caltrop

[sonny60]

found this horse crippler yesterday in an area where the union army was retreating from John H. Morgan and his army. 4 inches deep and is called a caltrop.

 

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[kydave]

That's what it is! Great find and a rare one. Haven't heard of any being found around here.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Holy cripe ! I found one of those last summer and thought it was a big jack! :P What a dope I am. Thanks for the ID and pic!

 

[snake35]

What part of KY. did you find it in? I live part of the year in Louisa, KY. A area rich in Civil War history.

 

[mxtswinger]

Now that's a super neat find. Never heard of such a thing. Congrats!

 

[sonny60]

It was found in northern Ky.

 

[cavers5]

Excellent find! Congrats!

Cavers5

 

[AnOldPro]

Hmmmm.... a most unusual "Caltrop" for sure.... all the ones I found on the battlefields in Tennessee were VERY rusty, being made of iron. To what conditions do you attribute your Caltrop looking like it was just made

Not suspicious... just curious... never too old to learn.

AnOldPro

 

[sonny60]

Just like some coins we find. Go to one place and find a two cent piece and it will be hardly readable. Go to another spot a mile away and find another one and it will look like it was just dropped. Guess I just happened to find mine in that second spot.

 

[AnOldPro]

Well, thats certainly true with non-ferrous metal objects but it is my understanding that Civil War caltrops were only made of iron. While iron objects might be pretty well preserved with a dark brown color without a lot of rust occasionally in our various soils I have never seen iron come out of the ground that color.

What kind of metal is your "caltrop" made of?

Also... the points on it do not seem to be nearly as sharp as they should be for a caltrop.

DC

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

What do you think it is if its not a caltrop? Just curious.

KFB

 

[AnOldPro]

Actually, I owe sonny60 an apology and here it is...

What you found is DEFINITELY a Federal made and issued "official" Caltrop.

I did some additional research and discovered that the Federals did indeed coat their Caltrops with "White Metal" which was either tin or pewter and that they had blunt points rather than the sharp ones I found in Tennesse related to the battle of Franklin, TN.

My caltrops were sharp pointed and of iron only and.... were apparently of CONFEDERATE origin... not Union.

So, your caltrop is a fine example of plated iron and worth, on the retail market, as much as $125.00.

My hearty congratulations on a great and rare (for Kentucky) Civil War artifact!

DC

PS~ The theory behind the blunt vs. sharp points on the caltrops was apparently this:

The blunt point was designed to cause a "stone bruise" type injury without actually sticking in the horses hoof tissue. It would immediately slow the horse down but not necessarily stop him completely at that moment. This way the horse would be crippled for days and the caltrop would remain in the road to present the same threat to the horses following. The sharp pointed caltrops would stick in the horses hoof and force the horse to stop immediately and the rider would have to dismount and extract the caltrop from the hoof. While it took the horse and rider out of immediate pursuit that particular caltrop would not pose any threat to the other horses and riders following.

 

[ivan salis]

sharp caltrops ( looks like two rather large size nails "twisted" together with sharp on all ends) was much more common being it was duel use ---it could be used to help stop human attackers as well as horses put in front of a artillery gun or on a battlefeild in front of trenches -- it would got thru a boot sole or into a hoof disabling a charging man or beast making the man / or dismounted rider a easier target and slowing their advance -- if you were looking down to avoid them --you couldn't see who was shooting at you thus you had to look up as you charged to return fire and would charge forward risking "blindly" stepping on one -- also if there was a spot of cover that you didn't want enemy folks to use for cover as they charged you -- you could seed the spot with them -- anyone diving for cover at the "spot" got a very nasty surprize indeed --- the blunt type was used to stop massed horse troops from chasing after you during a "retreat"--- they were more costly to make (used more metal) and thus rarer than the simpler nail type-- the confederates mainly used the nail type (cheaper and easier to make) -- the union used both types -- that one looks a union made one.

 

[sonny60]

To Anoldpro: An apology is not necessary but it is appreciated. I want to thank you for the additional info from your research. It has made me appreciate my find even more. Because of your info it is now one of my top CW finds.

 

[allen]

id never heard of or saw one of those until now !!
a truly cool civil war relic !!

 

[deldave]

Howdy, I think I have found something identical to your caltrop. I found this md in sussex co., delaware at around 3-4". The thing is, mine is all non-magnetic alloy of some kind. Check out these pics

 

[creskol]

Not a caltrop. May I direct you to this post: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/229506-trying-find-out-what.html