Question/ ID on small US Buckle + two US dug plates from Battle of Atlanta

[triplecanopy]

My question is about the small US Buckle in the lower left of the photos. I have included a regular size US belt buckle and a US box plate for comparison.  I found them both back in the 1960's in Southwest Atlanta near where the Battle of Ezra Church took place.  Where I grew up was where several skirmishes occurred as part of the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 . When I found the box plate I also uncovered 8 Williams cleaner minie balls (I still have those too). So what I am wondering about is the small US buckle. Does anyone know the period or use? Was it a cadet buckle?

[P-59A]

My mom was born in Little Shanty, but she was raised in Marrietta just down from the Big Chicken. Some developer bought everyone out and put in a busness park, I think its called the White Water busness park. As a boy in the late 60's-early 70's we drove out for Xmass everey year. I always made my moms side take me out. I spent lots of time hiking Kennesaw Mtn. Never found a thing, but thier was a old mom and pop store near Altoona that had tons of things found by the stores owner over decades of walking around. You were living my dream!!!

[manifestdestiny]

The smaller buckle is the M1839 Enlisted Belt Plate. They were common in the 1840s, and these plates were also issued to state units as well.  

[triplecanopy]

50 minutes ago, manifestdestiny said:

The smaller buckle is the M1839 Enlisted Belt Plate. They were common in the 1840s, and these plates were also issued to state units as well.  

Thank you. I seem to recall someone told me that it might be pre-war now that you confirmed it. I think I paid $1.50 for it at an antique shop in 1960.  I was always curious about it because of its size.

[manifestdestiny]

3 hours ago, triplecanopy said:

Thank you. I seem to recall someone told me that it might be pre-war now that you confirmed it. I think I paid $1.50 for it at an antique shop in 1960.  I was always curious about it because of its size.

That's a hell of a deal. They are worth a little more than a run of the mill Union belt buckle from the war. Those are some really nice buckles/plates.

[triplecanopy]

Thanks,

I used to do a lot of relic hunting back when I was in high school. I found far more items with my eyes than with a metal detector. I had an old Fisher T-10 back then, but after a rain minie balls would appear in ditches and gullies. They were usually white against a Georgia red clay background so fairly easy to spot. A friend of mine had a wash tub almost full of bullets, but I probably only found a couple hundred. I wish now that I had looked a bit harder around the area where I found the box plate and the 8 cleaners as the round breast eagle plate was probably there too.

[Duggap]

There were rumors that some of those were in the southern arsenals, and that is why they are sometimes found on Confederate sites.  I was with a fellow who dug one on a Confederate site. But I have no idea if that was true or not.  BTW his was a baby cartridge box plate. 

[triplecanopy]

Back in the 1960's my friends and I did a lot of relic hunting around the sites in SW Atlanta and Cascade Heights near where the Battle of Ezra Church was fought. We turned up a lot of interesting items but the best find ever was the inside part of a two piece CS Officers buckle. My friend found it, so I don't have it to show. That is the part that has he letters CS on it. For years we looked all over and around that spot for the other piece with the wreath, but no luck. It must still be out there somewhere.