"Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

Tnrelicman

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"Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

This story started on 9-10-10, when me and my digging partner treasurehound aka Randy decided to hit our CW campsite, it was agreed to meet at 8am in the usual location. During the wee hours of the night, I told my girlfriend, tommorow is the day, 10-10-10, thats going to be my lucky day!! The morning started off with a first, I beat Randy to our meeting spot, and let me tell you...thats not easy to do, not to say he was late, I was just early :-). When we arrived at our spot, we both went our seperate ways, game plans in our heads, after an hour of no luck, I moved to a lacation that we havn't hit very much, and got a good bullet signal, out popped the first 3 ringer of the day, and in a matter of seconds the 2nd was on its way out, and not to shocking with this area, both where in the same hole, as I scanned the adjoining area for more signals, I got one that I couldve picked up 2 foot away, it was screaming, even my sunray probe could smell this thing a mile away, I put the shovel to use, and at about 3 inches I saw it, My first cannon ball, staring back at me, it was perfect...perfect size, perfect shape, even the perfect color, so began.....the Happy dance, after taking my first picture of my cannon ball half way out of the hole, I gingerly moved my shovel in position to lift my prize from its grave, and then it happened, my cannon ball quickly turned into what appeared to be some sort of hub cap looking thing, how could this be? just a minute ago it was perfect, and in the blink of an eye, it all changed, maybe it was just me, but in that very instant, I think even the trees where laughing at me, well in short.....Happy dance over!!! There was one thing strange about this hub cap/cannon ball, it had a electrical wire tied to it, and the wire was burried underneath it, I dug down about 2 foot, and never found the end to this wire, so was it attached to a
secret stash of silver coins, I guess I won't know, I was so distraut over my cannon ball loss, I gave up to easy.
After my shame, I walked over and met Randy, we showed each other our finds and went our seperate ways again, I worked my way to another area we havn't hit to hard, my first signal was another loud one, not expecting much, i put the shovel in and lifted up, and thats when I saw it, or was my eyes playing tricks on me again, it was the rear end of a Bayonet, and there was no way it could be anything else this time, my first thought was to go get Randy, I wanted him to experience this with me, on the way back he guessed what it was lol, and when I pulled it out of the ground I think we both where in awe, this is by far my best find to date, a short distance away I found 3 more bullets, which is typical with this site, everything is close together. So after so much emotion on my hubcap/cannon ball, I finally got my happy dance, not only was it on 10-10-10, but my first picture taken was at 1039am, and that was after I went to get Randy, the night before I told my girlfriend i would find something at 10:10, on 10-10-10, I wish so much I would have taken a picture the seconld I unearthed it, It had to be close to that time.

After some research I have determined my Bayonet to be a CSA Enfield, here is a link to one exactly like mine but without markings, that I can find anyway...without cleaning it to much.
http://www.civilwarpreservations.com/catdet.asp?TargetItem=BR477&CategoryType=bayonets
 

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Upvote 0
Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

4-H said:
:hello2:

That's no hubcap Guy. Go follow that wire to the gold coins they used to pay the soldiers with :D

What can I say? Amazing find! I have yet to even find a fragment of one. I'm happy for you buddy.
Can you imagine the other stuff there waiting for you?
Historic Banner find!
I'm voting now.
Congrats again buddy

Mike

Thanks for the post and call Mike, I'm still shocked to have dug that thing, and Hunter about lost his lunch when I drug it out lol
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

I wish all our hunts ended like that one Randy, thanks for the vote, I guess we have a goal to top before year end!!!!
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

Guy, you must be optimistic to hunt CW Relics in this time period in Tennessee. See, you went from sad to glad sfter finding that great relic and now you and Randy have a good start on getting into the poultry business. WTG and I have never found a whole bayonet, Quindy.
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

What the hell are you thinking !!!!!!! Someone put that big ass target in the ground to hide something. You yourself said your detector went nuts when you got near it. Pix, shovel, backhoe ,what ever. Someone put that huge target on top of that hole for later retrieval . If it was in the 1950s that area could have been a gang hang out. mob dudes bank robbers on the lamb. You gotta uncover whatever is at the end of that line. Just my humble thoughts . Now that you have read this I hope you can not sleep till you go back and finish the great find . congrats on the bayonet. ROB :coffee2:
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

U have to go back and find out what at the end.
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

Nice find!! :icon_thumright:
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

Thanks everyone!!! I'm going to dig that hole out tommorow and we will see lol.
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

I've been looking for a beauty like that for a good many years now. Congrats on such a stellar find. :hello2:
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

I would only caution... we all are thinking the same thing- treasure. But be careful when you dig it out and dont do it by yourself. The other end could have something more sinister someone wanted buried. Not saying its a body, drugs or anything but.. what if? And someone with a gun could be keeping an eye on that site. Be careful and lets hope its a stash!!
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-)

Sweet find on the bayonet. :icon_thumright: I don't think i could have left without digging out that wire, with my bare hands if need be. :laughing9:
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-) Enfield Bayonet

sweet score, go get the stash.. if it is a large one do not forget about the peole that egged u on ::) MR TUFF
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-) Enfield Bayonet

I believe the hubcap thingy appears to be a shot hole cover from a seismograph hole shot. Normally the wire and cap are shot out of the hole
with the blast, and is collected after the shot. It could have been a "dud" hole, and I've heard scary stories about some of the safety practices
back in the days, and dynamite and wire being left down in the holes. Now, I could be wrong and that is a chicken feeder with a wire attached, but I would
suggest if you go back to dig it up, and your watch is run by a battery... leave it in the car.
I really hope it's a bucket of gold on the end of a wire!!
Slab
 

Re: Happy dance turned not so happy, but happy ending :-) Enfield Bayonet

:icon_scratch: :thumbsup: Wow!...nice but, aren't you still wondering about that "HubCap" with the wire attached to it?
I'd like to find out what is connected to the other end of the wire.
May have been something at the end that you should really been dancing about.
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

After researching in some detail, I have determinded this to be a CSA Enfield Bayonet, I havn't been able to find any detail markings, but I don't want to clean the metal off of it to check, any suggestions on cleaning? and Im going to get to that hole and re-dig tommorow weather permiting.


http://www.civilwarpreservations.com/catdet.asp?TargetItem=BR477&CategoryType=bayonets
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

Nice looking Bayonet. I have only seen one dug and I passed over it many times in a junky area.
Great recovery and story.
HH
TnMtns
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

I made up the word "zeer". Zeer is the very moment you find out everything is not as good as you thought it was just a second ago. Very nice bayonet! Congrats!!!!
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

Just wanted to give an update on the undug wire, I went back today with a bigger shovel, and started digging, at about 3 foot I ran into a drilled rock core, basically what you get when you drill into solid rock to set chargers I'm assuming, even though i wasn't sure, it wasn't worth my shovel comming into any contact with any kind of Explosive, my best guess is that wire is connected to a "DUD" charge of some sort, so it will have to remain a mystery, I love my hobby, and sure don't want to end up ending it that way. Thanks for all the posts everyone.
Guy
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

Well you had a let down on the cannon ball but I think you made up for it. :icon_thumright:
 

Re: "Update" CS Enfield Bayonet Happy dance turned not so happy but happy ending

That is a heck of a find Guy, really neat piece of history, and if you think about it the blast cap/shield thing is cool to, I know it's not cannon ball cool but still neat. Also don't mean to sound paranoid here but do you think you should report the dynamite? or set it off? I maybe off here but my understanding is that as dynamite ages it becomes really unstable, actually sweats Nitro! and I have heard that it sometimes just goes bang for no real reason, or very little reason. I keep having this image in my head of some hunter standing on or near that spot and shooting something and BAM! probably farfetched but still.....! HH and good luck to you.

Chuck.
 

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