Camp site?- but no bullets

D

Dirk Diggler

Established Users
I started metal detecting an area on an isolated river bank that showed signs of an old house. There are several piles of stone and old brick laying on the ground. I was figuring I might find an old coin or two and was surprised when I dug a scabbard tip followed by a plain eagle shield button and a federal staff button. I didn't have time to search the area long and made a trip back to it this past weekend. I found the tongue portion to a virginia style CS buckle, and just feet away found a US buckle and a keeper to I'm guessing a federal sword buckle. I also found the lid to a period coffee boilier (billie cup), and an 1863 indian head cent. I believe from the location of this site and that fact that the river is shallow at this location, that it was a river ford that was used to skirt a major mountain gap and ferry crossing that was used during the civil war just a few miles upstream. I'm guessing that after a ride down the mountain side the soldiers would camp before making there way on accross the river, perhaps sorting through there equipment and pitching was no longer of use. I have metal detected two previous campsites in the past and it seems that I find 6-10 bullets for every 1 other type of keeper relic. At this site I haven't yet dug a single bullet. Due to my limited expierence MDing civil war sites, can someone give my an explanation as to why no bullets would have been dropped at this site?
 
Being that you have located other period artifacts, I would work your new area aggressively. My opinion is that you probably will find bullets in or around what you believe to be the main area. Check under old trees in the camp, all along the waters edge, and search all along the brick. Ive searched many places time and time again believing that these sites were hunted out, only to find another relic in an area Im sure I have walked over before. Good Luck, Scott 8)
 
Dirk Diggler wrote:
>can someone give my an explanation as to why no bullets would have been dropped at this site?

One explanation is:
Among Artillerymen, the lower ranks generally did not carry firearms ...mostly just their Officers. Therefore, comparatively, only a few bullets tend to be found in Artillery camps, unless you're hunting the Officers' Quarters (and then what you'll find is pistol-bullets, not musket minies).

Another explanation is that it's "just" a civilian house-site that was:
(1) briefly visited by soldiers seeking water from the well, and/or a free meal ...or
(2) a resident of the house (perhaps several brothers) fought in the war, and the gear they brought home afterward got lost later on the property by them or their kids. Such stuff, minus civil war bullets of course, gets found around a surprising number of old Virgina house-sites, some of them a LONG way from any battle or camp.

Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]
 
Thanks for the replies. PCGeorge- I was thinking as well that this might be an old house location and perhaps the residents made use of some CW clothing and items over the years. I haven't started digging any iron signals, but the only things I have dug that haven't been CW related are a few modern shotgun shells that I always seem to find plenty of with MD'ing woods and fields. I would think I would also be finding some plain or civilian buttons and other such items I find when hunting housesites. The area is too rugged and the campable land area too small to have been a major camp. I'm thinking that it was just a temporary place to rest before or after making the river crossing. Perhaps in this situation they wouldn't have a had a reason to loose any bullets. Then again, maybe the next time I detect it I'll find a couple. It just seemed a bit odd to me that out of 8 CW relics found so far, not a single bullet has been recovered. Thanks again.
 
I visited the area again this past weekend. I was told from the landowner that there was once a house near the river on his property and he gave me the general location and said I would see the evidence of it. I'm guessing he had always assumed it was a house foundation due to the piles of stone and scattering of brick in the area. I noticed that the area I'm detecting has 1 large pile of stones and bricks- I would say 8-10ft in diameter and about a foot high. In about a 1/2 acre of woods to the side of this pile is about 10-12 smaller piles of stone about 4ft in diameter that don't contain any visible brick, and are only a couple of stones deep. It hit me this past weekend that these stone piles are probably individual hut sites. I have never seen an area with hut sites still visible, for those that have does this sound like evidence of hut sites? Also, I would like to excavate one of these hut sites. I watched this being done one time on a planned dig, but I wasn't around when the hutsites were first located. Obviously, assuming these rock piles represent a chimney, I know where the chimney was located. Now what is my best method for determining the layout of the rest of the hut? In other words, how do I know if the main hut was situated north, south, east or west of the stone pile? Anyone have a clue?
 
Thanks, I have a spare fireplace rod at home already. The spot where the hut sites are located is river bottom, the ground is pretty soft and springy, I wonder if I will notice a difference between past disturbed and undisturbed soil? I also recieved another suggestion that I might metal detect right around the stone pile and keep tabs on where I get the most indications of deeper iron, and this would probably be an indication of the hut site. I think I'll use both methods and correlate between the two. I'd like to think I might be able to find something. Thanks again.
 
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