☆ CS Richmond Rifled Musket Lock Plate ☆ MY COOLEST FIND YET!

[Isaac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92rVjJrGoZ8 <- Video (if you'd like to watch!)

AMAZING weather and an AMAZING weekend of finds!!! I went down to my families property where I dug a "late-war" GS button and a few other doodad's in February. I figured out that a pre-civil war house once stood (burned down in the late 1800s) where a vacant 1940s house is now. (it was my step grandfather's parent's house) I knew there had to be more stuff there... boy... I was so right!!!

I got there Friday night and hunted most of the day on Saturday. I also snuck in about 2 hours on Sunday. I got a nice sun burn on my arms, neck, and face... I didn't realize the sun would be so strong this early in the year. Anyway, I'm so lucky. The site is only a 1/4 mile away, so I walked there. It was absolutely gorgeous out that day, 75 and sunny.

When I get to the site, I hit the field across the street from where the house once stood. Immediately, I get a sweet sounding button signal at about 5" deep. I made a plug and flipped it over. There she was, right on top of the plug. It wasn't a button though. It was a coin! I wiped the dirt off and immediately knew what I had. A fatty indian! The corrosion and wear is a great on this coin, it was hard to make anything out. Luckily, I managed to get a date, 1860. After a while of getting shotgun shells and other various "newer" casings... and some annoying little aluminum wires on rhw surface that ring up like faint brass. I chased a faint signal a few minutes after the fatty indian head. I dug down 8", a two-piece button! It was a nice GS eagle button! After a couple buckles and some other odds and ends, I decided to take a short break. I was so thirsty and out of energy so I ate some lunch and drank some water. It was refreshing to say the least! It's been a long time since I've felt 75 degrees with the sun out.

After a short break, I got back out to hunting. I thought the front field I was hunting was completely devoid of targets... until I started gridding it. That's when I got a BEAUTIFUL coin reading. 84-85 solid only 2-3" deep on the AT Pro. I stuck the shovel into the dirt and pried it up, I quickly saw the rim of a silver quarter. Luckily I got it on live dig. I was hoping for a really old one because of the sites age, but I believe this one was lost when the "new" house was built. I worn out SLQ! I'll take 'er, even if she's in rough shape. So far I have 3 silver quarters this year and none are Washington Quarters, pretty cool!

About 10 minutes later, I dig an AWESOME colonial shoe buckle piece! After that, I decided to hit the right side of the house, where I haven't hit that hard yet. Right away, I pop a pair of modern sunglasses. Then my next signal under where a plastic pool used to sit. Well I got a nice signal, bouncing in the 70s. I had to dig underneath and rip out a piece of plastic in order to get down to the signal. When I saw a bullet come out from the hole, I was extremely surprised. I thought it would've been a piece of trash. Only a minute later I pull up a flat button. Then another one, this one is tombac! After that I got a sweet fired bullet. Next target a few feet away was a mystery piece of iron. I had no idea what it was at the time, but it looked pretty cool. It was my cousin's 6th birthday on the 9th and he wanted to use the metal detector for a while. We swung to the left of what was an old road... we got a solid 99 hit on the AT PRO, very tight signal... that's a number you rarely see. I pop a shallow hole and I see a giant brass disc. I pull it out and I saw the great seal eagle. It was a WWI horse bridal rosette! My step grandfather found a bent up one of these on the property with his old Silver uMax. We keep digging and come up with some shotgun shells, a flat button, and then... BAM!!!

Walking back to the house to get ready for dinner, we get a sweet signal... it turns out to be a civil war bullet. Not just any bullet, my FIRST WILLIAM'S CLEANER!!! That was so awesome!!! I had no idea about the mystery piece of iron until I got home. I showed my step grandfather and he said it looked like a piece off a musket, then I texted Luke (PACivilwarLuke) from on the forum and he agreed. A percussion cap was hiding among the relics as well, I had no idea what it was at first... it looked almost like a bullet casing but I got confirmation that it was definitely a percussion cap from the tip of a musket. I called it a night and then went back the next morning. I found about a half a dozen buttons and a sweet thimble in an area I hadn't hunted before... a new colonial hot spot for next time!!!


I was so excited about the gun piece and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Luke helped me figure out which type of gun the lock plate was off of and we finally came up with a conclusion. It was a CS Richmond rifled musket... the most intriguing thing about this piece is... the hammer is cocked up, which means it was getting ready to be fired. My theory is that a confederate soldier during the battle of Lee's Retreat/Saylor's Creek probably was getting ready to fire his next bullet when he got wounded, wasn't able to fire the gun and lost the gun while the hammer was still cocked. Who knows... just imagine if the finds we detectorists get can talk and tell a story of their lives before settling in the dirt. At least we can think of reasons why our finds are "how they are". I officially caught the relic bug. I'll be looking for the bayonet, trigger, and barrel next time I'm there!!!


GL and HH everyone! Thanks for viewing my thread.



Here's a video of the hunt! Take care everyone.