Thoughts on minis, musket balls, and battlefields...

[Montana Jim]

My thoughts on the mighty musket ball and mini... your thoughts requested...

Although a person finds a musket ball or mini... can they ever be positive that it was fired in anger during a CW battle? Is there any chance at all it was fired 20 years prior, or later, by a hunter? If near a battle field, chances are great it is a CW relic and should be labeled as such... if it was no-place near a battlefield... well... then it's just a musket ball, or mini... you know what I mean?

Musket balls and minis were used all over the place… not just during the civil war. Just because you dig a mini, or an eagle button, or a non-descript belt buckle, or a musket ball… can you really ever be sure? May I sell you ANY old mini from a farm near Pickett’s Mill or any old musket ball from a yard near Fort Ticonderoga and call it a war relic?

This could be discouraging…

***************

My thought on the battle fields them selves…

I know in most states you cannot hunt at all on a historical marker area, no matter how large that area is. But... keep in mind... those areas were selected for a few reasons.

First - that’s where the battle happened - right there where you’re standing.

Second - the marker may have been placed where it is merely a convenient touristy spot, close to where the battle happened, but closer yet to a road and nice parking. This is a truth.

This second thought means the battlefields are off on other property, private property usually... and still may never have been hunted or hunted well. CW battles happened over large areas, there were rear areas, hospitol areas, staging areas, command and control areas, camps... all nowhere near the battle zone itself.

Are you following me? This should be encouraging…

War Relic Aficionados – Tell me your thoughts…

 

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[goldencoin]

I've been thinking that also, it seems every 3 ringer is a civil war one. I have 3 musketballs found a mile from ft. mackinac which i believe are from the war of 1812, but they very well could be from a hunter up into the mid-1800's

HH
-GC

 

[doozis]

Here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia there have been extensive studies by historians on the movements , battles , camp sites and staging areas of civil war soldiers. So you can pretty well know you are detecting where CW soldiers were ( if you research and get permission ) If you are a history buff , when you dig a relic you just have to say to yourself ...WoW , that's probably from the civil war . However it would be wrong in my opinion to profess every dig to be a civil war relic. As you pointed out , there were many hunters who fired lots of shots back in those days. Some relics leave little doubt to their authenticity but most bullets will always carry a measure of doubt.

Doozis

 

[BuckleBoy]

Interesting post! I agree wholeheartedly with you on this, Jim. Round projectiles are the scourge of the earth when trying to date a site. First off, they were used for many, many years. They were also used by both sides during the CW. They were used by civilians extensively as well. The ringed minieball is a little better in terms of proving CW connection, but I have found them in sites with no CW connection before. People used them to hunt with after the war. People also picked over the battlefields for souvenirs to take home (and in some cases, evidently, lose in their yards!). So regardless of whether a lone minie is fired or dropped, its link with the past is unclear. Even a smattering of minies does not necessarily a CW site make--I found this out quite recently.

I've found that regardless of historical marker foibles, detectorists have usually been pestering the bejesus out of private land owners around any CW site that is marked--unfortunately sometimes to the point that they just started saying "no" to everyone. The best sites are the unmarked ones from journals, diaries, the OR's, etc.--and there are plenty of those left to find.

The advantage of lesser-hunted sites is several-fold. First, the property owners are much more likely to say yes. Second, it allows the detectorist to put together the whole "puzzle" that was the campsite/skirmish site, etc., including finding battle lines, advances, retreats, and picket posts. Third, in the old days many detectorists dug the buckles, cannonballs, and coins out and left smaller items like bullets at a site. Now the bullets are great, mind you, but I'd rather be digging a variety of items. I'd rather have a shot at that next plate or buckle.

Regards,

Buckleboy

 

[Green1]

i've found all size musket ball,, buck and ball,, 3 ringers,, williams cleaner bullets and the like up in massachusetts...
i know it's got nothing to do with the war,, i just figured i'd mention it

 

[watercolor]

Jim, good questions. I was also wondering about some of these too.

When thinking about fired mini rounds, as an example, they are definitely Civil War technology at it's finest. The rifles that fired these were probably some of the finest weapons a soldier may EVER own and I've often thought that during the post-CW years, many vet's still may have used these weapons for personal use. To be honest, I guess you could classify these as "Civil War Era Technology" relics unless they were found at known battlefield sites or with other types of known CW battlefield items. Just my thoughts.

 

[bakergeol]

You also should realize that 3 ringers are all different. From my armament book by various features you can identify different mini balls made by different manufacturers. I had a load of fun IDing all the mini's found by me at various battlefield sites. So if you find a Gardiner confederate round it certainly is of CW era.

As has been previously mentioned one can find the history of the area you are searching to determine possible CW activity. In addition there are other indicators or artifacts such as molten lead drops or cleaner bullets to indicate military activity.

It is interesting to note that some Battlefield parks now covered with statues and monuments were actually detected by the early detectorists. Detecting was so new that the Park personnel permitted it. (Unfortunately I was born about 10 years too late for this). Talk about having fun.

George

 

[Montana Jim]

You guys have some interesting comments and thoughts... at least I know I'm not all screwed up... And thanks for mentioning all the other possibilities when it comes to types of rounds...

I truly believe that bullets and buttons does NOT a CW relic make - necessarily.

Great and thoughtful responses all...