Question about musket balls and buttons I found

[Accteam]

Hello,

I have a question for anyone who is willing to give some ideas. My son and I were metal detecting in this park-like area and for a good part of the day, we found nothing but light trash and some pocket change.

I finally got a hit, which was very solid. At about 4 or 6 inches, up came my first musket ball. Shocked does not fully explain how I truly felt. I called my son over and he also could not believe what I had just found. We quickly started to grid off this area and it turned out to be a great spot. We would return back a few times to find about 24 musket balls, 8 buttons, 1830 5 cent piece, 1852 3 cent piece and a 1835 some kind of military naval coin.

The Question:

As I explained, we found all of this stuff in a small area. About the size of half a football field. But this area is much...much bigger. Why would all this only show up in that area and not mixed around in the whole field? Is there a way to tell if the musket balls have been fired or not? I'm trying to figure out if they were all dropped or maybe from being shot at. And last question, looking at the type of buttons we found, which side did they belong to?

Thanks in advance for any help, tips, advice. My son and I are looking forward to hearing about this.

Jon

 

[d-2]

Maybe some dirt was hauled in or it's just a place that had never been hunted and yall lucked out. I dont knwo anthing about buttons but some you have there look old to me. Just hang on someone will help you after while...d2

 

[Steve in PA]

You have buttons spanning 100 years there, War of 1812 to World War I.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Steve on button age. You have military 1812 buttons, civilian buttons (one piece smooth, flower or geometric designs fall into that category. We refer to them as coin, flat or penny buttons), WW I/II (right button is a US 1902 Great Seal button) and the Naval button may be military or civilian, cleaning and the back will tell. Your round balls will most likely mic out at .74 (Rev War) or .68 Mexican-Civil War era. Only the micrometer will know Congrats on some nice finds! Lets see those coins. Good hunting, David@Dixie

 

[Accteam]

Hey,

Thanks for helping out. Thats strange why I found buttons from two different era's...I wish now that I took the time to mark where I found each piece...oh well.


Thanks again for truly helping out. Also do you think the musketballs were dropped or fired? If they were fired but never hit their target, would they still have a mark on them?


Jon

 

[Va Dave]

n/t

 

[birdman]

They look like drops to me.Must have been a small camp site.

 

[Steve in PA]

Fired musketballs are flattened and deformed, those look perfectly round. I would get back there and work that spot hard. The WWI/WWII Great Seal button could have been lost later on, everything else looks 19th century.