ironman200081
Active member
I had gone a month without detecting due mostly to the weather here in Mid-MO. The urge to dig was relentless, so I called up my friend for a fix. We met up last Saturday, before our big snow, without any real plans. The fields were too wet, so we figured woods would be the way to go. He had discovered a big early war Yankee camp several years ago – a site that ACTUALLY was “just over that next hill.” The property changed hands a while back, but he had a connection with the new owner. On a whim, he called up the owner, and he had secured permission for us to be there in 15 minutes.
We arrived and hiked through down a snowy trail. The place was wooded and overgrown, and I was beginning to dread a day of hard digging. Then, we spotted an area that had been cleared. Right in the “sweet spot” of the old camp. I turned on my CTX, did a noise cancel, and took my first swing. Immediately, I got a 12-38 signal at 5 inches. I popped the plug, expecting to find a screw cap or can slaw. I was amazed when an 1854 half dime popped out – I hadn’t even been swinging for a minute! I look over at my partner and he was elbows deep in a hole pulling out a bullet. It was going to be one of those days.
And what a day it was. I got my coil over several bullets, my first artillery coat button, and a neat powder flask lid. My find of the day was a folded square of brass/copper that I thought was junk at first. I showed my friend – a digger with 45 years of experience – and he told me to clean it before I called it junk. I got home and started scrubbing the mud away, and the impression of an eagle appeared! I called him up, and he gave me advice on how to unfold it without damaging it. After some searching through the books, he identified it as an early militia belt plate, circa 1820’s. He guessed that some Yankee went off to war with his father’s or grandfather’s old belt buckle and tossed it at the camp when it broke.
My partner also pulled an artillery coat button in much better shape, some dropped Colt revolving rifle bullets, and other nice bullets of various calibers. Definitely a good Civil War dig.
We arrived and hiked through down a snowy trail. The place was wooded and overgrown, and I was beginning to dread a day of hard digging. Then, we spotted an area that had been cleared. Right in the “sweet spot” of the old camp. I turned on my CTX, did a noise cancel, and took my first swing. Immediately, I got a 12-38 signal at 5 inches. I popped the plug, expecting to find a screw cap or can slaw. I was amazed when an 1854 half dime popped out – I hadn’t even been swinging for a minute! I look over at my partner and he was elbows deep in a hole pulling out a bullet. It was going to be one of those days.
And what a day it was. I got my coil over several bullets, my first artillery coat button, and a neat powder flask lid. My find of the day was a folded square of brass/copper that I thought was junk at first. I showed my friend – a digger with 45 years of experience – and he told me to clean it before I called it junk. I got home and started scrubbing the mud away, and the impression of an eagle appeared! I called him up, and he gave me advice on how to unfold it without damaging it. After some searching through the books, he identified it as an early militia belt plate, circa 1820’s. He guessed that some Yankee went off to war with his father’s or grandfather’s old belt buckle and tossed it at the camp when it broke.
My partner also pulled an artillery coat button in much better shape, some dropped Colt revolving rifle bullets, and other nice bullets of various calibers. Definitely a good Civil War dig.
