Civil War swag!!! .. I think?

[BigWaveDave]

Found these lead ingots while on vacation in Garrett County MD a few weeks ago... My hunting buddy got all jacked up when I found them. The hunt was in the woods at an old Union outpost called Fort Alice, designed to protect a railroad bridge over the Youghiogenny River. The Confederates put an end to that pretty quick from what I understand.

So my guy claims they are called "fingers", used to make bullets or shrapnel. I cant find any other images similar to mine.


Are these the real deal?... or am I hung up on some slag?....

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

it's possible.... no markings on them at all?

 

[BigWaveDave]

very close inspection shows absolutely nothing.... bummer

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Not sure what they are but ingots for bullets would be unlikely.

By the Civil War the bullets were mass produced. Soldiers or units did not stop to cast their own or carry the heavy three-piece molds needed to make hollow-based minies.

 

[sutphin]

COOOOOOOOOOLLLLL.......

 

[BigWaveDave]

Not sure what they are but ingots for bullets would be unlikely.

By the Civil War the bullets were mass produced. Soldiers or units did not stop to cast their own or carry the heavy three-piece molds needed to make hollow-based minies.

that's what I was thinking...I have no experience with civil war relics. I read about a Sawyer gun, and how the ingots were used for shrapnel, but again, cant seem to confirm this.

 

[etex]

They were mass produced but especially on their Southern side a lot of soldiers used whatever gun (various calibers) that was available and they did mold their own bullets, bullet molds are found at civil war camp sites along with melted lead.

 

[Tony in SC]

I would say lead passed out to make bullets. Modern bars would be marked. Tony

 

[Ant]

They could be lead solder stock, or could be a convenient way to transport lead. Notice that they are not uniformly square and they are tapered. The oxidized lead coating seems thick enough to indicates that it has been in the ground long enough to be CW era related IMO.

 

[trdking]

They were mass produced but especially on their Southern side a lot of soldiers used whatever gun (various calibers) that was available and they did mold their own bullets, bullet molds are found at civil war camp sites along with melted lead.

I agree

 

[trdking]

They could be lead solder stock, or could be a convenient way to transport lead. Notice that they are not uniformly square and they are tapered. The oxidized lead coating seems thick enough to indicates that it has been in the ground long enough to be CW era related IMO.

I agree the oxidation is very old. THe CW Lead bar is marked THis is not. THus we shall never know for sure, unless you get out your MD and find us a bullet mold or at least some buttons and lead slag to go with it?

Cheers all

 

[DCMatt]

Vintage tin-lead bar solder. Not CW, IMO.

 

[BigWaveDave]

I agree the oxidation is very old. THe CW Lead bar is marked THis is not. THus we shall never know for sure, unless you get out your MD and find us a bullet mold or at least some buttons and lead slag to go with it?

Cheers all

My buddy (DFX Scott) told me that he had found several of these ingots at previous hunts at this same fort site, along with CW bullets, I trust what he says as true, based on his experience within the hobby. He was surprised that I dug them, as I extolled the virtues of my AT PRO!!

 

[DCMatt]

My buddy (DFX Scott) told me that he had found several of these ingots at previous hunts at this same fort site, along with CW bullets, I trust what he says as true, based on his experience within the hobby. He was surprised that I dug them, as I extolled the virtues of my AT PRO!!

You are safe to call them CW, but remember that many of the fort and camp sites from the CW continued to be used by the military well in to the 20th C. Some CW battlefields were used for military field maneuvers before they became protected parks.

They could easily be WWI era or even later.

 

[ARC]

OR... these are very similar to those I have seen for guttering work...
tin work of all kinds...
As well as many other metal aplications... from copper to you name it...

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