Relic hunting

PartywithArty

Sergeant Major
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
While relic hunting around a old artillery battery site, we found a piece of wire, it was about a foot deep in the soil, and was found directly in the breastwork. The wire is about 7 or 8 inches long.. Looks kinda like a piece of a fence or somthing.. But the site hasnt been touched since the war.. Any idea on what this could have been?
 
Sounds like fencing placed in the earthworks to stabilize it. CCC used that process a lot. How would you know that the place hadn't been touched since the war?
 
JpFlynn, please be careful about relic hunting. There are a lot of laws in place protecting historic sites. If you are caught picking things up off the ground or digging, it can be anywhere from a misdemeanor to a felony. Private property should be ok (but would be considered unethical in many circles), but if its public land, watch out. Just a heads up.
 
JpFlynn, please be careful about relic hunting. There are a lot of laws in place protecting historic sites. If you are caught picking things up off the ground or digging, it can be anywhere from a misdemeanor to a felony. Private property should be ok (but would be considered unethical in many circles), but if its public land, watch out. Just a heads up.

We know the land has not been touched since the war because a member of my scv camps family has owned it ever since before the war. The land now belings to a family friend and member of my camp. I have written permission to be there.
 
While relic hunting around a old artillery battery site, we found a piece of wire, it was about a foot deep in the soil, and was found directly in the breastwork. The wire is about 7 or 8 inches long.. Looks kinda like a piece of a fence or somthing.. But the site hasnt been touched since the war.. Any idea on what this could have been?

So did you find anything good ? :smile:
 
Hard to imagine buried wire wouldn't have rusted away to nothing by now--at least in Tennessee--if it had been there since the war. Having lived on a ranch and built plenty of fence, I can testify it doesn't like dirt and moisture....

Any wire experts hanging around?
 
The land was untouched,was not farmed,was not used as a dump, was not even known about for many years.. It was part of a riverside fort that was abandoned in 1862 and was burned down by shermans men. The land was not touched. Theres trees there 6 foot in diameter.. The breastworks are noticable, the upper battery is still noticable by the difrent levels in the dirt and the still standing powder magazine. My family has farmed for over 200 years.. I know wire dosnt like dirt or moisture..but why else would there be a random piece of rusty wire a foot in the ground, right directly in the breast work?
 
I know wire dosnt like dirt or moisture..but why else would there be a random piece of rusty wire a foot in the ground, right directly in the breast work?

Could it be that it's a piece that was once a larger rod that has perhaps rusted down to "wire size?"
 
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