What is it?

[zburkett]

We are looking for the location of a Confederate camp from the winter of 63/64. This was found in a location that there had been no houses, but would have been a good site for a winter encampment. The shield is one and one half inches long. We think it is the cover for a key hole off a trunk. Does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[DaveBrt]

We are looking for the location of a Confederate camp from the winter of 63/64. This was found in a location that there had been no houses, but would have been a good site for a winter encampment. The shield is one and one half inches long. We think it is the cover for a key hole off a trunk. Does anyone have any other ideas?

I agree with you. I have seen the same for railroad car padlocks.

 

[zburkett]

Thanks Dave, is this the kind of lock that would have been in an encampment?

 

[Frederick14Va]

It is the partial remains of a period pad lock... the decorative shaped brass piece is the key hole cover... However these had a wide range of use and applications, both military and civilian..... nice find... but presence of this item in itself would not be confirmation of an encampment site...

 

[zburkett]

Thanks Frederick14Va. I'm not looking for confirmation, just is this a possible indication justifying more searching. Part of my problem is this location also has a Colonial overlay.

 

[Frederick14Va]

Thanks Frederick14Va. I'm not looking for confirmation, just is this a possible indication justifying more searching. Part of my problem is this location also has a Colonial overlay.

The lock may certainly be a pre-civil war era item... especially with the fancy decorative styled key hole cover.... I would personally be back at that location to see what else it may yield... from either era... Depending on the respective history of the area in question... I have found it not that unusual to find items of different time periods deposited in the same locations... as it was likely utilized by many over the decades... That's a good thing... and also fodder for discovering rather interesting finds.... Additional attention to the site might also reveal even more....

Quite a few times Ive discovered evidence of old dwelling foundations... that period maps did not indicate the existence of one there... Old home sites have their natural attraction and habitual concentration of artifacts... (as well as non-historical related junk and trash) but learned a long time ago that they aren't the only places that they can be found around.... have found some of my best and most interesting relics in places that were totally unexpected.... and thought to be a strange location to find such things at... Personally I like the "overlap" sites... greatly increases ones discovery fodder...

I remember one such hill that we searched over that was known to be part of a civil war battle line..... occupied and defended by Federals... then occupied by Confederates.. and amongst these artifacts we started to find some rather strange items of curiosity... (this was before the internet and google...lol) Quickly realized that we were finding military artifacts of the Rev War... as well as hefty amount related to the War of 1812 era.... In a place and area that such earlier period activity was sparsely even existed or known about... and totally unexpected...

Curious what state your searching in?.... Good luck and keep us posted... might just find what your original objective is amongst all that too.... even better...

 

[zburkett]

I'm in Orange County, Virginia. Lafayette was here in June 1781, an Alabama Regiment wintered here 63/64 just before the Wilderness. The rest of the time it has been a working farm or plantation. That lock plate was found in a tractor track in a area otherwise too overgrown to search. Thanks to your response it seems worth bush hogging the 5 ac. to be able to search it properly.

 

[Frederick14Va]

I'm in Orange County, Virginia. Lafayette was here in June 1781, an Alabama Regiment wintered here 63/64 just before the Wilderness. The rest of the time it has been a working farm or plantation. That lock plate was found in a tractor track in a area otherwise too overgrown to search. Thanks to your response it seems worth bush hogging the 5 ac. to be able to search it properly.

That region saw a lot of traffic during both Colonial and Victorian time frames.... civilian and military... tends to be good relic hunting for all of it.... can go just about anywhere and find stuff... but quite scattered around... Winter camps tend to be tricky to locate sometimes... landmarks that might be referenced commonly weren't where we think they are or should be....

Normally they sought out fairly level spots that would afford good drainage... sufficient space that the whole regiment could establish their company streets.... and keep everything together in the usual military habit of the day.... and also reasonably close to a water source... nearby dwelling wells or creeks..... Looking across the existing topography and trying to envision what the place might have appeared like 150 years ago.... What may today be open fields... may have then been woods..... what is woods, may have been open fields.... overgrown nothings, may have had a tobacco barn or stable...... roads come and go, or changed their paths over the years.... Even after decades of research and knowledge... can still be hit and miss...

Ravines commonly were used as trash dumps.... normally wont find buckles and buttons in them... but other debris, cans, tinware, broken cast iron stuff... discarded broken tools, then bottles and jars... if they are of the period and type.... can at least give evidence your in the correct neighborhood of a possible camp.... then examine any higher ground nearby.... Have located a number of camps this way... In one similar case I was checking out a ditch line on the edge of a ravine.... I dug up what was obviously the remains of a shoe blacking tin... along with a brass umbrella slide.... and in the same hole was some old bottle glass shards... dug out that ditch and found tons of old period bottles, jars, and misc.... discovered the edge of the encampment about 50 yards away.... that had both Confederate Infantry and Cavalry presence there.... An observation is that many known 1862 era camps tended to yield lots more stuff than later 64 era ones... for obvious reasons... less extra stuff to be lost or tossed away.... So generally have to look closer... and are harder to find them...

Im down near Richmond...