The Seven Days' Civil War Awesome Dig

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,684
40,651
Maryland
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10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
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Greetings! I am putting this in today's finds, as yesterday the guys that I have been going with and I just completed an exhausting dig around a house that burned in 1864 during one of the battles in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Dating the house to probably 1840-50, the Yanks were encamped around it and were surprised by the Confederates! Whoops! So we detected, then dug some, then detected then dug some, then, repeat, repeat. I can only go maybe four hours at a clip, so it took me 7 days (or about 28 hours) to detect the site. Every time we dug some, we'd come up with non metallic items also. Pic heavy, so this may take awhile. Go to the end of the "rant" as I posted my favorite pieces last.

The first day was almost a waste digging out big iron and aluminum can bits, but, after a couple hours of that, we started finding goodies.

IMG_2679.JPG Bits and pieces of china from the house were scattered across the plowed field, so they were eyeballed. Numerous kinds, from the CW period. IMG_2680.JPG IMG_2682.JPG This is blue and white spongewear and Leedsware "feather edge" ironstone china. Ironstone china was a 19th century invention.

IMG_2683.JPG IMG_2685.JPG I also got a few small pieces of redware. That all helped date the site.

Circling where the house was, the goodies started turning up with the detector. I am surprised the folks I was digging with missed them! IMG_2706.JPG IMG_2710.JPG Harmonica reed parts, various pieces of spoons and tableware and a "regulation" type folding spoon a soldier used during the war, and back piece to a pocket watch, the round thing. These (folding spoon sets) were purchased at various sutlers' shops.

IMG_2687.JPG IMG_2690.JPG IMG_2707.JPG Some iron equipment type buckles and pieces from a grate from (assumedly) the house.

IMG_2692.JPG Once we started getting the bigger pieces out of the way, we started finding a lot of flat buttons.

IMG_2709.JPG It was a surprise to dig this! Right next to the building was this trigger assembly to an Enfield rifle. Now, a few of these items have been shown previously, but I wanted to get everything together in one place.

IMG_2686.JPG From the home, not the battle, came some marbles and doll baby parts in porcelain. IMG_2695.JPG We only found a few pieces of pipe stem and part of a bowl. Those were scarce.

IMG_2693.JPG All around the area we would take a spell and just dig a hole and rake out what we found. We found a lot of porcelain buttons, a couple mother of pearl buttons, and some Goodyear rubber buttons. IMG_2696.JPG And some fancy buttons too! IMG_2694.JPG
And what would a Civil War site be without minie balls, they were few and far between. I did have numerous tiny pistol bullets and balls but no pic. IMG_2711.JPG IMG_2522.JPG This little glove button was a favorite.

IMG_2691.JPG We scratched out a little glass, but most of it was smashed so we discarded it.

IMG_2689.JPG After awhile I started detecting essentially in concentric circles getting farther and farther from the hilltop, it's a little hill, and to my shock found the straightened out butt plate to an Enfield rifle in brass. That made the earphone almost blow off my head!

IMG_2610.JPG This spout to a presumably Confederate canteen also was no slouch target.

IMG_2700.JPG Another pic of the little glove button and a destroyed hat pin, probably 6th corps.

IMG_2673.JPG One of my coolest finds, stamped brass pin about 1" tall, castle motif, believed to be non regulation Confederate engineer's hat pin. These were not regulation per se, but there was a small school in Virginia, the Westwood school that produced a button with a castle on it and it may have been from there. Best guess.

IMG_2656.JPG My best quality eagle button.

IMG_2697.JPG Thimbles, pins and bits and pieces.

IMG_2712.JPG My favorite, a man's wedding ring in brass, undoubtedly lost by a soldier during the battle.

IMG_2708.JPG Civil war buttons including a Block I Confederate, and eagles and some fancy buttons. I have to dig out the Virginia button and post it. I don't think I ever did!

IMG_2704.JPG And the coins from last week! IMG_2705.JPG
Little buggers were falling out of a hole and I said to myself "what are those white discs"? Yeah, really.
IMG_2671.JPG The only "good thing missing is the Virginia button from a few weeks ago. It's already in the safe deposit box. AND...the Virginia button. IMG_2713.JPG

Enjoy. BTW I just added the 4 silvers as one photo. They tumbled out of the same hole, same shovel. IMG_2719.JPG
 

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Fat

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Oct 22, 2020
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Nebraska panhandle/NE Colorado
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I took the battery out because I like my bacon crispy
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.....I forgot what I was going to say ..
... your mama was a groundhog and daddy was a porkypine...?

....when someone asks me, I say, “mama was a B**ch dog, daddy was a fence jumper.... I don’t care if you comb your hair, I don’t care if you don’t shower and smell bad as long as those pictures aren’t those old scratch and catch a whiff kind...
The best thing about making pics is everything else is the subject...imho
 

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cmthunder

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Mar 20, 2013
839
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Awesome bunch of finds Smokey.
Congrats
 

bologna321

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Aug 26, 2017
1,153
2,816
SW MO
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Great coins
 

lenmac65

Silver Member
Jul 28, 2009
2,619
8,077
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
3
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What a great assortment of saves. Nicely done...congrats!
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,684
40,651
Maryland
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10
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XP Deus II
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All Treasure Hunting
Great line for my obit, not that anyone would remember - "And she was great at finding white discs falling out of the ground." White discs indeed. I never found that many early silvers in a day before. I have found two small caches of silver coins, but nothing that old. The silvers were all found WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF EACH OTHER. These here white discs just fell out of the ground, next to the nickel disc thing...I forget to mention in the first post they were all found last Wednesday. I hadn't found any silver coins at the site until then. I'm giving one to each of my two digging buddies who didn't get any. Remember folks, its just stuff!

I would still like to find a US 2 cent piece, a pre 1800 silver US coin, a Massachusetts shilling, three pence or six pence and a pre 1840 US gold. Probably about the time pigs learn how to fly. Yeah, that will happen.
 

billb

Silver Member
Sep 23, 2010
4,573
10,147
New York
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Smokey congratulations on the seven day trip back in time ..Awesome recoveries
This collection to me merits a Banner Vote
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,684
40,651
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks all. There is still more there, but no machine known to God nor man will go more than 3" deep with nails literally sitting on top of nails, most of them burned. I also found another pack of the white buttons, so add 10 more to the list. I tried giving some to my digging buddies but they had enough already. We assume all or most of them were used by the homeowners, not soldiers.

I'll ask the coins, best eagle button, Virginia button and Engineer's hat pin to pose for a good pic in the am! I think they'll oblige me.
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,684
40,651
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I attached a "better" picture of the silvers together on the first post.
 

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