest set of finds!!! "D"

 

[smokeythecat]

Possum, I hate to admit it, but I really don't have a lot. If I dumped all the relics (with the exception of the late 17th pig iron I found a couple weeks ago), in a grocery store cloth bag I could carry it. That being said, buttons, coins and percussion caps don't weigh much. But wait! I forgot the minie balls! And the 6 pound solid shot. So...getting the lead out, I could carry everything in a grocery store cloth bag. I have about 300 minies I have dug over the last 8 years or so. Not a whole lot, since we have some Civil War Sites, but...enough to be heavy. I'm not counting American Indian Artifacts either. Oh, never mind. I still have quite a bit. It's all carefully labeled to site and put away, and you know what they say, out of sight out of mind. The GOOD stuff in a safety deposit box at the bank. It's a small sized box!

 

[smokeythecat]

Here's the IRON item, it's pretty big, about 2.5" long. I just wire brushed it with a brass bristled brush lightly, did nothing else to it.

 

[Yak1366]

Very nice finds, Congrats!!!

 

[Whyme]

Nice finds! I really like the winder key! Congrats!

 

[smokeythecat]

Whyme, I kid you not. It was 1/2" down, maybe. Miss it by an inch, miss it by a mile.

 

[Possum]

Possum, I hate to admit it, but I really don't have a lot. If I dumped all the relics (with the exception of the late 17th pig iron I found a couple weeks ago), in a grocery store cloth bag I could carry it. That being said, buttons, coins and percussion caps don't weigh much. But wait! I forgot the minie balls! And the 6 pound solid shot. So...getting the lead out, I could carry everything in a grocery store cloth bag. I have about 300 minies I have dug over the last 8 years or so. Not a whole lot, since we have some Civil War Sites, but...enough to be heavy. I'm not counting American Indian Artifacts either. Oh, never mind. I still have quite a bit. It's all carefully labeled to site and put away, and you know what they say, out of sight out of mind. The GOOD stuff in a safety deposit box at the bank. It's a small sized box!

Well all in all you may not feel as though you have that much, but what you have is very impressive and I love to hear VF when he talks about trying to keep up with you when y'all hunt!!! LOL What do you think the Iron object is? Some sort of hook or the end of a strap binder? "D"