Collection Relics from Gettysburg

Ethan S.

First Sergeant
Joined
Aug 19, 2019
Location
Carter County Kentucky
Gettysburg has been a passion of mine for a while. While I still don't know everything about the battle, I'm still learning. One of the neat things about Gettysburg, is an often overlooked post battle story of possibly the greatest relic dash in U.S. history. The shells that hit the ground on day one hadn't even cooled yet before people were trying to pick them up. For weeks, months, years, curious tourists and relic hunters alike descended on the small Pennsylvania town as an army. Anything that wasn't bolted down was taken, and if it was bolted down, they took pieces off of it. (Okay, a little bit of truthful exaggeration)

It was indeed one of the biggest relic hunts ever, and it still goes on today. Relic hunters with metal detectors knock on doors on private property surrounding the battlefield pretty much daily, much to the exasperation of the locals I'm sure. The lucky few who do get permission pound the area hard, even though a bazillion other guys probably pounded the same ground as they have before.

John Cullison, the Rosensteels, J.A. Danner, Edward Woodward, and John Good made themselves famous just by making Gettysburg relics their life, whether by finding them, displaying them, selling them, engraving or carving them.

Over 7,000,000 bullets were fired, during the three day period, a whopping 250 tons of fired lead alone. This does not even count how many were dropped by panicked or clumsy soldiers. This also does not count the many thousands of things left behind by the soldiers after the battle and retreat.


Below are some of my pieces of Gettysburg.


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Bullet picked up in the late 19th Century by a Union veteran during a reunion. It was picked up off of Little Roundtop. It came from the McPherson family estate in Franklin county Pennsylvania, but the first name of the soldier is still a mystery to us.



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Bullet found along the Fairfield road, in between Willoughby Run, and Herbst woods (Reynolds woods) in 2005 on a construction site. According to maps, it is possible that this was fired by the 24th Michigan.


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Bullet part of the Iva Rosensteel collection. This bullet was found in the "loop" of modern road next to the Irish Brigade monument, bordering the Wheatfield.


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Bullets found in the path of the Union approach, by a friend.


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Relics from the George Ollinger collection found in the Peach Orchard. A very generous gift from Package4.
 
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Really nice high impact Gardner bullet, found on Culps Hill


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Found on a construction site along the Fairfield road in 2005, along with another bullet I already posted previously.


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Found just west of Whilloughby Run and Reynolds woods, on private property.


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Rosensteel collection, found by John Cullison, along the Emmitsburg road, Picketts charge.


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Bayonet scabbard tip, found by Mike Conklin, on private property in a reserve area behind Little Roundtop. New York buttons were found in the same lot as this relic.


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Fragment of a 12 pounder artillery shell, found on Herrs ridge by Iva Rosensteel.


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Found on the Hankey farm in 2015, field hospital for Robert Rhodes Division, Daniels and Iversons brigades.
 
Love your relics! I also love the provenance that you have for your Gettysburg collection.


My dad got permission on private land bordering the Spangler farm, and found some roundballs and a really neat dirt clod with a three ringer in it. I'll have to take a picture. That's the best provenance.


By the way, it is somewhat of a work in progress, but here is a map I made showing the general location of each relic that was found.
 
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