If anyone has one, please post a VID spreadsheet on numbers related to Civil War relics. I am a long-time detectorist, but 99% of my experience has been spent on beaches and coin shooting old homesteads. That said......I have recently received permission to hunt three plots of land along the James River in eastern VA totaling nearly 1500 acres - some wooded, some farmed/tilled and some cleared for hunting. Best part - this land is rich in history! The same family has owned it for nearly 100 years and much of it was used as a headquarters/medical camp by General Grant during the Civil War. The owner commented that he use to find Civil War bullets on top of the ground when he was a child - even plowed up a buckle or two. Although he appeared less than excited, I was trying to contain myself; as he and his family value their privacy. Nevertheless, I popped the question and he said YES.
About a week ago, he took me out to show me around the property. I took my CTX just in case. It was VERY wet and muddy. After the tour, about 1 hour before dark, we stopped by one of the tilled fields (corn). Stepped out of the truck, turned on the CTX, first target I dug was five feet from the truck - 6" deep - civil war bullet! Over the next hour, I quickly detected an area about the size of a basketball court. Initially looking for the magic 12-35 VID that got me the first bullet, my curiosity got the best of me. In the end, I pulled out some shredded aluminum, some scrap iron/trash, a total of 8 three ring rifle bullets and 1 smaller one ring pistol bullet - I think its a pistol bullet. All but two of the rifle bullets - the ones found at 12 inches - were damaged by the plow. Bottom line - I can barely wait for the rain/snow to stop and the temperature to rise above 25 degrees! The field we stopped at on the way out wasn't even close to the historic sites he pointed out. I only have six months to exercise this new opportunity, as I am an active duty military officer scheduled to move in July.
Please forward/post any common Civil War VID numbers so I can build an initial relic program that can be used to essentially survey a particular site. Maybe even post a tested discrimination pattern. I will be sure to post the finds....below is a photo of some of the bullets found on the initial one hour hunt. Forgive the quality of the photo, I took it with my phone.
About a week ago, he took me out to show me around the property. I took my CTX just in case. It was VERY wet and muddy. After the tour, about 1 hour before dark, we stopped by one of the tilled fields (corn). Stepped out of the truck, turned on the CTX, first target I dug was five feet from the truck - 6" deep - civil war bullet! Over the next hour, I quickly detected an area about the size of a basketball court. Initially looking for the magic 12-35 VID that got me the first bullet, my curiosity got the best of me. In the end, I pulled out some shredded aluminum, some scrap iron/trash, a total of 8 three ring rifle bullets and 1 smaller one ring pistol bullet - I think its a pistol bullet. All but two of the rifle bullets - the ones found at 12 inches - were damaged by the plow. Bottom line - I can barely wait for the rain/snow to stop and the temperature to rise above 25 degrees! The field we stopped at on the way out wasn't even close to the historic sites he pointed out. I only have six months to exercise this new opportunity, as I am an active duty military officer scheduled to move in July.
Please forward/post any common Civil War VID numbers so I can build an initial relic program that can be used to essentially survey a particular site. Maybe even post a tested discrimination pattern. I will be sure to post the finds....below is a photo of some of the bullets found on the initial one hour hunt. Forgive the quality of the photo, I took it with my phone.
