Saving History from Destruction

Hey everyone!  In my last post, I had gone out with Jim from Touch the Past to a camp site used by Union troops on their march through North Carolina at the end of the American Civil War.  What was once natural woods and open fields have succumbed to the steady march of "progress" to include strip malls and suburban neighborhoods.  We found a few bullets during a site survey at a large swath of development, bulldozed, graded, and ready for building.  With time limited before concrete and asphalt lock away those relics forever, we knew it was imperative to make a return trip as quickly as possible.

We spent two days this weekend hoping to save some more history, and managed to do quite well on bullets.  Day one yielded six 58 caliber Minie balls, conical bullets named for their French inventor, Claude-Etienne Minie.  Due to the earth movement at the site, one of these was found sitting directly on top of the ground!  I also recovered three Williams cleaner bullets, complete with the zinc base used to remove build up from the rifle barrel when fired.  I found one mangled round ball, several large pieces of melted lead (often referred to as "camp lead"), and two brass rivets.  The small brass wire in the same picture is part of a J hook, used on a knapsack.  It is broken in two places - the left is missing a button-like end, and the right is missing the remainder of the wire that would loop back around giving the "J" hook its name.

Day two at the site again proved to be good for bullets, yielding three more 58 caliber three-ring minies and three Williams cleaners along with some smaller camp lead.  I found a few post-war items of interest as well, pictured below.  The half-dollar sized token is an aluminum coupon for Palmolive soap, possibly from as late as the 1950's.  I noticed the top of the bottle sticking up from the ground, and carefully excavated it intact.  It reads "Syrup of Black Draught", a laxative produced since the late 1800's.  The button is iron backed, with an anchor in wreath design on the front.  Given where it was found I was really hoping for a Civil War era Federal Navy button, but it turned out to be a considerably more modern fashion button.

 

 

I had a great weekend getting out with Jim to save some history, and managed to have some of my best days ever with regard to bullets.  I do regret not finding this site before grading took place, as there is no telling how many more relics have been pushed and buried under feet of earth.  But on the other hand, I am proud to have saved a few more pieces of American history from being lost forever beneath the ever expanding concrete jungle.  And that, as they say, is what relic hunting is all about.

Three camps in three days

Hey everyone!  I got out this weekend to three different Civil War camps in as many days.  All three are associated with Sherman's march through North Carolina following their success at Bentonville, the surrender of the remaining Confederate forces, and the return home to the North.

The first camp I hunted on Friday with Jim from Touch the Past, and clearly illustrated the need for amateur historians like ourselves to save these relics before it is too late.  A large section of the camp had been developed into homes and strip malls long ago.  Now, stretching before us, was a large swath of cleared and graded land, slated for imminent development.  Once the concrete foundations and asphalt drives are put in place, those relics will never again see the light of day.  Even now, with the large amount of disturbance to the original topography, a great many relics have been destroyed by bulldozers or buried at unreachable depths under mountains of earth.  It was a sad sight.

We still managed to pull a few bullets from this area before moving on.  My take was one piece of camp lead and two Williams cleaner bullets.  We'll be back, but this was just meant to be a site survey and we had a second site to get to before the day was out.  Special thanks go out to Dan for turning us on to this site!!

Camp number two we discovered on January 6th, when a quick site survey turned up four shallow three-ring bullets, a large cent, and the base to a Williams cleaner bullet.  We returned to this site a second time on February 4th, and worked the site in a much slower and more methodical manner.  This yielded another four 58 caliber three ring bullets and two cleaners for me, and an equal number for Jim.  An interesting note - the cleaner top I found in February may well have come from the cleaner base I found in January!  We went back again on Friday, and really worked hard to find those small, deep signals.  Sure enough, we both pulled a pair of bullets again this time, all of them deeper.

I was also invited to detect another camp site yesterday by Glenn, Doug, and Mike from Woodland Detectors.  For the local detectorists, it's the infamous "Yankee Camp" discovered sometime last year, and pounded hard by a plethora of individuals (both invited by the original finders, as well as a few "claim jumpers", much to our chagrin).  It has yielded at least two plates in the past, along with dozens of buttons and hundreds of bullets.  Now it was hard work just to find a signal, but I did manage two 58 caliber three ring bullets that had been overlooked.  It was great to get together with the guys, and see Mike again for the first time since DIV.

So overall, it was a great weekend of relic hunting with new and old friends and a half dozen bullets thrown in for good measure.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed the story and pictures!

American Eagles and Civil War lead

Wow, I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post!  I finally have a working camera, so I'll try to get caught up on a few of my recent finds here.  In my last post I referred to an interesting buckle, which is shown here below.  It was found in an area of known Civil War activity, so I was initially pretty excited when a strong high-tone signal unearthed a large rectangular buckle.  I quickly realized it wasn't Civil War era, but it did turn out to be a unique piece of American history.  The design of this heavily silver plated belt buckle features an American eagle with shield, and scrolling banners which proclaim "Citizens Military Training Camp."

CMTC camps were operated in the period between two world wars, from 1921 to 1940.  The idea was to provide basic military training to male citizens, without the requirement of active duty service.  The month long summer camps were attended by an estimated 400,000 men during their two decade history, including Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan.  How this buckle ended up in a North Carolina farm field is anyone's guess, but it certainly is an interesting piece!

A later trip to that same area produced a different sort of military eagle - this thick convex one piece button.  I noticed when I recovered it that the heavy construction and well attached shank seemed different from the typical civilian buttons recovered at many early home sites.  It wasn't until I was cleaning my finds some days later that the eagle motif emerged.  Although heavily worn, this button is an early US artillery button, or "eagle A."  A contrast enhanced scan of the device makes the design easier to see, along with a much nicer example of what the button would look like without environmental damage.  A similar eagle was used on general service and infantry buttons, but the backmark tells us the branch of service in this case.  It was manufactured for a US artilleryman's uniform, but these early buttons were known to be pressed into service as late as the Civil War.  For you button collectors, it has Tice reference number AY199D19.

The final group of finds show the results of today's hunt with Jim from Silent Remnants.  We have been following the route of Union troops here in central North Carolina, and Jim's research brought us to an excellent patch of ground which has been largely undisturbed since Union soldiers left the area.  My bullet recoveries are shown below, including standard Union three ring bullets and two Williams cleaner bullets, both with and without the zinc base.  It was a surreal experience digging so many bullets in such a small area, and realizing that this was the exact spot in which they were dropped a century and a half ago.  And of course, what woods hunt would be complete without a healthy assortment of modern bullets and casings!

I may have more to say about this particular hunt in a future post - it really deserves a better treatment than space here allows.  Until then, I do hope you enjoyed reading and viewing some of my recent finds.  Thanks for looking, and God bless!

Unearthing the Weapons of War

I went along with Jim from Silent Remnants to perform a site survey in an area he has been researching, looking for relics from the Civil War.  The field we detected had been the site of a home since the early 1800's, and was along the route used by Northern troops as they marched through central North Carolina in 1865.  While we didn't find a large quantity of relics, we each had one quality find - the very weapons used to fight the American Civil War.

My weapon find is in the form of this heavily plow-damaged thick brass oval.  Because my camera is down (I'm waiting on a new one to arrive in the mail!), I've included scans of the piece, so I apologize for the poor quality images.  It may not look like much now, but this was once the central portion of a sword guard, likely used by a Union cavalryman or infantry officer.  The blade of the sword ran through the central rectangular hole, and the raised ring on the "bottom" of the piece (image on the right) attached to the sword handle.  Unfortunately it won't be possible to identify the make of the sword because so much of the brass is missing, but it does seem to resemble the Ames model 1840/1860 cavalry saber.  I have included a picture of an original M1860 cavalry saber, and a complete sword guard of this type in dug condition can be seen here.  Despite the fact that I only recovered a heavily damaged portion of the hilt, the rarity and importance of this relic are such that I'm thrilled to have found it in any condition.

Jim made his weapon recovery not far from where this sword was found, and they may have even been lost by the same soldier.  I count Jim's find among the very best I have ever personally watched come out of the ground - head over to Silent Remnant to check it out!

I apologize that I can't post pictures of my other recoveries until my new camera arrives.  These included two flat buttons (late 18th to early 19th century), horse tack buckles, a small brass bell, and several other pieces of miscellaneous brass, some of which I still haven't identified.  I found a large rectangular buckle which I initially thought was a sword belt plate, but quickly realized was post war upon removing it from the hole.  It's still a great find, and I will feature it as a separate blog post once my camera has arrived.  Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed reading, and God bless!

Civil War brass that I didn't know I had

I have posted in the past about identification of recovered relics, and particularly the use of detecting forums and the wealth of knowledge they provide.  Here is yet another example of why it's so important to take the time to understand what it is you're finding.  I recently posted a grouping of finds made at an old house site near Swepsonville, NC.  They included a pocket knife, two interesting buckles, and this unknown brass item.

I also posted these finds at several of my favorite detecting forums.  Two people at the TreasureSpot forum left comments about the unknown brass piece.  It was identified as the top hook from a bayonet scabbard!  The bayonet hung from a belt, sheathed within a leather scabbard with brass throat and drag.  Below is an example of an Enfield bayonet and scabbard from the Ridgeway Civil War Reference Archive.

 

The top hook which I dug connected the throat with a leather belt loop, known as a frog.  The following picture shows the bayonet scabbard, both with and without the attached leather frog.  I'm not at all surprised to find a Civil War era relic, like this bayonet scabbard hook, at the old house where I recovered it.  The Confederate retreat from Bentonville, and pursuing Union soldiers, passed very near to this spot at the end of the war in 1865. 

Without knowing this history or investigating this item, it could easily have been mistaken for a piece of farm trash or unidentifiable, miscellaneous brass.  For the novice relic hunters out there, it is always important to save unknown pieces of interest, because it could very well be an important discovery.  I hate to imagine my reaction to learning what this piece is once it had already been recycled!

1700's US Copper - another feather in my Liberty Cap

Hey everyone!  I got to out yesterday, once again following the trail of Union soldiers marching through central North Carolina in 1865.  It's important to remember, though, that many of the roads used during the Civil War existed well before hostilities, connecting the towns, mills, churches, schools, and plantations of the earliest North Carolina settlers.  Jim and I found ourselves at one of these "crossroads of history" yesterday, now nothing more than a plowed cotton field.  We were also joined by another local relic hunter, Mike, who happened to be driving past and saw us out in the field!  Like any good (obsessive, like myself) relic hunter, he had his machine with him, and we invited him to join in the search.

Jim found the only likely Civil War relics of the day - four (yes, four) brass boot toe plates.  This makes perfect sense to find along the road where a large column of troops marched.  While I didn't find any relics that can be directly related to the American Civil War, what I did recover made for an excellent day of detecting.  The first of these was a man's wedding ring, with no inscription, made of brass.  Being a brass ring, and found at that location, means it is likely quite old.  However, the continued use of this area for some 200+ years means it won't be possible to date with any accuracy.  Sadly, my digital camera died the other day, so I won't be able to post a picture of it until the camera is replaced.  But I can show you my other two nice finds using a flatbed scanner!

The best finds of the day for me were two US large cents.  Considering I only found three large cents in all of 2011, this was a good day for me to say the least!  The first one, shown above, is of the braided hair variety (1839-1857), and appears to be in decent shape below the surface damage.  I may attempt a peroxide bath to clean this coin in the future, and I'll certainly post the results if I do.  For you budding numismatists out there, DON'T clean your coins unless you're certain they hold little to no numismatic value.  Doing so will greatly reduce or destroy any associated value.

The other cent really got me excited though.  It's heavily worn, but even in the field I could see one small area of detail remaining.  I knew it would be enough to ID the coin, and I knew it didn't match up with a typical matron head penny, and was too large to be braided hair.  A comparison of the detail to known coins matches with the Liberty Cap large cent - a first for me, and my very first coin from the 1700's!!  WOOHOO!!  My dug coin is on the left, with a an excellent 1796 Liberty cap from PCGS coinfacts on the right for reference.  Notice the detail in the red circle on my coin, corresponding to the top of Liberty's hair.

The US first began minting their own coinage in 1792, beginning with the silver half disme (spelled with an "s").  In 1793 they introduced the first United States copper penny, known as a flowing hair large cent.  This very rare coin is comprised of two subtypes, the chain cent and wreath cent.  The design of the penny was highly criticized at the time, and changed to the liberty cap design later in 1793.  The coin shows Lady Liberty holding a cap on a pole, a symbol of freedom at the time.  The reverse of the coin features the classic laurel wreath and denomination.  The denomination, "One hundred for a dollar", was also originally stamped along the thick edge of the coin.  During 1795, President Washington reduced the overall weight of the coin.  The decreased thickness meant the edge lettering could no longer be included on most 1795 and all 1796 liberty cap cents.  In 1797, the design was again changed to the bust cent, meaning my coin dates somewhere between 1793 and 1796.  Based on the thickness of my coin (it is comparable to the matron head large cents I have previously dug) and lack of edge lettering (though they may have simply been worn off), I believe this coin is most likely a 1795-6 large cent  I will need to take an accurate weight measurement to confirm this.

It's amazing simply to hold a a coin minted during the Presidency of George Washington himself.  It's fascinating to think of the hands it passed through before being lost in in that field so many years ago.  I'm glad to have recovered it and to be able to share it with you here.  It is this connection to our history, in this particular case the history of our fledgeling nation establishing its place in the world, that drives the passion I have for detecting.  Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoyed reading!!

My oldest silver coin - I think?

Hey everyone!  I apologize for the slow down in posting for a bit.  There's a reason it's called relic "hunting" and not necessarily relic "finding".  I've been focused on locating a few specific sites recently, which still seem to elude me.  So for a change of pace I went back to my roots and searched an old home site near Swepsonville, NC.  The owner told me it had been detected many times in the past - and he was right.  There weren't nearly as many non-ferrous tones as I'd expected.

 My recent finds in that area included a cool old pocket knife, brass tack or belt buckle, and this unknown brass piece.  I also found a small brass thimble, which is because I gave it away before taking these photos!  I really like the round brass buckle on the right.  It's most likely a sash buckle, dating from the mid 1800's to early 1900's.  The center bar is braised on and very sturdy, though the outside ring is quite a bit thinner.

I also went out again yesterday to a section of old road that I've been investigating with Jim from Silent Remnants.  We were disappointed with the results at what we imagined to be a promising location, but I still managed to find this small silver disc.  I believe it to be a coin based on the size and shape, though it is very thin and all detail is worn smooth.  What is it with me and finding smooth coins lately?  The square hole is not uncommon in older coins, as they were sometimes holed to be sewn into clothing or tied together to avoid losing them.  As far as age, I believe this to be my oldest silver coin to date - and here's why.

Modern dimes measure 17.9 mm in diameter.  But this particular coin is 18.8 mm.  This matches the diameter of early US dimes, which were larger and slightly lower in silver content.  When the seated liberty design was introduced in 1837, the silver content was raised, which required a small size reduction to maintain the total silver content (and thus value) of the coin.  Based on the diameter, the location it was found, and the square hole I believe this coin to be either a draped bust (1796-1807) or capped bust (1809-1837) US dime.  Of course, foreign silver coins still circulated in the United States well into the 19th century, so we'll never know for sure.  The Spanish 1 Real silver coin, for example, was very common in circulation during our nations first century, and approximately the same size.