Help finding civil war campsite?

[usatc]

Hi all, I was hoping some people much smarter with more experience can help me find a campsite. I recently got permission to search about a 150 acre property through a hilly ish region. It's a pretty good drive but I have very strong reason to believe it was a pretty big campsite. I can narrow it down to a relatively small area but a lot of hilly woods to cover by myself. It's also a bit of a drive so trying to make most of field time.

There are some sporadic creeks at the base of both sides of the hill road; they would have been close to that (so I could cross off all steep slopes near creek and land not close to creeks)? An army passing through wouldn't stay on the highest hilltops even if flat because campfires would be seen very far. Would they have gone off road to a long flat slope near water? Most of my topographic map info for area are relatively steep grades so thinking of hitting wide areas relatively flat off mountain near to creeks.

Any suggestions or other things to consider, please?

 

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[releventchair]

Old maps may clue to trails.
If not , topography may help reveal a funnel type passage through.
Horses may have wanted grazing ...your flat(s) near water might relate to such. A shade tree for shoeing/ re-shoeing maybe.
Depending on action ,real or potential and who was in charge ,hillsides could be dug into or fortified.
Observation points of high elevation might have held an guard or two , and a hundred yard open area around camp perhaps to allow shots at an approach by unwanted visitors.
Much has grown in some area's since the war so consider how cover existed back then.
A spring trumps a creek for drinking/ filling canteens, but sanitation was not a priority early in the war, or when desperate.

 

[Dinkleman]

Check Google maps also. Sat views will give you a good view to try and pinpoint good locations. I use historic map works a lot.

 

[usatc]

Thank you. This would have been more than a small troop. The landowner told me others had permission years ago but they only searched hilltops and never found anything old. Owner also told me way back that an older gentleman who lived on land told him he saw "buckets of bullets" but owner had passive interest then and never followed up where before that gentleman passed away.

 

[usatc]

Oh do you or anyone have a good recommendation for topographic maps? Google maps doesn't have grade topo lines and us topo maps was confusing. Have a good satellite map but not topographic. Thanks!!!!

 

[releventchair]

Hmmm,here's one link from my bookmarks.

North American Historic Maps and Atlases from Historic Map Works

And one from a quick search...

http://www.anyplaceamerica.com/topographic_maps/locations/mississippi/
Scrolling down shows some interesting choices of geological features...

 

[alabama11]

All creek confluences and natural spring areas must be carefully checked. Try to find the oldest topo map for the area and soil map. Some counties do not have soils maps, but others may. This could show you where roads were a 100 years ago. In MS the soils erode all heavy use areas in a v shape. Sometimes the road from 1865 will be several meters deep and look nothing like a road. A map site can be found under alabama historic map site and it has material for other states too. Some are free and some not. Best hunting.

 

[Davers]

Good luck , esp in the heat.
Also those Guy's who hunted the area before could have just SAID they found nothing Old.
You never Know till you Scout it out .
Davers

 

[callicles]

The best advice I can give is don't overthink! Get to the property and hunt. Very few places are hunted out. There is no such thing as luck. Luck is simply something you make happen by putting your nose to the grind! Good "luck" my friend!

 

[d2]

Check the south side of all the hills. If it was a fall/winter camp the sun hits there first and they would have camps set up there...d2