Lead Bar with bitemarks

[gmu4me]

Here is anther mystery. Lead bar found around an old log cabin along Rt 522 between Front Royal, Va and Winchester, Va. It measures just over 4 inches long. As you can see, one end looks like it has bitemarks on it. Found a sqished Gardner bullet around 6 feet from it.

My thought is that it is a Lead source bar that was used to create bullets.. segments carved off and melted down to make bullets.

Thoughts

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Montana Jim]

This is a little off the wall...

But did they not give bullets to CW soldiers to bite on during surgery & operations and such?

Or maybe it was chewed on for something to do... Think "Number 2 Pencil"! :P

Either someone will back me up on this or you will all laugh.

 

[diggummup]

This is a little off the wall...

But did they not give bullets to CW soldiers to bite on during surgery & operations and such?


Either someone will back me up on this or you will all laugh.

That was my first thought.

 

[mojjax]

This is a little off the wall...

But did they not give bullets to CW soldiers to bite on during surgery & operations and such?


Either someone will back me up on this or you will all laugh.

That was my first thought.
Yeah , "Bite the bullet"
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/65400.html

I think they use to do alot of surgery in Barber shops back in the 'olden days' .... Yikes!
That bar could of been for ''Major surgery"

mojjax

 

[history.hunter]

Ever heard the old saying "sometimes you have to bite the bullet"? Civil war surgery was very primitive really with little or no pain medication or sedatives available at times the surgeion or doctor would have the patient bite on something. The bullet?

 

[texan connection]

I remmber my dad talking about a old man next door who was "so mean he ate shotgun slugs for breakfast" maybe it was his teathing ring

 

[stoney56]

Wonder if they were trying to bite off a piece to mold bullets with. I do know they used lead to seal cast iron plumbing pipes with but wouldn't expect to see something like that around a log cabin.

Here's a pic of a few musketballs I found at JD's hunt.

 

[EggyOG]

If they were using it to bite on, I believe they would have been biting in the middle, not on the end. The end looks somewhat spread out, like it was pounded on, not bit. I work with lead quite a bit, and it can get this look from someone trying to break off small pieces. I know several old timers who would "spoon" out small pieces for fishing weights that they could pinch around the line. It is also easier to break pieces off after you flatten it a bit with a ball peen hammer.

 

[Montana Jim]

If they were using it to bite on, I believe they would have been biting in the middle, not on the end.

Yea... that makes a bit of sense! Maybe that bit end used to be the middle, the other half is still out there with bite marks on the opposite half?

Or maybe not.

 

[TreasureTales]

Bite marks? Maybe...if somebody had peg teeth. LOL Seriously, that's weird. Probably another something that will never be IDed.

 

[Mike95inNJ]

Bite marks? Maybe...if somebody had peg teeth. LOL Seriously, that's weird. Probably another something that will never be IDed.

Yeah they're most likely teeth marks from field surgery. I have found a chewed musketball with the same marks. I think they may have also used a piece of leather to bite down on as well. I remember seeing a picture somewhere of a Civil war battlefield with a pile of field amputated arms and legs. Pretty gruesome. If you got hit with a minnie in any apendage they usually had to lop it off.
HH, Mike in NJ

 

[Michelle]

Here is anther mystery. Lead bar found around an old log cabin along Rt 522 between Front Royal, Va and Winchester, Va. It measures just over 4 inches long. As you can see, one end looks like it has bitemarks on it. Found a sqished Gardner bullet around 6 feet from it.

My thought is that it is a Lead source bar that was used to create bullets.. segments carved off and melted down to make bullets.

Thoughts

Hmmmm....Nice and Interesting....I think I know this cabin!?hmmmm....

 

[TreasureTales]

Bite marks? Maybe...if somebody had peg teeth. LOL Seriously, that's weird. Probably another something that will never be IDed.

Yeah they're most likely teeth marks from field surgery. I have found a chewed musketball with the same marks. I think they may have also used a piece of leather to bite down on as well. I remember seeing a picture somewhere of a Civil war battlefield with a pile of field amputated arms and legs. Pretty gruesome. If you got hit with a minnie in any apendage they usually had to lop it off.
HH, Mike in NJ

No question about using things for biting down on in the old days. I was specifically calling into question this particular piece of lead. The indentations look too round to be teeth marks, IMO.

 

[Monty]

Looks like bite marks to me also. Once upon a time in the olden days when there wasn't water near, they would bite on something like lead to keep their mouth moist. Or most likely it's the #2 pencil syndrome, just biting on it absent mindedly while doing a chore or something. Monty

 

[Michelle]

This is a little off the wall...

But did they not give bullets to CW soldiers to bite on during surgery & operations and such?


Either someone will back me up on this or you will all laugh.

That was my first thought.

Pain bullets.....So-called medical chewed or pain bullets are mis-identified. An easily swallowed bullet is the last thing that one would want to put in the mouth of any anxious patient. To bite the bullet is not a medical phrase, rather it is an old military term referring to loading a muzzleloader. The tip of a preloaded ball and powder paper cartridge was opened with the soldier's teeth, the powder and ball were then poured into the muzzle, the paper cartridge, itself, came next as packing, lastly, all was tamped down with a ram rod. In the heat of battle, it is possible that soldiers may have bitten the paper cartridge at the wrong end (bullet end) and this may have caused some of the marks.

This is an article I have found....It contradicts other articles that I have read that say exactly the opposite.

 

[goldencoin]

i know exactly what it is! Tasty 8)

HH
-GC

 

[Michelle]

This is a little off the wall...

But did they not give bullets to CW soldiers to bite on during surgery & operations and such?

Or maybe it was chewed on for something to do... Think "Number 2 Pencil"! :P

Either someone will back me up on this or you will all laugh.

Yes....they did....

 

[mountainplayer]

I've read posts on this site (sorry, can't recall who's) that explained that musket balls/bullets were chewed because lead has a sweet taste.

I tend to agree with past comments that chewed bullets aren't likely to be chewed during surgery...boredom, yes, but not surgery. Your lead bar, however, wouldn't be likely to be swallowed but I'd think the chew marks would be near the middle.

MP

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I found an unidentified lead piece similar to yours 2 inches from a fired minnie ball. No toothmarks. (The cone was found somewhere else).

 

[Michelle]

I've read posts on this site (sorry, can't recall who's) that explained that musket balls/bullets were chewed because lead has a sweet taste.

I tend to agree with past comments that chewed bullets aren't likely to be chewed during surgery...boredom, yes, but not surgery. Your lead bar, however, wouldn't be likely to be swallowed but I'd think the chew marks would be near the middle.

MP

I beg to differ.......