Just got permission on another pro-southern camp in Missouri. We got a reference to the campsite in a personal diary. It mentions Camp John Doe and said it was called that because the camp was in John Doe's pasture. He also gives a mileage distance from a known town. 3 companies where there 10 days. His brother was the commissary and was supplying everyone. He mentions the people in town came out to visit. I found John Doe's name on an old plat map and the distance from the town matches. We are most likely the only people to pinpoint this location and run a coil over it. The owner knew nothing about it and said have at it. He would be interested to know what we find. It is a grain field with a large creek on a road that was there in 1861. Owner said there has never been any dumps or structure tear downs that he knows of. The place just looks and lays right. This is the same scenario that yielded the double gold, half dimes, dime and other items. This camp was smaller and they were not there as long but I still have high hopes. In our area these camp activities were over by October of 1861. Most went home or moved on south to join the confederates because the Union had taken over the state by then. Most of this Division fought at the first battle of Lexington, Missouri. (Battle of the Hemp Bales)
We will be swinging the coils first thing in the morning and will give an update tomorrow night.
We will be swinging the coils first thing in the morning and will give an update tomorrow night.