First Civil War hunt....... Successful!

[Shady Digger]

Went out to some property near Muddlety today in hopes of finding some relics from the civil war. Muddlety is about 8 miles away from Summersville, Nicholas Co., WV, which is around where the battles of Carnifax Ferry and Kessler's Cross Lanes took place in late 1861. The property borders the original Muddlety creek and has old bridge supports still standing from where a road used to cross the creek. The story handed down by the chain of property owners through the years is that Rosecrans and his 5,000 some troops moved through the property on the way to Summersville, and would have used that bridge and road because it was part of the only road in the area at the time. About half of this road is now a driveway to one of the homes there, the other half leading to the creek is barely still visible.

I was able to pull out some sweet finds and firsts in a field adjacent to the creek. Right on the bank of the creek, maybe 6 feet up, I dug my first minie ball! This one has been fired and obviously hit someone/thing, and weighs in at exactly 1oz. I was pretty surprised to find one because I was expecting to find round balls, if anything, with the area being used in the early part of the war. The field also yielded my first CW era (I think) button. The back reads 'Rich Gold Colour' and the front just has a simple design. No eagle or insignias/letters so I'm not sure if the button is even military or was just lost by a farmer, but I'm pretty sure it's at least from the time period. Can anyone help with the ID? I also pulled a silver/silver plate rosary center right next to what I think is the old road. Has a bust on one side, and through research I was able to determine the scene on the back is called 'Our Lady of Lourdes', and the bottom right of the scene is marked 'France'. Can anyone determine the age? I'm hoping it is period as well but I'm not sure. The last thing I was able to dig up was what I thought was buckshot from a 'buck and ball' setup, but it's iron, not lead. So I really don't know.

Last but not least is something my dad pulled up. It's a 2.3oz chunk of what looks to be raw silver ore of some type. Since there are no silver mines in WV, other than in legend, I'm not sure why it's here, if it is indeed silver. Possibly it was carried by a soldier as a trinket/charm of sorts, or maybe made its way to the area by trade. Is there any way to determine what it is, short of mailing it off somewhere?

I had a blast and can't wait to get back there and dig up more relics!

 

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[DigIron2]

I think your button is a London import 1830's-40's or so.It is considered a civilian button,but if you found it where some civil war action took place it is very possible a C.S soldier could have been wearing it being that some wore civilian cloths.unfortunatly there is really no way to confirm it.good finds.

 

[Shady Digger]

Thanks for the ID. Probably my oldest find yet!

 

[beez0404]

You're hunting an area with CW history. It is probably worth it to spend some more time there hunting. Especially the area around the bridge. Troops from both sides would have been stationed there to guard the bridge at one time or the other.

 

[RJ55]

Great finds, I be never hunted a CW site but hope to one day.

 

[Shady Digger]

I'm definitely heading back as soon as I get the chance. I would like to focus on the bridge/road area, but right now the old creek has a couple feet of standing water from all the rain we've had this summer so there's no way i can really get around the supports. And the bank of the creek is thick with brush and briars, so I'll have to either wait for the owner to clear the banks or hit that area in the early spring before everything really thickens up again. Until then I'll just have to focus the field on the property. It's probably 4-6 acres so I know there's plenty more to be found there. Can't wait!!

 

[Hendo0601]

When it comes to something like this site you kinda need to put yourself in a military mindset and think the way they would have back then. Where would they have the sentries placed? Where would they have the troops garrisoned? Did they have artillery, and if so where is the high ground on which to put it? Bridges have always been a major strategic advantage in nearly every single war, and most were hotly contested. If you can find where the troops were, you can find the goodies!

 

[Davers]

Cool Finds Congratz on your First Minie ( even if it's Fired)

The medallion looks silver -Is it Flaking in any places?

Neat Flat Button , it even still has the shank. I don't find many down here in GA.
From what I've read Most are usually Plain on the front.
At first Glance it kinda looks like a North Carolina Button but I'm 99.9% sure it's not.

IMO The"silvery' item may be some sort of Slag ' likely is', is it Magnetic? Hmmm..

A great hunt IMO

Thanks For Showing

Davers

 

[Shady Digger]

The rosary center looks like it is flaking in a few places (look on the top edge in the picture of the bust side), so it may be plated. As for the silver/slag, it is slightly magnetic. Slightly. Magnets that have no problem sticking to the fridge just barely stick to the chunk. Only one very small magnet sticks to it without falling off from its own weight. Could it be a type of silver-lead ore, as in this picture i found in Google? They look similar.

 

[roaddust66]

I used to raft the Gauley. I know where you are. If I was you I would head over to Interstate 81 and hunt up and down that valley. Those old farms along U.S.11 should be jam packed with civil war camps. Best O Luck to ya

 

[parsonwalker]

I always like fired or "impact" bullets BETTER. I know I'm the exception, but a "dropped" bullet has such a limited story. That fired bullet was handled by a soldier, loaded (perhaps under great stress) and shot AT somebody. It traveled across the battlefield, line-to-line, and struck SOMETHING perhaps doing damage for the cause (whichever cause fired it!). A lot more story, personality, and history to a fired bullet in my opinion . . .

 

[46Wheat]

Thank you for sharing that fun dig and those pictures