Can just the eagle crumble from a military button or is this a plain button?

[gberl001]

I found this button and I swore it had an eagle on it before I cleaned it, then it seemed there was less and less detail the more I cleaned it and now it appears completely illegible.

When I pulled it out of the ground I thought it was a coin so I tried to find a date and when I rubbed it I saw an eagle with dirt packed in the valleys of the design. From what I remember, it was an eagle facing left on the button (its head would've really been facing right from its perspective) and the wings were down (like an M shape).

In case it helps in identification it weighs about 4g (rounded) and rang in around penny range.

It's ruined now but I want to know so I don't do this again and also so I know there might be more military relics there.

 

[jeff of pa]

cleaning the dirt out of the Recesses of almost any dug button or coin
can cause detail to disappear.

As for Crumbling, I think you would know if it is a Hollow Button
& crumbles it will have a Hole or indent on it's face

 

[Builds.The.Fire]

The profile of it doesn't look right for a Civil War era US button. US buttons are made from pressed brass, so the details would be very hard to "crumble" away, without exposing the hollow interior.