Zouve buttons...

[brnn53]

A friend and I hit a few hammered camp sites yesterday. He found his first 3 ringer and I found these large brass ball objects. Someone on another forum id them as Zouve buttons. They seemed kinda large for buttons but what else could they be? Here's the rest of the finds as well.
Mike

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hello mike, i see you found some nice relics and buttons! a good hunt for sure. i believe they are zouave or "ball" buttons too. they come in smaller cuff sizes too. i like the intact j hook too. thanks, and hh!

 

[VOL1266X]

As usual, GG is correct. I have found some of them in Tennessee. The first one that I found had the part withe shank missing and it took me a while to figure out what it was until later that day when I found a whole ball button. Great digs!!!

 

[johnreb1980]

n/t

 

[RelicDigger1]

Hey Mike, nice finds! Searching behind a New York camp a few years ago, I found a ball button. Then another, and another. Just this past fall I found four more bringing my total to more than 300 from this site. Research showed I'd walked into an early war camp of Zouave troops sent to guard the rest of the infantry.

I've dug a few of those but I still enjoy digging one more. Congrats, bud. See how many you can get out of there!

Richard

 

[brnn53]

Hey Richard, funny thing about this site. I know it was a camp for the 15th Corps so what are these early war buttons doing there? Strange!
Unfortunately wheat has just been planted in this field so that does it until next Winter. I believe that bread will be alot cheaper next year because of all the wheat being planted around here! HH!
Mike

 

[RelicDigger1]

I hear you, Mike. Still waiting on one field to be plowed down this way this late in the year!

As to the early stuff, I've found Marine buttons a couple hundred miles inland at late war sites. A buddy even found a New York at a very late war site. By that time it should have been all eagle buttons as the U.S. Army was identifying itself with the new central government rather than the state governments (New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey buttons, etc).

But with Beaufort, SC having been held since late '61, I believe when Sherman came through he took some of those coastal troops with him or his own troops picked up souvenirs as they made contact with the coastal troops. This explains the early stuff in late war sites farther inland than they ever should have been.

You may have the same situation. A late war unit did a bit of trading with an early war, or coastal unit.

Just my two pence.

Good Hunting!

Richard

 

[Anonymous]

They are also known as "Cadet" buttons, as they will be found on West Point Cadet and most all other military academy jackets and coats. They are wide spread and were used by the South simply because they needed buttons. Union Cavalry (early Dragoons) used them as well. Cool finds! David

 

[brnn53]

Thanks David! You never know what will turn up in a camp site!
Mike