CW Brass Oil Can For U.S. Rifle/Musket and More From U.S. Camp

VOL1266-X

Gold Member
Jan 10, 2007
5,589
2,910
Northern Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1266-X, F75 X 2
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
CW Brass Oil Can For U.S. Rifle-Added pic From Book FYI...

The weeds and foliage prevents us from hunting many of our CW sites in Tennessee this time of year until hay is cut. However, I traded for another Fisher F75 as a backup for my F75 I have been using since 2009 and I was dying to try it out in a CW camp. I took a chance and traveled to the U.S. Infantry camp that the Tenn. Trio and Tenn. Digger hunted in Feb. and early March that has produced over 400 relics to date. Unfortunately, the area was completely covered in weeds with few places you could even get a coil on the ground including the woods.
I did find several shotgun brass pieces, melted lead, a brass poncho eyelet, and brass oil can pictured in Phillip’s relic book on page 180 despite the tall weeds. I was pleased with the performance of the new unit. I have dug those oil cans before but only recover the top. A local relic expert told me that the bottom was soldered on and then easily separated and lost especially if the can body was bent.
The first pic is my box of relics from that site representing 15 hunting trips between Feb. 6 and last Monday averaging 3-4 hours each. This was not a virgin site. North South Trader’s Civil War Magazine (due to arrive to subscribers next week) features my article on the background of that site and relics from our hunts there. HH, Quindy.

My CW relic to date in 2012=293
NOTE:
In case you find one, here's what Stanley Phillip's book "Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of the Civil War 1861-1865" says about them and a pic of a complete one.
 

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Great recovery! I have never seen one of those relics before...I wonder if folks that find them or pieces of them don't recognize what they are or post them. For ever oil can lost in service, I can assure you that far more were lost around folks houses during the era. Very cool relic, and I am going to try and add it to my memory bank so I will recognize if I can manage to get the coil over one.

Best Wishes,

Buckles

Thanks BB. I added a pic in case someone digs one. They kinda look like a brass top of a hard toothpaste tube with a knurled cap. I hope 2012 or early 2013 is the year we finally get to hunt together. Looking forward to the next issue of W & e with your article in it. HH, Q.

Thanks Richard. You are VERY likely to find one in a CS camp there in VA. I hope we get to hunt together sometime also. You write a real good book BTW. HH, Quindy.


Donnie, you made all the relics from that camp happen with your research. Looking forward to more hunts with you and Julia in the Fall. HH, Q.
 

Us too Quindy! I'm glad that you posted that picture of the oil can as it is a seldom scene relic. You guys did well there and I'll bet there is still a FEW relics left. Tennessee digger
 

you must be in a great location......great hunt
 

Anything civil war is nice
 

O.S., in 15 years of hunting CW relics, I have found only 3 virgin sites and they were 2 U.S. and one joint use site. Things have been hammered here too and we are 35 miles from the Stones River battle and urban sprawl has covered any remaining sites there for the most part. We rarely hunt there. HH, Quindy.

CW relics are for sure SCS. If you find a few here, you'd better not tell anyone or the next time you go back, you can set up a lemonade stand-LOL. Thanks for looking, Quindy.
 

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