Missouri Relics

Dad and I dug these at a Marmaduke skirmish site. One was deep, the other was only a few inches from the top.

I was able to sneak away for a couple of hours late Sunday afternoon...very muddy and it got cold, but did manage to save a few.

Dad and I‘s finds for one day of hunting.

Dug in the campsite of the 32nd Iowa Infantry. A first for me.

Still loaded, at least we know why he threw it down.

Took the new detector Dad won out for a spin. I am happy with it. This came from one of Marmaduke‘s skirmish lines in 1863.

Hays revolver bullet found at one of Marmaduke‘s 1863 skirmish sites. I have only found a couple of these.

Half dime I found along an old road bed near Dover, Tennessee before the Fort Donelson Relic hunt.

This was our finds from the 2008 Fort Donelson Relic Hunt sponsored by John and Nikki Walsh. We had a lot a fun digging with friends. Dad won an MXT, and I won an Ace 150.

Part of a 32lb grape shot that busted on impact.

Drew‘s large 32lbr frag still in the ground, found at an 1864 battle site in Missouri.

Talk about a disappointment, have one of these staring at you in the ground. Dad thought he had a solid shot, but it was not be!

Hole goes all of the way through....:-(

Found in a yard that was used by Marmeduke‘s retreat. The other two yards beside it gave up some really great finds, this one did not.

Very small finds from our small guerrilla picket post.

Although not rare on the grander scheme of things, in our area, Merrill Carbine bullets are rarer than multi-ring Sharps. This was first for me, and I was happy to recover it.

Well after three and half years of hitting the ground hard, Dad found his first complete plate, and a pretty one too! This found in a yard right in town, and was the only Civil War relic in the yard! Congrats to Dad!

We dug some of these relics literally overlooking the Tennessee river on a high bluff. It was really beautiful. This is Dad and I‘s total for Saturday. Sunday we headed for Mississippi, stay tuned for those pics.

Up close view of some the finds on Saturday.

My buddy Brant found this great CS style bit in a small CS picket site near the Tennessee river.

We didn‘t set the world on fire, but did manage some nice three ringers. Dad dug a nice local token too!. He dug one, I dug ten....it was my turn. I love hunting in the snow.

Total of all relics found at a new guerilla campsite out in the middle of nowhere on a high ridge that was once a hide out for Sam Hildebrand, Bolin, and other notorious guerillas in our area. If only they could talk.

Close up of Eagle C and the flower button. I dug the eagle "C" and Dad dug the flower. We haven‘t cleaned the third button yet.

This isn‘t exactly a latest find, but it was found by Dad last November. I‘ve been meaning to put on the site for awhile, but just haven‘t. This was fired by Wefley‘s US battery.

Probably had a zinc paper time fuse adaptor.

Dad dug these two a couple of weeks ago, I dug a cuff as well, but mine pretty much exploded when it saw light of day. Some guys have all the luck!

One awesome trade axe dug by Dad with Butch Holcombe of American Digger Magazine. This is significant for this area, we do not usually find tools this old in our area.

You can see where they hammered the handle sleeve together. This is one of the ways you can date an iron tool.

I found this cute little iron, iron in a CS camp. There is one pictured in Crouch‘s relic book.

Various brass relics found in a camp of Federal soldiers in a small town on the mighty Mississippi River. Same place the plate came from. Tompion tops, eagle button, knapsack harness, etc.

Its not pretty, but it is what it is. Dug this one in a small town on the Mississippi River along with some other nice relics.

An elevan pound frag dug by me about a mile east of Columbus, Kentucky. This was from a massive 10" Columbiad. Other relics were found (lead, some brass, and Dad dug two parts of bayonets).

Bullets all dug from one small area off a main route taken by Marmeduke and Union forces under McNeil. All but the large round balls came from the two foot square area.

The latest finds, Dad dug all of these except for one, needless to say I got my but handed to me. That‘s O.k. it was his turn.

Found this one last Sunday morning in a yard on mainstreet. Too bad it was cut in half!

Finds from the last time out, nothing ground breaking, but did dig the first Colt Revolving Rifle bullets, I‘ve ever dug.

Musicians button found by me, June 1, 2007. Found in a small CS camp.

Cool beef bone found in a fire pit at a small CS camp.

The top part of the napkin was dug Saturday at our small CS outpost camp. The stuff on the bottom of the napkin was dug in a brand new camp we found Sunday 6/10. So far it has really produced, especially a nice carved bullet and some rare .46 slanting breech sharps bullets.

By far the best carved bullet I have seen come out of the ground in a while. Dad was awefully proud of it.

Dad and I have been digging a small CS camp. Like everything the more you dig, the more confused you usually get. This carved on parrott percussion fuse was found by Dad on Memorial Day.

Bottom of fuse

Dad in front of an 1880s home we have been hunting. Marmeduke retreated across this (now yard) area. Some nice Civil War and Post Civil War items have come from this yard.

Not much, but not bad for a couple of hours.....it was abeautiful day!

Although I‘m not a "coin" shooter, I do love to find silver. We have found a total of 24 silver coins in this yard and the one next to it.

This is the haul from the new CS guerilla camp that is located 1000 yards from the other one we found. We‘re pretty sure they are the same guys, maybe wintering nest of them.

The buttons...

Leave it to dad to find something real cool. He found these lead knuckles and part of a US boxplate, in a firepit.

Before this site, I had never found a pre-civil war coin, Dad had and our buddy had, but not me. Well my luck changed drastically, I found three pre-Civil War dimes in three days all New Orleans marked.

These are the best buttons found so far, in Missouri when you find a CS cavalry camp, you don‘t find script C‘s, you find this type of buttons. A dragoon Coat size, dragoon cuff (or vest), and two pre-war US one-piece buttons.

Well this is the haul for the day, kind of slow, but the day was full of good laughs and good company. Dad and I managed to save a few .69s a part of a lead sabot to a James shell, some round balls, and one .54 fired. The other boys didn‘t do bad either. Can‘t wait to do it again.

Sorry for the bad quality of pic. This is a real cool masonic cuff link found by my buddy Kenneth this past weekend in West Tennessee. Thanks for the roadtrip guys!

James percussion fuse found my good buddy Kenneth of Burnsville, MS. Found near the site of an Alabama battery.

Dad and I have been hammering new spots to no avail, finally all the work payed off. Out in the middle of nowhere we found an untouched Confederate campsite next to a spring. This is one weekend of finds, if you‘ll scroll down you‘ll see the other weekend (one day actually, its the one with arrow hooks). We are still not finished with this site, but figure only about 40-50 men, probably guerillas. Its pretty exciting for us to find a CS or guerilla camp, we have more than a couple Yankee ones.

There is a funny story about these two. Dad and I had never dug a lockplate before, so when Dad unearthed the complete one on the left, needless to say he was excited. I came running over, marveling at his "new" find, only wishing I too had dug one. I returned a little down, but more determined to dig EVERY iron signal. First hole I dug, popped out this one missing the hammer. Did recover the flint and the screws though. How weird is that?

Here is some of the lead, the most interesting things are the homemade nipple protector for a .69 cal, an unusual carved .54 bullet, and the lead pencils. Not a lot of lead has come from this site, what has has mainly been round balls (small calibers). They were also armed with pin fires, only one 12mm though.

Some of the iron we found on the site, hammer looks like it goes to a pocket revolver, flintlock locks were a first for us as well. Neatest thing is the broken pot piece dated 1863.

Finds from a slow day. Found in the campsite of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry

We were pretty excited to find these relics at a new campsite out in the middle of nowhere, we just found it so only time will tell who, what, or when they were there.

Sparce digs from last weekend. Dug at the site of a redoubt built at the very end of the War and wasn‘t finished. Several skirmishes in this area between M. Jeff Thompson and occupying Federals.

Sometimes we get to dig in the prettiest places. This is a Federal position during Marmeduke‘s 1863 raid into Missouri.

Dad cleaning a freshly dug fired roundball.

Combined total of digs from New Years Eve and Day. Not too bad on the sharps. From the campsite of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry and 32nd Iowa Infantry.

Combined total of Dad and I‘s finds in two afternoons of hunting a skirmish site between John S. Marmeduke and Union General McNeil.

Another Dad find(I find more, but he finds the qaulity), carved bullet made into an axe. From the same yard the Frenchie came from (site of a Federal camp also).

Items found at a Federal fort site near Sedalia, MO, Thanks to John D. for inviting us.