Can you find Civil War relics without a metal detector?

[Robdar]

Hi everyone first post here.
I've never done any treasure hunting, but I'm a huge history fan and was
wondering how far Civil War artifacts are usually embedded in the ground.
I hear about people finding minie balls accidentally after heavy rains so if I look up some
encampments that haven't been picked over yet do you guys think there
would be cartridges,buttons, etc near or at the surface?
Are my chances much better than people who randomly come across stuff?
Anyone know of some good places to look in the Carolinas?

I'm not looking for anything spectacular and I plan to visit some battlefields soon anyway.
My area probably has better Revolutionary War finds (I live pretty close to Cowpens and a town over from Kings Mountain.)
But I would assume you need equipment (or insane luck) to find Rev period artifacts?
Could anyone recommend a site that has info on Civil War encampments in NC/SC?
I couldn't really find anything.

I know a lot of this comes down to research and luck, I'm just
ignorant of how you guys actually go about finding stuff. Thanks!

 

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[ivan salis]

well clearly a metal detector would assist greatly * but eyeball finds can sometimes be had in areas where theres a lot of rain and a fair bit "shallow stuff" still --hard to find a place like that these days that has not been hit (honestly) you are right however research is the key to finding great spots (a bit of luck once the "general" area is found never hurts though.)-- look near water source areas is a clue I would give .

always check the areas local laws --in many places its illegal to hunt battle sites.

 

[Robdar]

well clearly a metal detector would assist greatly * but eyeball finds can sometimes be had in areas where theres a lot of rain and a fair bit "shallow stuff" still --hard to find a place like that these days that has not been hit (honestly) you are right however research is the key to finding great spots (a bit of luck once the "general" area is found never hurts though.)-- look near water source areas is a clue I would give .

always check the areas local laws --in many places its illegal to hunt battle sites.

Thanks for the reply Ivan, yeah looking near water sources makes sense. I found a guy who will let me borrow his detector!

mycivilwar.com has a huge archive of CW battles down to tiny skirmishes of like 10 guys. Still, I can't find any within a couple hours of where I live so unless I can find some marching routes near here in a CW atlas, i'll just have to hit some Rev War spots...

 

[vayank54]

Welcome to Tnet.
Any plowed fields with a creek or river near them would be a good place to try. Even if you don't find any civil war relics there is a chance of finding arrowheads or an old house site.
Good luck

 

[rebelfirefighter07]

North Carolina has a good bit of Civil War sites. One being the Battale of Bentonville. I'd suggest find the Official Records of the war online and start searching for random places. You'd be surprised what you will find. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/search/search_OR.cfm Just type in the names of towns, communities, creeks, anything local and search. I'd also say to look into Thomas' Cherokee Legion. They were very active in North Carolina and east Tennessee.

Relics can still be found by eyeballing. A couple years ago I found a civil war era medicine bottle barely poking outta the ground on an old road bed about half a mile from a river crossing. Just last night I found a confederate buckle sticking out of the side of a creek bank about a foot down.

 

[21stTNCav]

North Carolina has a good bit of Civil War sites. One being the Battale of Bentonville. I'd suggest find the Official Records of the war online and start searching for random places. You'd be surprised what you will find. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/search/search_OR.cfm Just type in the names of towns, communities, creeks, anything local and search. I'd also say to look into Thomas' Cherokee Legion. They were very active in North Carolina and east Tennessee.

Relics can still be found by eyeballing. A couple years ago I found a civil war era medicine bottle barely poking outta the ground on an old road bed about half a mile from a river crossing. Just last night I found a confederate buckle sticking out of the side of a creek bank about a foot down.

NO WAY!!!! You luck dog you! Congrats. I hope you are going out looking again soon. With luck like that you need to exploit it while ya got it. Make sure to buy lottery tickets this week!!

 

[Robdar]

North Carolina has a good bit of Civil War sites. One being the Battale of Bentonville. I'd suggest find the Official Records of the war online and start searching for random places. You'd be surprised what you will find. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/search/search_OR.cfm Just type in the names of towns, communities, creeks, anything local and search. I'd also say to look into Thomas' Cherokee Legion. They were very active in North Carolina and east Tennessee.

Relics can still be found by eyeballing. A couple years ago I found a civil war era medicine bottle barely poking outta the ground on an old road bed about half a mile from a river crossing. Just last night I found a confederate buckle sticking out of the side of a creek bank about a foot down.

Thanks for the site man. I didn't think about college library databases... nice thinking! And congrats on the buckle that must've been awesome!
In my immediate area i've only come across Revolutionary War sites that are protected by historical societies and the like... (Ramsour's Mill, Cowpens, King's Mountain) I've read that Cherryville (approx. an hour west of Charlotte) was the terminus of a railroad during the Civil War and Confederates came through the area for supplies occasionally. Anyone know if it being the terminus would have any significance related to relic hunting? Right now i'm just researching for old campsites or trails near here but haven't really found anything that's not a parking lot now lol.

 

[21stTNCav]

North Carolina has a good bit of Civil War sites. One being the Battale of Bentonville. I'd suggest find the Official Records of the war online and start searching for random places. You'd be surprised what you will find. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/search/search_OR.cfm Just type in the names of towns, communities, creeks, anything local and search. I'd also say to look into Thomas' Cherokee Legion. They were very active in North Carolina and east Tennessee.

Relics can still be found by eyeballing. A couple years ago I found a civil war era medicine bottle barely poking outta the ground on an old road bed about half a mile from a river crossing. Just last night I found a confederate buckle sticking out of the side of a creek bank about a foot down.

Thanks for the site man. I didn't think about college library databases... nice thinking! And congrats on the buckle that must've been awesome!
In my immediate area i've only come across Revolutionary War sites that are protected by historical societies and the like... (Ramsour's Mill, Cowpens, King's Mountain) I've read that Cherryville (approx. an hour west of Charlotte) was the terminus of a railroad during the Civil War and Confederates came through the area for supplies occasionally. Anyone know if it being the terminus would have any significance related to relic hunting? Right now i'm just researching for old campsites or trails near here but haven't really found anything that's not a parking lot now lol.

A terminus means lots of loadong and unloading and this means stuff gets dropped, lot's of stuff.

 

[rebelfirefighter07]

Thanks, I'm still on cloud 9 over finding that buckle.

 

[Tnmountains]

I find 3 ringers a lot on the river banks in the south. Eye ball finds. In this spot I found 4. Went back with a detector and found nothing else

 

[Bradley137]

I once found a firing range where the bullets were just laying on top of the ground. You could just bend over and pick them up. Never did understand why.

 

[hanoverdigger]

I used to play golf at the Bermuda Golf Course in Chesterfield Co. It's now loaded with new houses. I have found button backs, 1 bullet, a knapsack hook and some arrowhead flakes on top of the ground. But a metal detector would be the answer.

 

[shanegalang]

Hi everyone first post here.
I've never done any treasure hunting, but I'm a huge history fan and was
wondering how far Civil War artifacts are usually embedded in the ground.
I hear about people finding minie balls accidentally after heavy rains so if I look up some
encampments that haven't been picked over yet do you guys think there
would be cartridges,buttons, etc near or at the surface?
Are my chances much better than people who randomly come across stuff?
Anyone know of some good places to look in the Carolinas?

I'm not looking for anything spectacular and I plan to visit some battlefields soon anyway.
My area probably has better Revolutionary War finds (I live pretty close to Cowpens and a town over from Kings Mountain.)
But I would assume you need equipment (or insane luck) to find Rev period artifacts?
Could anyone recommend a site that has info on Civil War encampments in NC/SC?
I couldn't really find anything.

I know a lot of this comes down to research and luck, I'm just
--deleted-- of how you guys actually go about finding stuff. Thanks!

Here in Louisiana it is very possible to find a bullet on the top of a sugar cane field row. Also old clay marbles.