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Dug dropped .52 caliber Sharps Carbine bullet


lost-and-found-history
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lost-and-found-history

While relic hunting in the area of Fort Churchill, Nevada, I dug this dropped .52 cal Sharps carbine bullet. Fort Churchill was a Union Army Cavalry and Artillery outpost located in what is now Lyon County, Nevada, from 1860-1869. The soldiers were tasked with protecting the Westward emigrant routes and Pony Express trail from hostile Paiute Indians. This little gem was nearly 8 inches down and was found with dozens of fired percussion caps in what we believe was an off-post firing range. My partner and I have dug hundreds of these, round balls, .44 and .36 cal pistol balls and three ring bullets of various calibers.

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Very nice . Most of the bullets we dig in South Louisiana are almost always white. I was wondering if it has something to do with the soil type. Here it is black jack mud or river silt. The only grey bullets usually come out of a creek bed. Just curious.

 

David

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lost-and-found-history

Very nice . Most of the bullets we dig in South Louisiana are almost always white. I was wondering if it has something to do with the soil type. Here it is black jack mud or river silt. The only grey bullets usually come out of a creek bed. Just curious.

 

David

The soil at our location is packed sand to a depth of several feet and usually pretty dry up to 12 inches, depending on recent precip. Even iron cannonball shrapnel that we find is only minimally rusted. Right now, even as cold as it's been, the ground isn't frozen, so as long as it's dumping snow, we can go out.

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Nice bullet. If you don't mind, please post a some pictures of the cannonball shrapnel. I'd like to see what they look like without being covered in rust. Thanks.

 

Mikie

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lost-and-found-history

Nice bullet. If you don't mind, please post a some pictures of the cannonball shrapnel. I'd like to see what they look like without being covered in rust. Thanks.

 

Mikie

Mikie.....

As requested, here is a photo of just one of the better pieces of 12 lb. cannonball shrapnel that I've dug. To date, I've probably dug enough to build my own cannonball! This piece is from the top of the cannonball, and you can see where the Borman fuse would have been. The small piece is a matching section of this very cannonball, and was, believe it or not, dug nearly a quarter mile away! Fort Churchill was assigned three 12 lb. Napoléon cannons. All three original cannons are still there and on display at the museum.When the fort received word by telegraph that President Lincoln had been assassinated, all three cannon crews were ordered to fire one volley every half hour from sunrise to sunset until Lincoln's burial. There is still plenty of shrapnel to be dug, and the last time I was out, I found several large pieces from 2 to 6 inches deep from the same cannonball within a 10 square foot area, indicating what I believe was a low altitude detonation.

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