Civil War Cavalry Brass (weekend Hunt)

metalev4 · Jul 27, 2015

Summer is always very busy, however I am always looking for an opportunity to dig, the last one coming 3 months ago. My birthday was last week and my wife decided we needed a family trip so we headed out to a small town near one of my digging sites. My 6 year old son Jackson and I spent a good part of Saturday exploring and stumbled into a small Cavalry firepit. The pit was loaded with nails and glass which is a good sign, however we usually find buttons, not bit bosses. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise to see some unique brass surface. The homemade Iron star was mixed in with the other finds. I would like to believe some Texas trooper made it for his hat or uniform, however we will never know. The spencer cartridge also came to light in perfect condition and is quite rare for this site. The next day my wife and daughter Savannah drove with us to the site for lunch and another bit boss surfaced in the very short time I spent scraping around. Never too early to pass the passion on to the next generation I suppose. Thanks for looking.

ekeisler · Jul 27, 2015

Looks like a great hunt!

relic nut · Jul 27, 2015

Awesome! Everything looks like it is in great shape. Had to be fun to share that with the kids. I'd definitely hit that spot hard.

digging440yrs · Jul 27, 2015

Awesome stuff :icon_thumright:

joeyfresh · Jul 27, 2015

Family vacation.......taking every opportunity to dig a fire pit[emoji3]. Great finds as usual Evan especially the star and whole Spencer. Looks like the little squirts enjoyed themselves too!

Erik in NJ · Jul 27, 2015

OK for us non-CW hunters, question: what are the tell-tale signs that you've stumbled onto a CW firepit? Can you tell by eye? I assume the bit boss is the US item as there are two but I don't know what a bit boss is really as I have never dug one. I have dug and open work bridle boss and I'm not sure I even know how that was used. What state are you digging in here? Texas? Thanks for any info.

thrifty76now · Jul 27, 2015

Wow, An entire Spencer Cartridge is a rare find indeed, The U.S. bits are also awesome Looks like those kids had a lot of fun also.Start e'm hunting too.

metalev4 · Jul 27, 2015

The bit bosses are decorative brass that adorn each side of the 1859 or 1863 Cavalry Bridle Bit. They had 2 brass rivets attaching them to the bit and for some reason they seem to fall off. The consistency of the dirt in a firepit is different due to the high ash content. Usually lighter and softer. I can tell more by feel than by sight. Also a firepit usually has some small pieces of charcoal, melted glass, and nails. Seems they burned crates which were made with lots of square nails.

Erik in NJ said:
OK for us non-CW hunters, question: what are the tell-tale signs that you've stumbled onto a CW firepit? Can you tell by eye? I assume the bit boss is the US item as there are two but I don't know what a bit boss is really as I have never dug one. I have dug and open work bridle boss and I'm not sure I even know how that was used. What state are you digging in here? Texas? Thanks for any info.

Erik in NJ · Jul 27, 2015

metalev4 said:
The bit bosses are decorative brass that adorn each side of the 1859 or 1863 Cavalry Bridle Bit. They had 2 brass rivets attaching them to the bit and for some reason they seem to fall off. The consistency of the dirt in a firepit is different due to the high ash content. Usually lighter and softer. I can tell more by feel than by sight. Also a firepit usually has some small pieces of charcoal, melted glass, and nails. Seems they burned crates which were made with lots of square nails.

Thanks for the reply. That's cool. Do you recover the square nails too? Or is that a low value target? I'm assuming this was a US Calvary camp in Texas??

sutphin · Jul 27, 2015

METAL EV THAT IS A NICE COLLECTION OF RELICS . THE BRIDLE BOSS AND THE STAR IS REALLY A NEAT FIND AND THE SPENCER ALSO. GOT YOU SOME FUTURE HUNTERS I SEE .

Jacobsdt · Jul 27, 2015

Those are some awesome finds.

Bill D. (VA) · Jul 27, 2015

Erik in NJ said:
OK for us non-CW hunters, question: what are the tell-tale signs that you've stumbled onto a CW firepit? Can you tell by eye? I assume the bit boss is the US item as there are two but I don't know what a bit boss is really as I have never dug one. I have dug and open work bridle boss and I'm not sure I even know how that was used. What state are you digging in here? Texas? Thanks for any info.

Erik - here's a pic of one of these US bosses mounted on a bridal bit. Might help you visualize how they were used.

Bill D. (VA) · Jul 27, 2015

Evan - I know you're used to digging a lot more in the way of quantity, but you traded that off for some great quality time with the kids. Can't believe how big they are! When you go back to that site next month I'm expecting a huge pile of relics.

VOL1266-X · Jul 28, 2015

Very nice hunt MTV4. Bit bosses are on my wish list and the star is a super find. WTG, Q.

metalev4 · Jul 28, 2015

Thanks for posting that picture Bill. Hopefully the remainder of the bit is in the firepit. I will dig the rest of it out next month. Thanks for all the nice comments, great to be digging again.
-Evan

Steve in PA · Jul 28, 2015

Evan. nice to get the family involved and have some success. I know you would have liked to find some glass, but you did well with the bit bosses and the star.