VOL1266-X
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 5,589
- Reaction score
- 2,910
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Northern Middle Tennessee
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher 1266-X, F75 X 2
- Primary Interest:
- Relic Hunting
Hunting the Camp of the 72nd Ind. Inf., 74th Ind. Inf., & 105th Ohio Inf. Today
We owe this one to Tennessee Digger (Donnie). Between 20-25 years ago, he discovered a diary of a Union CW Soldier with the 72nd Indiana Infantry. This was Col. Wilder’s Regiment (Wilder’s Lightning Brigade was so named as it later became the first regiment to use the Spencer repeating rifles against the Confederates) and one Sgt. Later became the 24th Governor of Indiana. Donnie, his son, and a friend discovered the site and hunted the camp twice before losing permission because one of the landowners had a boss who hunted for relics. He told me that Dman and I should pursue getting permission and check it out. This camp was there for about 2 weeks beginning Dec. 14, 1862 and consisted of the 72nd and 74th Indiana infantry plus the 105th Ohio Infantry. The combined strength of these 3 regiments was over 2,900 men.
I contacted the landowners and we discovered that we had some mutual friends so we were in. I made a solo sortie (Dman still not 100% with his broken leg yet) to the farm on Jan. 31 but only found a big piece of melted lead on an adjoining farm where I had secured permission, a fired .44 cal. ball, and an 1890 “V” nickel. I was 100% convinced that Donnie’s information was accurate so I returned yesterday. This was not a virgin site as others had been allowed to hunt there. I backed off from the area where Donnie and crew had located relics figuring that nearly 3,000 men needed a very large area to camp in. Within 10 minutes of entering the 60 acre field, I dug a dropped bullet. My finds from that hunt are shown in the first pic. I dug my first halfway solid ration can and my 2nd Austrian-Lorenz Rifle tool (“Y”shaped tool). The brass buckle in the lower right appears to be Colonial period. I dug 20 bullets and left so Dman wouldn’t accuse me of being a “relic hog”-LOL. The majority of the dropped 3 ringers had been pulled and the tent lines could easily be determined by the bullet recoveries. I was surprised that the relics were only 5-6 inches deep.
We returned today and had a plesant cnversation with the landowner who graciously let us drive back into the farm with my 4x4 so Dman wouldn't need to walk so far. Our combined finds are shown in the 2nd pic. I had stashed some 5 gal. buckets for us to sit on as Dman still needs an occasional break. He said he got up, walked four steps, and dug a bullet. I told him that I purposely set the buckets near the bullets where he wouldn't need to walk too far-LOL. The last pic is Dman enjoying a snack break on his bucket seat and showing his relics. He dug a U.S. bayonet scabbard tip today and I dug one Friday. Not a double BB & Shane-but close. HH, Quindy.
My 2012 CW Relics YTD=105
We owe this one to Tennessee Digger (Donnie). Between 20-25 years ago, he discovered a diary of a Union CW Soldier with the 72nd Indiana Infantry. This was Col. Wilder’s Regiment (Wilder’s Lightning Brigade was so named as it later became the first regiment to use the Spencer repeating rifles against the Confederates) and one Sgt. Later became the 24th Governor of Indiana. Donnie, his son, and a friend discovered the site and hunted the camp twice before losing permission because one of the landowners had a boss who hunted for relics. He told me that Dman and I should pursue getting permission and check it out. This camp was there for about 2 weeks beginning Dec. 14, 1862 and consisted of the 72nd and 74th Indiana infantry plus the 105th Ohio Infantry. The combined strength of these 3 regiments was over 2,900 men.
I contacted the landowners and we discovered that we had some mutual friends so we were in. I made a solo sortie (Dman still not 100% with his broken leg yet) to the farm on Jan. 31 but only found a big piece of melted lead on an adjoining farm where I had secured permission, a fired .44 cal. ball, and an 1890 “V” nickel. I was 100% convinced that Donnie’s information was accurate so I returned yesterday. This was not a virgin site as others had been allowed to hunt there. I backed off from the area where Donnie and crew had located relics figuring that nearly 3,000 men needed a very large area to camp in. Within 10 minutes of entering the 60 acre field, I dug a dropped bullet. My finds from that hunt are shown in the first pic. I dug my first halfway solid ration can and my 2nd Austrian-Lorenz Rifle tool (“Y”shaped tool). The brass buckle in the lower right appears to be Colonial period. I dug 20 bullets and left so Dman wouldn’t accuse me of being a “relic hog”-LOL. The majority of the dropped 3 ringers had been pulled and the tent lines could easily be determined by the bullet recoveries. I was surprised that the relics were only 5-6 inches deep.
We returned today and had a plesant cnversation with the landowner who graciously let us drive back into the farm with my 4x4 so Dman wouldn't need to walk so far. Our combined finds are shown in the 2nd pic. I had stashed some 5 gal. buckets for us to sit on as Dman still needs an occasional break. He said he got up, walked four steps, and dug a bullet. I told him that I purposely set the buckets near the bullets where he wouldn't need to walk too far-LOL. The last pic is Dman enjoying a snack break on his bucket seat and showing his relics. He dug a U.S. bayonet scabbard tip today and I dug one Friday. Not a double BB & Shane-but close. HH, Quindy.
My 2012 CW Relics YTD=105
Amazon Forum Fav 👍
Attachments
Upvote
0
Lots 'o fine keepers there!! That site should keep you two busy for a while! 
Breezie
I hope we find something but just getting out with friends is priceless.
i'm no CW expert but this question always baffled me. I can see in battle yeah but at a camp 
