What does Metal Detecting mean to you?

[joedirt]

I found this 3 ring and I wondered if it was ever fired or was it dropped. Maybe the guy dropped it while trying to reload as he was being fired upon. I found it were there was a known skirmish. My dad found one in the same area that was chewed flat on the back end. It had teeth marks on it. Had this person been shot? Was he told to "bite the bullet" while they sawed off a limb or tried to reset a broken bone? One can only imagine.

I often feel like a crime scene detective trying to recreate the circumstances that lead to my find.

 

[digmeahole]

wow....talk about a conflict..... did they survive?

When you see the 3-ring mini ball and other weapons or parts of weapons, you conjure up dreams of what
really happened to these soldiers or common people about 150 years ago. That was a terrible time in our nation's
history. I had a great, great, great,? Grandfather who had a twin brother and one fought for the South and the other
fought for the North because they lived near the Pennsylvania / Maryland border so I sometimes think what would
have happened had they met face to face. I grew-up in Pennsylvania.

 

[reltolbert]

They somehow both survived. One twin brother who fought for the South just disappeared after the Civil War and of course the
the other brother (my Great-Great ? Grandfather) was my lineage and I inherited his Rogers&Spencer .44 Caliber revolver, which saw limited
use in the Civil War and had 9 notches on the handle. But, I don't know if they ever met face to face on the battlefield. That
remains a mystery to this day.
So, when I see a photo of a 3 ring mini-ball or anything from the Civil War, this starts me thinking about our family history and what
may have happened to these brave soldiers who fought each other.
I live here in North Idaho, but I would be metal detecting for Civil War artifacts if I still lived in Pennsylvania.

 

[digmeahole]

Wow what a great story that would be for a Ken Burns Civil war documentary. Great family history. You should try and get as much documentation as possible if any still exists as pass it down.... I know its not the same but my grand father never talked about WWII. He served in the Navy in the Pacific. After he passed i got a copy of all his records. Cant imagine what they must have seen and been through....

They somehow both survived. One twin brother who fought for the South just disappeared after the Civil War and of course the
the other brother (my Great-Great ? Grandfather) was my lineage and I inherited his Rogers&Spencer .44 Caliber revolver, which saw limited
use in the Civil War and had 9 notches on the handle. But, I don't know if they ever met face to face on the battlefield. That
remains a mystery to this day.
So, when I see a photo of a 3 ring mini-ball or anything from the Civil War, this starts me thinking about our family history and what
may have happened to these brave soldiers who fought each other.
I live here in North Idaho, but I would be metal detecting for Civil War artifacts if I still lived in Pennsylvania.

 

[reltolbert]

Unfortunately, I don't have the documentation to prove it. I'm 67 so my Father and Grandfather
died a long time ago. When I was much younger I heard my Grandfather tell my Father when he
was younger about what happened during the Civil War. My late Grandfather was born in the 1880's
and his Father was born just after the Civil War and his Father (my Great-Great Grandfather who fought
in the Civil War) was born about 1840. I had the .44 caliber revolver and a standard issue sword that
were used in the Civil War. No actual proof sadly to say.

 

[jbow]

I think it is a replacement for our old hunter/gatherer instinct... that is why it is so addictive and gratifying... "time to go, no.. I need to swing a little over there".

Julien

 

[reltolbert]

I have that problem (pleasure) of starting to head home from metal detecting when I need
to cover a few more square feet then...a few more square feet. It's just hard for me to stop
and then my wife yells at me for being late for dinner. Metal Detecting is addicting
for me.

 

[terrywl]

Thanks everyone for all the inspiring thoughts. I agree with you all! It is such a pleasure to hear the first sweet tone and know there is a mystery under your coil. Good luck to all of us and keep the stories and pictures coming! Terry in San Diego