Exploding Bullets And Box Plates..

[Fullstock]

Went metal detecting today with my buddy and had an excellent day. Found three bullets, a busted eagle button and a really nice US box plate. I was happy with the box plate, but one of the bullets was a Gardiner exploding bullet in perfect shape, and the first I’d ever found. It was a great day!

 

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[civil_war22]

Thank you! This box plate was dug in an area that’s always been woods Civilman, every one I’ve ever found in the woods looked like this. Wish they all were in this shape.

I wish our soil where we hunt civil war relics was that friendly to large brass. On top of the mountain where we hunt there was a home up there during the civil war that was owned by the guy that built the confederate barracks down the road from his own home. I say build, he supplied all the lumber. There’s stories from the family themselves that the union army would come by at night taking their swords, cutting clothes lines down, and taking their swords, and raking them across the outside of the house. He moved to Texas after that with his family, post civil war he came back to find his home had been torched by the union army.

We find a lot of guerrilla items from the confederates up there, but they are hard to reach. Them SOB’s weren’t afraid to climb on slick slopes of mountainsides, or up a nearly vertical slope. We’ve found buttons, and even confederate items that you can tell were dropped by them as if they fell going up it ripping parts of their clothing off. The all elusive plate is up there, and one has been found on the other mountainside, but they are fixing to turn that one into a quarry. How the county passed that into effect is beyond me, because the area of the mountain is on the national historic register of places for not only the Trail of Tears, but also the nearly mile long confederate camp in the valley below. The only one I’ve ever found was burned beyond recognition. I never in my life would have thought brass, and lead could get that hot that they literally melt into one giant blob. I’ve got the blob of it at home packed away. I can’t bear to look at it because of how torn up it is.

 

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[JBnNC]

Great hunt Fullstock, the front of that box plate is beautiful....and that bullet is a hard one to find..

 

[Fullstock]

Those bullets are very hard to come by, and the fact that Samuel Gardiner Jr's name, and date of manufacture is still legible is awesome. Those bullets were to be so effective that when the rifle was fired approximately 1 1/4 seconds later it exploded, they say it could have been the equivalent of today's modern tracer minus the explosion part due to the fact the soldier could see day or night where his bullet was in relation to the target he was aiming for. I've read the history behind these for years, and wished I was in an area where these were issued. Records show that 10,000 were issued at Gettysburg, and Confederates captured 10,000 at Chancellorsville without knowing what they were. They came in .54, .58, and reportedly .69 cal. Also the Confederates hadn't even tried any until they captured those found at Chancellorsville.

I didn’t realize that there was writing around the base of the bullet until I read your post. That’s icing on the cake, thank you!

 

[civil_war22]

I didn’t realize that there was writing around the base of the bullet until I read your post. That’s icing on the cake, thank you!

Glad you looked[emoji23] I could have sworn you would have seen it. I’ve seen them before in person just never dug one personally, and they all have about the same date of manufacture, or I would assume date of patent. I was looking at the paper work for the patent the other day, and then the date of manufacture is actually before. So I think he made them, then realized maybe he should get a patent for them. I think he was under the impression that they would have a better impression on individuals, but most saw them as barbaric, and too disturbing, also they were known to detonate prematurely on the soldiers firing them.

 

[Steve in PA]

Beautiful box plate and that Gardner is a tight bullet

 

[Worm-Slicer]

Superb hunt. The plate is in amazing condition. I'm itching to dig another one as it's been three years now. The explosive bullet is an even better find. I've wanted to find one for years, but still haven't. I would search that area more, with it being dropped may be a few more in that area.