This is an interesting thread. As has been posted by other folks who are amateurs, the context of relics are important to many hunters. I’m not a big detectorist like
@Tom Hughes or some of the other folks here, but when I get an opportunity to contribute I’m more than happy to do so.
I had one such opportunity at the battlefield of Raymond some 6 or 7 years ago. Being a member of Friends of Raymond and having a metal detector, I got my brother (who also has a machine) and
historian Parker Hills together soon after the Friends of Raymond purchased prime property on the battlefield.
The intent was to get out there and see what artifacts might still remain after other relic hunters had been going out there for years - often illegally.
Parker was interested in reconstructing the snake-rail fence that was mentioned quite a bit by Yankees in diaries or in other accounts.
Thanks to a correspondent for
Harper’s Weekly who was at the battle on May 12, 1863, we had an idea of where the fence was located:
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The above sketch made near the time of the action by Theodore Davis depicts General Logan (on horseback) rallying troops at the fence during a critical moment during the fight.
Our small group hunted the area over many weekends. We documented each item found, noting its GPS location and the bagged each separately. In time, we were able to learn a lot about the battle- types of munition used, precise location of units etc.
After each dig, the artifacts were pinned on Google Map by Parker Hills. Since the veterans of that fight are now gone, this is the closest one might get to understanding the story from an actual source.
When one views the map, it is a strange feeling, at least to those of us who spent hours recovering these items.
In no small way, these relics left a shadow of sorts of the actual fight that took place in a simple field in 1863.
It’s eerie.
I wish I had the final Google Map of all the relics we found but I don’t. What I do have is a map noting the items recovered after about 4 or 5 weekends we were out there:
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As stated above, this is the only map I have of the items found early on in the dig. We conducted many more hunts. The yellow pins indicate dropped bullets and the red pins fired.
Nevertheless the top picture is a shot of our early investigation of the location where the 3rd Tennessee advance across 14-Mile Creek. You can tell it’s early on as fewer items are noted.
The bottom picture is the field where we began, and it represents the clash between the 7th Texas and several Union regiments (something in which
@AUG might me interested).
Below is a closer look at the field where the 7th
Texas and Logan’s troops clashed.
It is in this field where we knew the fence was located.
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If one takes close notice of the yellow pins with the 126, 133, 140,130 and so on, you are seeing the beginnings of that old fence line the veterans wrote about in their accounts. Again, this a picture in the beginning. There were more found.
How do we know this is where the fence was located? Well nothing is certain, but we know Union troops rallied at the fence after being driven back from the creek. It was from that area where they stood firm and returned fire after Logan rode up to encourage them.
The fighting was intense. Soldiers fumbled nervously through their cartridge boxes in order to load rounds and return fire into the Texans. All the while, the fence was being splintered by Confederate lead (as represented by any red pin in the area).
This confusion undoubtedly caused many Yankees at that fence to drop perfectly good ammunition on the ground while hastily trying to retrieve the ammunition from their cartridge boxes. Those yellow pins, we think, represents that panic along the fence. The dropped bullets, all of them .58 caliber, were arrayed along a straight line, much like the one depicted in the Davis sketch above.
Combined with the sketch and primary accounts, the artifacts we recovered enabled us to reasonably locate the actual fence line.
A couple years later, due to Parker Hill’s unwavering determination, money was raised to recreate the fence based on all the information, of which the recovered relics helped tremendously.
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Above picture is of the reconstructed fence based on artifacts recovered, with cannon placement based on Davis sketch.
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Above picture: Marker placed. View from fence toward 7th Texas position (red marker in far distance).
So, it is very satisfying to Bring the Davis sketch alive again. To me, this is what responsible relic hunting means. Here is a comparison:
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It is hoped that in time the Vicksburg National Military Park will purchase the battlefield. At present, all the artifacts recovered are located in a safe place in a small museum in Raymond.