Bullet and Shell Civil War Projectiles Forum

Author Topic: what's your favorite ??  (Read 11690 times)

Dave the plumber

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what's your favorite ??
« on: January 30, 2014, 05:49:15 PM »
   Well, since so many people responded to the last post, I guess half the US is snowed in and everybody is on the internet !! 
         So I have a new question for us all to ponder -   what is your favorite relic or collectable in your collection ??    And why ??  Got pictures ?? 

       

Pete George

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2014, 06:46:01 PM »
  Due to financial reasons, I've had to let go of relics in my collection which most people would say are "special." So, Dave, my remaining favorite is in the same general category as yours. I was born-&-raised in Atlanta GA, so my remaining favorite would have to be the first GA State Seal button I ever dug. It has one of the very-very-few button backmarks which includes a year-date... "W.G. Mintzer/Phila[delphia]/1861." Adding to its personal appeal is that I found it at a camp in the AREA just south of Fredericksburg VA where my great-great-grandfather's GA regiment camped in the winter of 1862/63.  So, maybe-maybe-maybe...  :)

  Like you, Dave, I also still own the first civil war artillery projectile I ever dug. It is a yankee 12-Pounder Solid-Shot, which I found during a shell-hunting trip John Sexton took me on in 1974, behind Kennesaw Mountain GA. A yankee 12-pdr. Solid-Shot is the absolute most-common of all civil war artillery projectiles, but that one is "special" to me.

  I suspect this forum's diggers are likely to feel their favorite is a particular relic they've dug rather than one they bought.  Looking forward to hearing about that. Also, the forum's non-diggers will have some interesting favorites.

  Cool topic, Dave. Thanks.

Regards,
Pete

Daveslem

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2014, 08:04:37 PM »
Here are my favorites. A "dug" kepi found years after the battle at Gettysburg from Samuel Wright's collection. Boots and a brogan pulled out of a canal outside Richmond back in the 70's when they were doing repairs to one of the canal's locks. The last item is a labeled bottle containing pieces of a soldiers shot torn coat (Stones River), a piece of his greatcoat and cape with either schrapnel or bullet holes. This was in an article Nancy and I wrote for North South Trader some years ago. The weird thing is I spent exactly $85 for each item on eBAY over the years.
Later,
Dave Slemmer

Lamar

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2014, 10:40:02 PM »
This is slightly post war - the picture (signed on the back) was given to my great grandmother when she accompanied her father on a business visit to Lexington.





Selma Brooke Gunner

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2014, 08:58:38 AM »
  being a non-digger (not because I don't what too) my favorite is my 9" Dahlgren shell with 1862 naval watercap fuse. I picked this up at an antique store that was going out of business. I am really into naval ordnance especially the Brooke Guns, yet I still could not pass up this piece of naval history. It will be my favorite until I can replace it with a Brooke projectile.   :)
Gordon Thrasher
Selma Brooke Study
Kinston, Al
selmabrookestudy@yahoo.com

pipedreamer65

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2014, 01:33:24 PM »
I have an Allen and Thurber pepperbox pistol that came out of Fort Fisher back in the day.  I've looked at that thing quite a bit wondering what it went through.  Reason being is that the nipple shield is missing from it, blown away by a kaboom or misfire.  The frame has a chunk blown out of it from when this occurred.  I wonder if someone loaded it hot or if it were some kind of defect.  I wonder about the soldier that was firing it and his hand.

John M. Brooke

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2014, 09:24:10 PM »
My favorite relic would have to be my great-great-great uncle, Major Benjamin F. Eakle's frock coat he wore at Gettysburg. However he donated it to the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond in about 1905. So I guess its not really in my collection however I can still visit it anytime I take a trip to Richmond.


My favorite relic I own would have to be a Hotchkiss Case Shot that was part of the Tom Dickey collection marked "24"
for Savannah Siege lines. I got this shell from Pete so it means a lot to me being such a big fan of "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War".

jonpatterson

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2014, 10:11:28 PM »
The favorite relic of my collection is a 6 pnd shot I got from Terry Waxham. He found it on June 12, 1966 on the edge of a ravine where Tom Greens Cavalry was pounded by the Chicago Mercantile Battery during the height of the battle at Mansfield. It had been displayed in the Battlepark Museum until closed at some point. Terry felt that since it was fired by the Chicago Mercantile Battery it should have a home near Chicago, so it came my way. While I didn’t dig it (or anything else) myself, to have learned the whole history of it direct from the digger, whom I consider a friend, along with the Chicago connection sets it apart from anything else I have.
It is history that teaches us to hope.

Robert E. Lee

ETEX

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2014, 02:41:20 PM »
Not being a digger (unfortunately) and with all the bullets in my collection this was an easy one. Two MM-379/TTHB-168/RBTRF-IV 333 side cast 3 Ringers dug at Champion Hill by Lonnie Bell from Seth Barton's Brigade, 43rd Georgia battle lines and purchased from John Spicer for $6.00. My great-great-grandfather was a member of the 43rd Georgia and captured during this battle.

MUSTER ROLL OF COMPANY I, 43d REGIMENT
GEORGIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
ARMY OF TENNESSEE
C. S. A.
FORSYTH COUNTY, GEORGIA
ZILLICOFFER GUARDS

Fincher, Jesse C.- 3d Sergeant March 10, 1862. Elected Jr. 2d Lieutenant May 2, 1862; Brevet 2d Lieutenant. Captured at Baker's Creek, Miss. May 16, 1863. Paroled at Johnson's Island, O. and forwarded to Point Lookout, Md. for exchange February 20, 1865.

And like Pete said in his post "maybe-maybe-maybe..." Just coming from the battle lines my gggrandfather fought in means a tremendous amount to me but it is always nice to be able to wonder could they have been?

Dave, this was a great topic to start a thread on and thanks for throwing it out there. It will be very interesting to see what and why our favorite relic means so much to each of us.

dlw1610

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2014, 04:26:53 PM »
This cast brass saber belt plate with affixed script Virginia hat badge was acquired from the late Jerry Wright, Blue Gray Relics, Colonial Heights.  Many of you undoubtedly knew Jerry.  it was found near my boyhood home not far from Hanover junction, present day Dosell, Virginia.  It is a favorite as it carries me back to a time of  cavaliers and cottonfields, only a dream remembered, Gone With the Wind.

dlw1610

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2014, 04:28:09 PM »
I meant Doswell

Lazouave

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2014, 05:39:24 PM »
Why not ask me what kid I like best while they are all standing there!

The picture I have attached includes a couple of my favorite guns. I have always like weapons. But a dug weapon or
an identified weapon is the best for me because I know they "saw the elephant".

In the attached pic, the bottom two rifles that are complete with wood are both rifles I got from Terry Waxham years ago. The bottom most retaining its wood was a Mansfield, LA battlefield pick-up a few years after the war. The name "Wray" is carved into it. You can see it in the photo. Also, near the end of the barrel there is a slight bulge and split.
I assume the reason it was discarded.

The other, just above the previous rifle, came from Gen. Walker's Confederate camp north of Mansfield. It was in Bayou Bon Chasse with 4 others. Imagine walking into Terry's den and seeing 5 complete dug rifles lying side-by-side on the floor.

I have many more "favorites" in my collection, but there has always been something about the "Wray" rifle.

Thanks Terry!

Daveslem

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2014, 06:23:02 PM »
Great thread and great relics, guys.
Later,
Dave Slemmer

CarlS

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2014, 10:16:12 AM »
Good thread and it got me thinking about a lot of great times and some decent relics I've found over the years.  I narrowed down my list to two items but can't really decide which I like better so if it's not stretching the definition of favorite too much I'd like to submit two.

The shell is one of my first finds from the mid-70's; I think it was my 7th shell.  I was hunting the backyard of a friend on my high school tennis team and found it under the high voltage lines that ran behind his house.  While fairly rare it is not the rarest I've found but just has a look I like.  It is a Read with the narrow bourrelets and long copper sabot with a copper fuse adapter.  This one was found in excellent condition with no dings on the fuse and the sabot is perfect showing the 14 lands-n-grooves of the CS rifle.  The iron had a light surface rust and just had a nice dug look so I never even took the time to run it through electrolysis which given how many shells I've done this to it's amazing this one hasn't found it's way into the tank.  One like it is shown on the 1993 edition of Dickey and George page 264.  A side note to this item is that many years later I was able to purchase a Read bolt found very close to the same area that has the same rifling on it and it's highly likely came from the same gun.



The other item is a trunnion off a model 1861 2.9-inch Parrott rifle that was knocked off in the heat of battle.  It appears from the trunnion strap the carriage was impacted at the front of the strap and the force snapped the trunnion backwards and off.  It is really cool to find a piece so prominently dated.  I found the trunnion about 40 feet to the right of the closest gun emplacement and the strap was found back behind the emplacement about 30 feed.  Fortunately my good friend and hunting buddy who found the strap was kind enough to want the strap and trunnion to be together and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  So in addition to the really cool relic it has the memories off some great times too.  I've also attached an image of one still attached to the cannon for perspective.




« Last Edit: February 02, 2014, 10:21:37 AM by CarlS »
Best,
Carl

redbob

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Re: what's your favorite ??
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2014, 11:13:34 AM »
The letters that my Great-greatgrandfather wrote during the Civil War while he was a prisoner on Johnson's Island.