Civil War?

[kimonswanson643]

Need help identifing a button and a bullet both are from civil war locations. The button has an eagle on the front and has words going around the shank on the back. It looks like a one peace but looks like it is two pieces the shank part and front part. The front part lays smoothly on the shank part. The bullet I don't know if it's civil war or not it looks like it has two rings but that is all I can tell. Please help

 

[Davers]

IMO You have a Flatten GS CW Eagle Button ,in either the cuff size or coat (hard to tell from the pics)
Same for the bullet (Hard to tell size from your pics, If it's small 44 cal or less ,likely modern ,IMO
but if larger 52 cal + it kinda looks like a fired Spencer but the "dished bottom is throwing me off.
I,m no expert -Im sure you will get the facts soon .

 

[duggap]

If that eagle is a one piece than it will be older than the civilwar by quite a bit. Take a close look at the groves in that bullet and see if you see any crimp marks in the grove. If you do than your bullet will be post war. That eagle button is a very nice find btw.

 

[civil_war22]

Eagle button almost looks post war maybe Indian wars period?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Davers is correct... your button is an 1854-through-1874 US Army "general service" (non-Officer) button which has been hammered flat. Supposedly, that was done to use it as a poker chip. We civil war relic-diggers have found hammered-flat eagle buttons in yankee campsites frequently enough that it seems quite probable that that's what they were used for. (Often, several have been found in one hole.) I can't think of any other reason to hammer a bunch of eagle buttons flat. Note, they are indeed hammered-flat, not merely crushed by being stepped-on.

About whether it is a "2-piece" button":
All of the books on civil war buttons say the button's loop is not counted as a piece. See the diagram below, showing 1-piece, 2-piece, and 3-piece buttons, from the Albert book. However, at least one group of Archeologists, at the United Kingdom Detector Finds Database (UKDFD) does count the loop in classifying button forms.

Unfortunately, your fired bullet is definitely a post-civil-war one.

 

[civil_war22]

Good call cannonball! I need to get my laptop working. Trying to get good detail on a iPhone is getting kinda old

 

[Frankyg]

British troops serving overseas often hammered uniform buttons flat because it made them look like silver coins which they would try to pass off to local tradesmen. It was a flogging offence, (Hammering the button that is, not ripping off the locals). Perhaps some US soldiers tried it as well.

 

[Dug]

The loop does not look hammered flat.

Looks like a brass face attached over an iron back.

I have never seen one of these before, so I am not going to be quick about judging whether it is period or post.

Certainly a unique button.