Water hunting-Rev War case shot, pewter button and buckle

DownNDirty

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Jun 1, 2015
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South Carolina
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Minelab Equinox 800
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All Treasure Hunting
Last weekend I decided to take a break from the heat and cool off in a creek where I have had success before. It runs through the site of a colonial plantation with Revolutionary War history. In the past I have hit the exposed hard pan (bedrock) areas pretty hard and for the most part passed over depressions that had filled in with sand. Saturday I worked some of those spots and found some eroded "bowls" in the hard pan under the sand, that act as catch basins for heavier objects like gravel and metals.

I was working one of the bowls with the pinpointer and I found a solid cast iron ball that looked to me like case shot or grape shot that is sometimes found at Civil War sites

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After spending more time at that spot and finding only trash I decided to leave the creek and head to another one to sift for shark teeth. While taking a lunch break I decided to go back to the creek and try to find another shot or two, which turned out to be a great decision. As I fanned away the sand and detected other catch basins I found another shot, then another and another-for a total of fourteen from an area about fifteen feet in diameter.

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Thanks to an id and some very useful information from TheCannonballGuy I learned that what I found was quilted grapeshot from the Revolutionary War. They would have been stacked around an iron shaft with a disk on the bottom, wrapped in canvas and secured with a wire mesh. A charge would be loaded in a cannon, along with the grapeshot projectile and fired. The shot would spray out in all directions similar to a shotgun shell and cut down anything in their path-sounds like a very nasty but effective weapon to me!

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In between grapeshot finds the AT Pro and Propointer helped me locate a few 18th century civilian relics, like this pewter knee buckle frame. Other than the one dent it is in exceptional condition for a pewter artifact, thanks to it being submerged in freshwater for over 200 years. Notice the makers' mark on the back side.

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This civilian pewter coat-sized button was a welcome find and is also in superb condition. It has an intact molded shank, which I believe dates it to the first half of the 18th century.

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This small brass relic is a head-scratcher. :icon_scratch: I found one very similar to it last year at the same site (see the pictures below), and I was thinking that it was the frame of a wax seal. I'm not so sure now; could they be chess pieces? The one I found last year looks like a pawn and the other one could possibly be a rook.

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A dropped .69 caliber round ball, pieces of an iron pot, a strap hinge and a pottery shard were the other keepers for the day

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What a pleasant break from hot fields and poison oak-laden, overgrown woods-and the results were so much better. I couldn't have asked for a better day & look forward to getting back to the creek.
 

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WOW! Amazing finds! Anything Revolutionary War is SO cool to me. I would go crazy if I found even ONE of those grapeshot pieces. The buckle and button are really cool too!
 

Man that is so cool! I would love to find some of those grapes!
 

Great dig Glenn. Amazing what that water holds. Bet you're right there probably are more relics waiting on you.

Yeah I know, Allen-grapeshot, buckles, coins, snakes, alligators...
 

Glad to see the complete post Glenn, quite an impressive group, never would have guessed when you texted me the first ball. Buckle is spectacular... BANNER for the intact case shot. Hopefully a return trip soon

I'm glad I read your reply Jon. I'd forgotten to actually submit my banner vote (I'm easily distracted). It's now placed, and I hope others see the rarity of digging this many "grapes" to a case shot.

I'd say it's almost the entire case shot.

Banner!
 

Well done in the recovery of the shot, and the brass guides. The buckle is in amazing shape as well, killer hunt you had. Best of luck on the return hunt, hope your able to pull up some of the same quality finds.
 

Nice grape shot and hunt. I used to use electrolysis on them but found that apple cider vinegar does great and will show the seams on them. I have found several piles but never the base and was not aware it was a Revolutionary war item as well. That Cannonball guy sure knows his stuff!
Great hunt!
 

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I'm glad I read your reply Jon. I'd forgotten to actually submit my banner vote (I'm easily distracted). It's now placed, and I hope others see the rarity of digging this many "grapes" to a case shot.

I'd say it's almost the entire case shot.

Banner!

Thanks Steve. I'm heading back there Saturday and I believe I will find more of them, and hopefully the shaft and base will turn up.
 

Nice grape shot and hunt. I used to use electrolysis on them but found that apple cider vinegar does great and will show the seams on them. I have found several piles but never the base and was not aware it was a Revolutionary wire item as well. That Cannonball guy sure knows his stuff!
Great hunt!

Thanks Tn. I did soak them in apple cider vinegar for about an hour and wire brushed them; it did help in the cleanup.
 

Well done in the recovery of the shot, and the brass guides. The buckle is in amazing shape as well, killer hunt you had. Best of luck on the return hunt, hope your able to pull up some of the same quality finds.

I appreciate it pj, I'll do my best.
 

Yeah I know, Allen-grapeshot, buckles, coins, snakes, alligators...

Yeah but Glenn you're on a first name basis with that gator that came up the creek during tropical storm high water last year and I bet the mosquitos and ticks are more of a problem than the snakes. Remember to stop at that Burger King it always seems to bring you luck but not if you can't actually get waited on. Good luck Saturday.
 

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