Civil War bullet?

[BigdogJR]

I was detecting with friends in Southern Illinois last week. My buddies sons were using their new detector and came across this. Length 1 inch, diameter .596, weight 30.2 grams. It is gouged up pretty good, possibly from eager boys. Is this a Civil War bullet and what kind?

 

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[Kieth-Tx]

.58 cal 3 Ring Minie. This is one of the primary bullets used by the north during the Civil war.

 

[BigdogJR]

Sure was exciting find for a couple of young boys.
Thanks Keith

 

[tennessee digger]

Yep, like Kieth said, it is a fired civil war bullet. Tennessee digger

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is definitely a fired civil war type of bullet. That type is called a Minie ball ...named for the inventor of that type, Captain Minie of the French army. The specific variety of Minie ball your friend's sons found is a yankee-made 3-groove minie, manufactured for use in the US muzzle-loading .58-caliber Springfield Rifle. (Sidenote: Although that bullet actually has three grooves encircling its body, not raised rings, most civil war relic diggers call it a "3-ringer.")

I should mention, other varieties of Minie balls have two body-grooves, or one, or none. And others do have raised rings. The presence of a large cavity in the base of a muzzleloading bullet is what makes it a Minie ball, not the shape of the rest of its body.

I'm certain the boys' bullet is a fired one because its lead body shows "rifling-marks" (axial ridges), which are created by the gun's rifling-grooves during firing.

Before firing, that bullet typically measured about .57-inch in diameter, in order to be loaded into the muzzle of the rifle's .58-inch diameter bore. Firing expanded the bullet to .58-inch, and 100+ years of lead oxide patina buildup adds another .005-to-.01-inch to its diameter.

The bumps and gouges on it were caused by high-speed impact with the ground after firing ...not by the "eager boys" digging. If the boys had hit it with the shovel, you'd see gray-lead areas on it where the shovel knocked off the white-ish lead oxide patina.

There are two possibilities for how that yankee Minie ball came to be fired in Illinois.
1- Newly recruited civil war troops were given training & target-practice in their home state, before being shipped off to the war.
2- After the war ended, multi-thousands of civil war rifles, ammo, and bullet-casting molds were sold to civilian buyers as "war surplus," for use in hunting. A legendary example of that is World War One hero Sgt. Alvin York, who reportedly used a civil war era muzzleloading rifle for deerhunting as a young man in the mountains of Tennessee during the very-early 1900s.

Update: After I clicked "post," I see that Kieth-TX and Tennessee Digger gave you short (but correct) replies while I was typing my very lengthy answer. Since you didn't know what the bullet is, I figured you might like some educational info about its type and its history.

 

[BigdogJR]

I appreciate the info guys, I am going to pass it on. The gouging was oxidized as well and I'm sure it was from high impact.
Thanks Cannonball

 

[Wildcat1750]

Congratulations on the 3 ringer, BigdogJR. I've seen many posted but not usually fired like that. Great find!
Nick

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You're welcome. As an afterthought, since you initially thought the gouges on the bullet may have been caused by the boys' "eager digging" ...let me suggest that you strongly urge them to dig carefully, every time. One of the saddest experiences in a relic-digger's life is to pull a valuable relic out of the hole and see that you gouged it with your shovel. (I learned that lesson my own self, the hard way, when I was new to relic-digging.)

 

[BigdogJR]

Several of us have already told the boys to be more careful. I hope it sinks in.

Thanks

 

[Kieth-Tx]

One more thing to check is inside the cavity. If there is a star in the back of the cavity....it was cast at the Washington Armory....very rare down here in Texas! You guys keep digging and have fun!

 

[BigdogJR]

One more thing to check is inside the cavity. If there is a star in the back of the cavity....it was cast at the Washington Armory....very rare down here in Texas! You guys keep digging and have fun!

I will check it as soon as I can and get back to you. I really appreciate everybody helping me on this.

Be Safe