Found 9 more Isaac & Campbell Buckles today!

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Yesterday I went back to the site where last month I found two of my three British Martingales and 3 - Isaac & Campbell buckles. I detected for 3 hours in the field behind the house and almost immediately found another buckle! I photographed the first two I found, but after the third buckle showed up, I figured you’d get the idea! The total Isaac & Campbell buckles found today was 8.5 and a partial horse rosette. I have applied beeswax to the bottom row of buckles, but I’ve left the top row as is. The iron that was coming up was also old and interesting. I did some online research and learned that soldiers were given land grants by the King of England following the War of 1812 and settled this town in 1820.

This site really puzzles me… how did so many of these buckles end up in a 50’ x 200’ area? My total Isaac & Campbell buckle count so far is 11.5, so I feel there has to be more here!

I’ve included a couple of pics of how this buckle was used on a CSA knapsack.

Thanks for looking,
Dave


The Isaac and Campbell Knapsack

The original knapsacks were manufactured by the Isaac and Campbell Company in London and brought into the U. S. by the Confederacy.
The knapsacks were hand sewn with cloth herringbone twill tape ties that were used to close the fold pocket on the knapsack. The russet
leather harness was made of top grade leather with 1 1/4 inch roller buckles. Bridle leather corner guards protected the corners of the cloth bag.
The leather harness was colored with a black dye giving it the rich russet color.

 

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[Ahab8]

Soooooooo impressed with your sites and hunts lately bud. You really are putting in the time and research and that's how we make the great finds and lots of em. Very happy for you and those buckles are awesome. Obviously lots of activity there and could be something very special hiding in that dirt brother, now go find it so we can all enjoy it

 

[BuckleBoy]

Wow, now that's really cool! Crazy to find so many in one spot!

 

[bootybandit]

Wow! Nine in one site! Much more waiting to be found. Congrats!

 

[treblehunter]

Nice relics, great pix!

 

[RelicMedic]

Well done bro. Your hunting sites and style are really evolving. Very impressive!!

 

[MaineRelic]

Amazing Dave ! You have been on fire all fall ! I hope the weather holds a little longer while you are still hot ! MaineRelic

 

[Darrow]

Your writing is a wonderful history lesson, I so enjoy seeing and learning where you are and what finds you uncover to tell the story. I appreciate the effort you made showing the difference the beeswax makes on the buckle and pretty cool to see what the knapsack looks like. Thank you for a great post!

 

[Old Dude]

I am with you Dave....why are there so many CSA artifacts up there? Maybe a collector many years ago? Or maybe someone there was actually a broker for the London office? Very neat Dave!

 

[Vino]

Great hunt..
Hey,,You have any idea what this is?
I found one about a year ago.
Thanks George

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Soooooooo impressed with your sites and hunts lately bud. You really are putting in the time and research and that's how we make the great finds and lots of em. Very happy for you and those buckles are awesome. Obviously lots of activity there and could be something very special hiding in that dirt brother, now go find it so we can all enjoy it

Thanks very much for your support Abe!
I've been detecting more the past two weeks then I have over the past two months!
This is because winters coming and the ground was already frozen i a number of spots here.
But I'll keep at it until I can't break the soil!
Dave

Wow, now that's really cool! Crazy to find so many in one spot!

I know Buck, this is just crazy!
Now if I could just find something here directly related to military.
Dave

Wow! Nine in one site! Much more waiting to be found. Congrats!

Actually I've found 12 of these buckles and 2 British Officers martingales here.
Thanks for your post bootybandit,
Dave

Nice relics, great pix!

Thanks very much Brad!

Well done bro. Your hunting sites and style are really evolving. Very impressive!!

Thanks for your support here my friend!
Best of luck to you,
Dave

Amazing Dave ! You have been on fire all fall ! I hope the weather holds a little longer while you are still hot ! MaineRelic

Thanks Dave!
Isn't it always the way... when we start to get hot, it starts to snow!
Dave

Your writing is a wonderful history lesson, I so enjoy seeing and learning where you are and what finds you uncover to tell the story. I appreciate the effort you made showing the difference the beeswax makes on the buckle and pretty cool to see what the knapsack looks like. Thank you for a great post!

Thank you so much for your post Darrow!
It's gratifying to know that my efforts to make a post interesting are at least worth your time to read them.

No offense to the other members who post their finds here, but I feel that the 'finds' need to be put into perspective.
I understand and can appreciate the need to keep a good site a secret, but this is just how I choose to post my finds!

I think it makes what I find more interesting!
Best of luck to you Darrow,
Dave

PS. I've visited your state 4 times and I love how proud you all are about the history of the great State of Texas!

I am with you Dave....why are there so many CSA artifacts up there? Maybe a collector many years ago? Or maybe someone there was actually a broker for the London office? Very neat Dave!

Thanks for your post and for your theories here Dave! You've got to remember that back in the 1800's here in Canada we were still part of the British Commonwealth.
This is the main reason why I find so many British Military relics... don't forget we didn't become 'Canada the country' in 1867.

Personally, I feel this may have been a staging area for something related to British Military activity.
I've researched the history of the town and the only reference to the military is that "soldiers were given land grants by the King of England following the War of 1812 and settled this town in 1820."
Dave

 

[pepperj]

Why something turns up in multiple numbers is always a real , and this another example of that exactly. WTG on the buckles Dave, and like you said there's probably more out there in the area. Like the buckles in the bottom row, it sure gives them a nice rich look to the metal.

I'm wondering if there was a surplus sale of leather straps, or bags where the leather was repurposed and the buckles were discarded, that or something in that manner. Farmers are great at repurposing things, the original recyclers, and it seems that nothing was thrown out-more like rotted out.

Ground is getting hard, -6C this morning but a bright sunny day for sure. Best of luck on the return pre winter hunts Dave, there's a few left yet for sure.

 

[cjon455]

Very interesting theories here as to why 11.5 of them buckles popped up at that site, I couldn't offer any of my own as most here can actually be the reason, all I know is keep at it at that site, who knows what other treasures lie ahead!!

Great site, post and pics!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Great hunt..

Hey,,You have any idea what this is?
I found one about a year ago.
Thanks George

Hi George!
I called it a horse rosette, because that's what I assume it is.
It's brass over lead with a metal mount plate imbedded in the back for mounting to the horses halter.
But in all honesty, there are others here who know more about these type of relics then I do.
Always enjoy seeing your finds too George!
Dave

 

[Vino]

Hi George!
I called it a horse rosette, because that's what I assume it is.
It's brass over lead with a metal mount plate imbedded in the back for mounting to the horses halter.
But in all honesty, there are others here who know more about these type of relics then I do.
Always enjoy seeing your finds too George!
Dave

Thanks...the one i found looks the same except my is made out of pewter..

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Why something turns up in multiple numbers is always a real , and this another example of that exactly. WTG on the buckles Dave, and like you said there's probably more out there in the area. Like the buckles in the bottom row, it sure gives them a nice rich look to the metal.

I'm wondering if there was a surplus sale of leather straps, or bags where the leather was repurposed and the buckles were discarded, that or something in that manner. Farmers are great at repurposing things, the original recyclers, and it seems that nothing was thrown out-more like rotted out.

Ground is getting hard, -6C this morning but a bright sunny day for sure. Best of luck on the return pre winter hunts Dave, there's a few left yet for sure.

Thanks for your input here J!
The theory of 're-purposing' the leather straps certainly makes sense, but I'm hoping this is an undocumented military encampment!

But I sincerely doubt this is the case though,
Dave

Very interesting theories here as to why 11.5 of them buckles popped up at that site, I couldn't offer any of my own as most here can actually be the reason, all I know is keep at it at that site, who knows what other treasures lie ahead!!

Great site, post and pics!

I feel the same way... but as Jim mentioned above, the winter weather is almost upon us!
My concern is that this field will be planted again before I can get back to detect in the spring.
Thanks for your post my friend,
Dave

 

[I-DIG-IT]

Nice digs.

 

[WheatWaffle]

Nice finds!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Nice digs.

Thank you!

Nice finds!

Thank you!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Awesome buckles! And lots of them!
Great job restoring them. It must be a gathering place or something.