The Unsuccessful Relic Hunt

relichound

Corporal
Joined
May 17, 2007
Location
Maryland...'bout 55 miles south of Gettysburg.
I was young, and had my new metal detector, at the Battlefield of the Wilderness back in 1971.
Relics come to me!
I looked that day for a couple hours and found zilch. I tried another area of the field and again not
anything. I had read an article on ESP once, and it told how some people could find lost objects by just thinking about it.
I was so desperate that I tried that, and I walked around until I found a place near a large tree(there were few large trees in the Wilderness!)
and I had a feeling about it. I turned on my detector, and moved it over the ground and at once got a signal, and then another.
I am a genius. (I thought!) This is easy. Then I dug it up, and then dug up several more signals. See the photo of an iron bullet tin?
These were little pieces of the iron boxes. Slowly disintegrating. It must have been a place for the Union soldiers to come
IMG_0559 (2).JPG

to get more ammo during the battle. I gave up, and went home. It was not a good day for relic hunting, but I would come back,
and find hundreds of bullets, and even a plate or two. When you relic hunt, and find 0, you have to come back and try another day!
 
I have had many days of finding nothing but 12Ga buttons. When I decided about 10 years ago to only hunt CS virgin camps I had many days of no finds. I had one camp that took me almost a year to find and then another that I started finding stuff in 15 minutes. One thing that I have learned over 45 years of relic hunting is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.
 
Interesting and ever so accurate!
As a relic hunter since 1962 I am a firm believer that the ground can give better readings under different weather conditions , with the best coming when the ground is wet.
I have found some of my best relics beside trees that look like they were there during the war.
Good piece....happy hunting
 
Thank you to both of you for replying!
One day later on I was in the Wilderness, and I got a good signal, and it was next to a tree stump there in the ground.
But, then I saw a piece of barbed wire wrapped around that stump. That must have been what gave me a signal.
But then I thought about it. Maybe that signal was not from the barbed wire, but from something else in the ground?
Why not investigate? I bent that old wire out of the way and put the head of my detector in again. A good signal again,
but now the wire was out of the way. What was it? I got out my little shovel, and in two minutes I had it in my hand.
A gorgeous US cartridge box plate. The best one I ever found, with both hooks. Always investigate those signals
that appear to be false. Make sure they are before you leave. My advice.
 
I have had many days of finding nothing but 12Ga buttons. When I decided about 10 years ago to only hunt CS virgin camps I had many days of no finds. I had one camp that took me almost a year to find and then another that I started finding stuff in 15 minutes. One thing that I have learned over 45 years of relic hunting is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.
Sorry to change the subject but you mentioned Georgia buttons, I've been doing some research on Georgia issued jackets/coats, in your experience have you found more stamped or cast Georgia buttons? Curious to which was more common, Thanks in advance
 
The 12 ga I was referring to is the one below as I have had many days of relic hunting where all I found was 12 ga buttons. But to answer your question. I have found way more 3 piece Georgia State Seals the the cast 1 piece which are a lot rarer then the 3 piece.
1585664843324.png

DSCN1233.JPG

DSCN1238.JPG
 
Its a joke among relic hunters. Its a 12 gauge shotgun shell :D
 
I was young, and had my new metal detector, at the Battlefield of the Wilderness back in 1971.
Relics come to me!
I looked that day for a couple hours and found zilch. I tried another area of the field and again not
anything. I had read an article on ESP once, and it told how some people could find lost objects by just thinking about it.
I was so desperate that I tried that, and I walked around until I found a place near a large tree(there were few large trees in the Wilderness!)
and I had a feeling about it. I turned on my detector, and moved it over the ground and at once got a signal, and then another.
I am a genius. (I thought!) This is easy. Then I dug it up, and then dug up several more signals. See the photo of an iron bullet tin?
These were little pieces of the iron boxes. Slowly disintegrating. It must have been a place for the Union soldiers to comeView attachment 352755
to get more ammo during the battle. I gave up, and went home. It was not a good day for relic hunting, but I would come back,
and find hundreds of bullets, and even a plate or two. When you relic hunt, and find 0, you have to come back and try another day!
Patience, determination, research and an inner drive to want to find relics. Oh, and a little luck never hurts.
 
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