3-19-08 Sunday, March 9th, Jack and I were going to take Doug Dorothy
to one of our old camps he had never been to. Hard hunted camp but close,
and it was too pretty to stay at home indoors. Saturday night before, Jim
Trammel called and said he had new detectors for himself and son, and
an opportunity to make the 100 mile drive over and hunt with us. So, I
had to choose a site with a landowner that would tolerate 5 of us. Now,
that may not sound so difficult to you, but nowadays it is getting tough to
do around here. Many owners will let 1-2 guys hunt, but find any more a
crowd ! Well, we found a spot close to home, but one that has been hunted
since the 1960s, so it does not produce much anymore, and a bullet or two
is a good day. Doug found a couple pieces of lead, and a 1962 silver dime .
Jack and I each found a couple bullets, as did Jim. Eleven year old James
Trammel found his first relic, on his first hunt, with his new machine, a nice
brass harness buckle ! So everyone got a meager find for their efforts, and
it was a beautiful day ! After digging almost 10,000 bullets in 25 years, I
had an experience that really thrilled me too. Walking down a very steep
wash to the bottom of a gully, I eyeballed a .69 3-ringer that had washed
right out into the gravel a few days before ! Just amazed me that it was
laying there on top of the ground like an Indian arrowhead ! Got out the
camera, and managed to photograph it just before Bonnie the Relic Dog,
walked up the bank and disturbed it.
|
 |
| Young James Trammell works that "golf course like" grass with his brand new Garrett ! |
|
|
 |
| Click the Photo to see exactly how the bullet was lying in the wash, just seconds before Bonnie the Relic Dog disturbed it. |
|
|
 |
| Click this photo to see the bullet a few seconds after Bonnie kicked it out of the bank with her hind foot. Note the side of the bullet that was lying up is dry and white, the side that was in the mud is damp and dark. |
|
|
3-19-08 One week to the day, after Jim Trammel and Son James were
here to detect, Jim decided to get that new machine out again, near his
home. Sunday, March 16th, hunting way out on the periphery of a known
Union Cavalry camp, he really managed to justify that new detector !
Called over here on his cell phone, as he was still out in the field, and not
leaving until it was too dark to see ! Easy to tell he was "hyped" as he
described his find. He had just excavated a very nice Leech & Rigdon
CS Tongue for a 2-piece Confederate Buckle ! Hunting for another
hour in an attempt to locate the wreath, he dug one bullet, and a brass
heel plate with a 5-point Star cut out ! Of course, he didn't leave the field
until it was so dark he couldn't see the truck, but if that wreath is out there,
it'll have to wait another day. Several years ago, Jim recovered a CS
Rope Border here in NW Arkansas, and now the L & R tongue ! I think
we're gonna have to tape a quarter on the bottom of his coil when he
isn't looking, and just leave it there from now on !! . . lol . .
CONGRATULATIONS JIM !!
|
 |
| Excellent condition Leech & Rigdon CS Tongue, and brass Star heel plate. Only other item recovered on the lonesome knoll was a single bullet. |
|
|
3-4-08 Haven't posted any "digs" lately, cause we just haven't got to go much !
My diggin bud, Jack is self employed, so when "the getting is good" he sometimes
works 6 days a week ! I work 4 days a week at the mill, and the rest of the week
here. Anyway, we did manage to get out very close to home the afternoon of
February 3rd. With just a few hours, we did the easy thing, and ran over to a little
dual-use {US & CS}camp that's not more than 5-6 miles from either of our
homes. Landowner knows us too, so we can get down to business in short order.
Didn't recover any spectacular items, but as we usually do, just enough to make
"contact" with history ! Recovered relics included: 1- cannister ball, 1- pocket
knife, 1- broken combo gun tool, 1- knapsack hook, 1- tin 4-hole fly button,
and several bullets.
Well, just last Sunday, March 2nd, we once again found ourselves in
the same situation. Hadn't been locating in what seemed like "FOREVER" but
only had an afternoon to do anything. Yes, you guessed it, taking the easy road
once again we wound up right back at the same site !! . . lol . . But, it was a
beautiful day, and we managed to locate enough relics to once again feel at
home in a Civil War Camp ! Plus, I took the "relic trainee" pups, Bonnie &
Clyde, and they had a great time ! They had play fights, they ran up and down
the creek splashing away, they attempted to re-dig holes that I had just covered,
and perhaps most importantly, they sought out the stinkiest cowpies on the
whole acreage, in which to "decorate" themselves ! Recovered relics included:
a real nice coat size eagle general service buttton, a seriously pushed Navy cuff,
and over a dozen bullets, four of which were the nice big .69 caliber 3-ringers !
[Note: When I say we did the easy thing, it's usually due to time constraints,
and involves a camp we've already located, and know the owner. Hunting
for new camps, as most of you know, involves much more time, public
relations talks with landowners, (And, we're in the south, where an hour
can easily be spent talking about the weather, grass, cattle, etc.) scanning
suspect areas that may or may not be the correct spot, and more. Long
story short, you can easily spend all the sunshine hours in a day, looking
for a new camp, but we still do it, when time allows.] Sorry bout the
long winded tale, but , ...... . HEY, we're in the South !! . . lol . . .
|
 |
| Relics recovered February 3rd, 2008. |
|
|
 |
| Relics Recovered March 2nd, 2008. |
|
|
 |
| Poor Navy cuff, but correct, and nice General Service. Not much by some folks standards, but ANY button here in Arkansas, is a good day ! |
|
|
|
1-31-08 Heard from some old friends last week, who due to the nature of their work,
rarely get to do much relic recovery. It had been almost two years since we got together,
but last Sunday there was time for a few hours. Several years ago, these friends, a father
& son team, dug a gold ring in an Illinois Infantry camp, and my hunting buddy, Jack
Ferguson, gave them the name, "Gold Dust Twins". It stuck, and as they wish to remain
anonymous, we'll call them that for now. Anyway, Sunday Jack and I took them to a
very small little Union Artillery camp, where a few eagle -A- buttons have been recovered
in the past. It was a small camp to begin with, and has been hard hunted for several
years, but is usually still good for a relic or two. Additionally, the landowner can tolerate
4- Detectorists, if he knows them. It was an unseasonably beautiful day, we had a great
visit on the drive, and everybody recovered just an item or two. But, the kicker of the day
came when Daddy "Gold Dust" dug the most well preserved Artillery Corps Button I think
I've ever seen ! We're talking about the 1802-1821 Militia Artillery Corps Button. This one
is absolutely beautiful, with 75-80% gold gilt remaining on the face, an intact tight shank,
and Rmdc Scovills & Co. backmark ! It's the 2-piece variant, that Tices' Button Book says
was used a little bit later than the 1820s. Shining little prize, and Jack says that proves that
the "Gold Dust" nickname is well deserved ! Its' presence in the little camp though, makes
me wonder if the camp is really a Union Artillery camp, or an early war Confederate Camp.
Needless, to say, Jack and I both being reasonable men, were NOT green with envy. It was
just the way the sun coming thru the trees hit our gree.... I mean, glowing faces !!!
|
 |
| A few bullets, slinghook, spur buckle, and one nice button ! |
|
|
 |
| Stunning amount of gold gilt remaining for such an early button ! |
|
|
 |
| Perfect reverse with legible Scovills & Co., Rmdc backmark, and tight shank. |
|
|
1-31-08 Speaking of the "Gold Dust Twins", (Father & Son team) here is an
item Junior "Gold Dust" recovered a while back, at a skirmish/battle area here in
NW Arkansas. It has an unmarked brass face, measuring 2.5 inches in diameter,
and a lead solder filled reverse. Showing at opposite ends of the solder are the
remains of a double iron wire attachment of some sort. Just about the right size
for a martingale, but it has a lot of solder fill. We weighed it on a postal scale,
and it's 5.9 ounces. That's a lot of lead ! Anyone have any other ideas about
it's purpose, or can confirm it is a martingale, please drop me a line. Junior is
not letting go of it, whatever it may be, as he is convinced it is CW period !
|
 |
| Nice plumb/green patina. Eagle coat button for scale. |
|
|
 |
| Lead solder nearly all there and has white patina. Two iron wires evident at opposite ends. |
|
|
 |
| To Just Out Of The Ground Page 14 |
|
|
|