Dating a Campsite from Scabbard Tips.

[Anonymous]

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<td width="100%" valign="middle" align="center"><img border="1" src="http://www.pochefamily.org/weather/relic%20images/ScabbardTip2.jpg"></td>
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<p ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Ever wonder how a scabbard tips get lost at campsites? The picture at the left shows what can happen to a tip when a solder bends over to get coffee or some food from a pot or simply have a smoke. Ever wonder what weapon these tips belong to? Scabbard tip design appears to be unique to the weapon they were attached to so that the scabbard tips found at a campsite can be used to identify the weapons that were present at the time of the loss. Not only that but scabbard tips can be used to date the camping activity and maybe point back to the occupying regiment if you have enough information is known. If you go to the location given below you can find an excellent display of different scabbards and dates in which they were issued. Also don't forget that your location may have two, maybe three, different kinds of tips. This might indicate either the regiment was issued two or three different kinds of weapons OR that your campsite may have been occupied more that once. Remember like coins found at a campsite the youngest tip in a single occupancy will "date" the age of the camp.
Here is the location of the scabbard tip information:
<p>http://www.jarnaginco.com/catframe.html</p>
Hope this helps someone.
HH
Dave Poche

 

[Anonymous]

Well the reference did not go all the way to the page showing the scabbards. Sorry about that.
Here is a more detailed set of instructions after you get to the above location.
1) Select "Original Items from the Jarnagan Collection" from the left side of the screen.
2) then select "Original Scabbards" to find the page showing the scabbards.
DP

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

Also, this same activity (as pictured) accounts for many buttons being lost. Bending, squatting and other physical movements of the like tended to break the thread and many buttons were lost this way. I can attest having reenacted for years how the bayonet scabbard tips are lost. Good post Dave!

 

[Anonymous]

Now if you could judt give me a 16 digit grid coordinate where he is squatting at I will be on my way. <img src="/metal/html/lol.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":lol"> In all seriousness that is some good infomation and definatly another tool I can use to assit me in the field.