Post Your Favorite Military Find!!!

[romeo-1]

Inspired by IronPatch...no brainer for me. This should be a good thread if everyone who has ever dug military participates...post em up!

1790-1815 Royal Artillery Sword Cross Belt Plate

 

[birdman]

Love this stuff!

 

[Brian W]

Looks to be an early military button.
One piece convex.

 

[Hardy]

HERES MINE , 6TH REG OF FOOT THAT WAS STATIONED A LOWER FORT GARRY IN 1845

 

[Brian in MA]

First off, I think the "Post your Best xxxxx" series was a great idea. I have just recently found them and have been having a great time browsing all of the 'Best' categories.

My contribution to the 'Favorite Military Find' forum may not be old, and not what you would expect to find on this particular thread. But, this item is truly my favorite found military item. I had posted this back in March in "The Barracks" forum. In that post I told the story of a WWII ID bracelet that I found 20 years ago and just recently was able to return it to the now 87 year-old soldier who it belonged to. Here is a link to that post: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,223116.0.html

I can't describe the feeling of honor and satisfaction in talking to this man and hearing him recount the days when he was in the military and of him fondly describing the bracelet.

So, someday I may find a cool military plate, or gun part to add here. But, even then, this will mostly likely remain my Favorite Military find.

Thanks for reading...

Brian in MA

 

[jdsarasin8194]

Brain, what abouts are you in MA?
I'm in MA also

 

[Brian in MA]

I'm in Wayland. About 20 miles west of Boston. I mostly hunt the metro-west Boston area.

Brian

 

[jdsarasin8194]

I'm in Wayland. About 20 miles west of Boston. I mostly hunt the metro-west Boston area.

Brian

Is that near Wobern? Thats where my brother lives

 

[Brian in MA]

Woburn is about 15 miles north of me....

 

[jdsarasin8194]

Woburn is about 15 miles north of me....

Oh, I'm in northern central MA

 

[niffler]

I found the War of 1812 militia artillery officers sword belt plate in southern New York...the Finger Lakes area, Chemung county, at a cellar hole in the woods in 1998, along with a 1817 large cent and lots of flat buttons. I found the destroyed US buckle along the Oregon Trail in Soda Springs, Idaho...near Camp Connor, a civil war era military camp, also lots of minnie balls and eagle buttons...still has part of the leather belt because of the desert conditions! Everything found on private property with permission. Thanks for looking...Foiledagain

 

[bookfisher]

I found this Common Militia Waist Belt Plate back in November, 2006. It's on page six of the banner.

 

[Iron Patch]

I found this Common Militia Waist Belt Plate back in November, 2006.

I think we should wash your mouth out with Some Colonial soap after calling a find like that common.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

I found this when I started the restoration on my 1770s house. I was digging the cellar in preparation for a slab to be pored when I turned this over in a clod of dirt. I ended up finding all the brass from a knapsack and a few of the metal contents. Since it was in my house,, that just makes it a great find to me.

MonkeyBoy

 

[bearbqd]

Monkeyboy, that is sooo awesome. I would love to find somethin that personal. Is it from the civil war or older? Have you been able to track him down in any records?

 

[MonkeyBoy]

Monkeyboy, that is sooo awesome. I would love to find somethin that personal. Is it from the civil war or older? Have you been able to track him down in any records?

Yes, it is Civil War and I was able to get the history of the man.. he lived through the war... settled back up in New England and lived until the 1890s if I remember correctly.. this is framed and hanging on the wallinmy house along with a bunch of other items I found when I gutted the house... they were camped in my town in the winter of 1862.. so I guess they stayed in any warm spot they could find!!

MB

 

[romeo-1]

I found this when I started the restoration on my 1770s house. I was digging the cellar in preparation for a slab to be pored when I turned this over in a clod of dirt. I ended up finding all the brass from a knapsack and a few of the metal contents. Since it was in my house,, that just makes it a great find to me.

MonkeyBoy

What is it?

 

[MonkeyBoy]

I found this when I started the restoration on my 1770s house. I was digging the cellar in preparation for a slab to be pored when I turned this over in a clod of dirt. I ended up finding all the brass from a knapsack and a few of the metal contents. Since it was in my house,, that just makes it a great find to me.

MonkeyBoy

What is it?

Sorry! It is a stencil with a soldier's name and unit.. used to mark his gear.

MB

 

[birdman]

Extremely cool find! Military history is by far my favorite.

 

[MSRelic]

On May 2 1863, the day after the Confederates were defeated at the battle of Port Gibson, the Confederate Mississippi River battery at Grand Gulf fell into the hands of the Army of the Tennessee under Ulysses Grant . Grant had begun his campaign to take Vicksburg which lies 25 miles north.

I found this button on a bluff just south of Grand Gulf. On the internet I found the emblem to be the State seal of Wisconsin. I recently purchased "98 Days" by Warren Grabau, a book which details Grant's Vicksburg campaign. In it I found a passage that stated Grant dispatched 4 regiments from General Lauman's corps (which were then stationed in Memphis) to garrison Grand Gulf. One regiment was from Wisconsin, the 12th Wisconsin Volunteer infantry. I found a website dedicated to the 12th Wisconsin. On the website are letters and diaries from men in the regiment. The following is an excerpt from a letter sent by Sergeant Frank H. Putny to his father.

Letter of
Sergeant Frank H. Putney, Company G.

Grand Gulf, Mississippi May 22nd, 1863

When we were ordered here we came with the full expectation of marching to the front, and taking a hand in the big game being played before Vicksburg. But as it to confirm our previous experience, after waiting here two days, orders came for our Brig. to remain as a garrison to the place. We are camped on the bluff south of the old rebel fortifications in a very cool, airy, place, the best we have had in months, and are well content to stay.

 

[fyrffytr1]

While this badge is not military in itself, the story behind it makes it my most favorite find since I started detecting 35 years ago.
It is a Fireman's badge from the fire engine "Spiggot" in Methuen, Mass. The Spiggot was in service from 1842-1871.
It belonged to a member of the 4th Mass. Heavy Artillery. He was captured at Spotsylvania in May, 1864 and sent to Andersonville prison where he died in July of the same year. I found it about 20 miles from the prison at an old home site. There were prison Guards that lived in the area.
I believe the guard may have taken it from him or maybe he traded it for food.