Irregular
Jr. Member
My very first and last finds from the three-day event are posted here, like so many other participants there was a smattering of bullets and arty frags in-between.
This was my first-ever Dyer canister sabot find, found while hunting with "Old Stonewall" on this forum:
Unable to even identify it, on the advice of others I contacted Pete George. His reply is suggestive that my first-ever could be my last-ever:
I should begin by stating that Dyer's Canister is quite a rare version of canister. Jine, on a strict "number of specimens known" scale of rarity, your 3" Dyer Canister sabot was one of the very rarest items found at the DIV hunt ...even more rare than some of the Confederate buttons and buckles found at that hunt.
The "Field-recovered" evidence indicates Dyer Canister ammo was used almost only by the Army of the Potomac, and only in the first 24 months following the Battle of Manassas (July 1861). The overwhelming majority of fired Dyer Canister sabots and slugs have come from 1862-to-mid-1863 battle sites in Virginia.
In my 34 years of living in Virginia and digging for artillery projectiles at many dozens of major and minor Virginia battlesites, I've found only one Dyer Canister sabot. It was at the May 1863 battle of Salem Church, which part of the Chancellorsville Campaign. That was also the only place I've dug any Dyer Canister "slugs."
Apparently, Dyer Canister was gradually superceded by the arrival of Hotchkiss Canister, which first shows up in mid-1862 sites, and remained in widespread use through the end of the war.
Regards,
Pete
He also said in a later reply that "the cannon's firing-blast "blew through" the thin center of the sabot." This was a relief as I was wondering if the hole might have been damage from a farming implement, although creating such a hole might be tricky. Many thanks are due to Pete for all of his invaluable assistance.
On Saturday, in the middle of a heavily cow pie-mined area I recovered my first plate of any kind, a waist belt:
Naturally I was thrilled by this find, far and away the best "personal item" I've recovered, but after coming to realize the rarity of the Dyer canister sabot I have to call that my find of the event.
HH and much success to all.
Irregular
(alias "Jine")
This was my first-ever Dyer canister sabot find, found while hunting with "Old Stonewall" on this forum:
Unable to even identify it, on the advice of others I contacted Pete George. His reply is suggestive that my first-ever could be my last-ever:
I should begin by stating that Dyer's Canister is quite a rare version of canister. Jine, on a strict "number of specimens known" scale of rarity, your 3" Dyer Canister sabot was one of the very rarest items found at the DIV hunt ...even more rare than some of the Confederate buttons and buckles found at that hunt.
The "Field-recovered" evidence indicates Dyer Canister ammo was used almost only by the Army of the Potomac, and only in the first 24 months following the Battle of Manassas (July 1861). The overwhelming majority of fired Dyer Canister sabots and slugs have come from 1862-to-mid-1863 battle sites in Virginia.
In my 34 years of living in Virginia and digging for artillery projectiles at many dozens of major and minor Virginia battlesites, I've found only one Dyer Canister sabot. It was at the May 1863 battle of Salem Church, which part of the Chancellorsville Campaign. That was also the only place I've dug any Dyer Canister "slugs."
Apparently, Dyer Canister was gradually superceded by the arrival of Hotchkiss Canister, which first shows up in mid-1862 sites, and remained in widespread use through the end of the war.
Regards,
Pete
He also said in a later reply that "the cannon's firing-blast "blew through" the thin center of the sabot." This was a relief as I was wondering if the hole might have been damage from a farming implement, although creating such a hole might be tricky. Many thanks are due to Pete for all of his invaluable assistance.
On Saturday, in the middle of a heavily cow pie-mined area I recovered my first plate of any kind, a waist belt:
Naturally I was thrilled by this find, far and away the best "personal item" I've recovered, but after coming to realize the rarity of the Dyer canister sabot I have to call that my find of the event.
HH and much success to all.
Irregular
(alias "Jine")
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