There are many examples of carved Minie balls and artifacts fashioned from lead during the Civil War period in:

Phillips, Stanley S. 
    Excavated Artifacts from Campsites and Battlefields of the Civil War; Lanham, MD; 191-198

Hope this helps some.

Rich Green
Historic Archaeological Research
4338 Hadley Court
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Office:  (765) 464-8735
Mobile: (765) 427-4082
www.har-indy.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sean Dunham 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 9:44 AM
  Subject: Re: enthusiasm for the past run amok/Lead Disk Revisited


  Aside from being disturbed by the vandalism of archaeological sites, I
  was interested to see the reference to the carved bullets from the Civil
  War battlefield sites.  Are such objects commonly found by non relic
  hunters?  Can anybody recommend a good report or source that illustrates
  some of these.

  Also, thanks to everyone who has responded to my earlier post on lead
  disks.

  Thanks,

  Sean Dunham

  Sean B. Dunham, RPA
  Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group, Inc.
  Phone:  517-788-3550 / FAX:  517-788-6594
  e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
  http://www.ccrginc.com

  >>> [log in to unmask] 07/13/04 10:19AM >>>
  Interesting coincidence that a similar article ran in today's Atlanta
  Journal-Constitution. I am getting ready to send a letter to the editor
  now. Both stories give "helpful tips" on how you too can become a site
  desecrator. Although the Relic Hunters organization proports to only
  search on private property and to focus on sites that are already being
  disturbed, the fact remains that enthusiasm for "treasure hunting"
  encourages people to expand their search. Archaeological investigations
  employing metal detector survey that we have conducted in Cobb County in
  major battle areas have turned up practically nothing as a result of the
  thorough work of relic hunters. I found it particularly annoying that
  the curator of a museum (one heavily supported by neo-Confederates in
  Kennesaw) would advocate this type of artifact recovery. I went ahead
  and pasted the text of the story here, since the AJC site requires
  registration:

  Buried treasure with a tale to tell

  By CLINT  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> WILLIAMS
  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  Published on: 07/12/04



  The refuse of two great armies is scattered across Cobb County, left
  behind 140 years ago by the soldiers who fought at Kennesaw Mountain and
  other battles of the Civil War's Atlanta campaign.

  One soldier's trash is Roy Baker's treasure.

  Baker, a cabinetmaker, is among the hard-core relic hunters who comb
  the countryside with metal detectors looking for buttons, buckles and
  bullets left behind by the boys in blue and gray. Baker is among the 130
  members of the North Georgia Relic Hunters Association, which meets
  twice a month in Marietta.

  Baker spends about eight hours a week seeking long-buried artifacts
  from Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's fabled March to the Sea, driven by a
  passion for history and the thrill of the hunt. Digging up a cannonball
  or bullet, relic hunters say, breathes life into the text of history
  books.

  "It's sort of like a time machine," said Brian Copelan of Dallas. "You
  can't go back in time, but you can retrieve something from 1864."

  A dug relic "speaks to you like a diary," said George Deeming, curator
  for the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in
  Kennesaw.

  On display at the museum is a tin cup with a bullet hole.

  "When you look at that cup, you realize this was a frozen moment,"
  Deeming said.

  Jim Hammonds of Marietta once found a spot where he dug up Confederate
  bullets that had been dropped before being fired mixed with Union
  bullets that had been fired. An ambush? A panicky retreat?

  "It makes you understand what they were going through," Hammonds said.

  Carved bullets are a common find, evidence of the tedium between
  battles. Civil War soldiers carved the soft shots of lead into chess
  pieces or small sculptures. Baker has a pair of boots carved from
  bullets. Ray McMahan of Paulding County has found tiny lice combs
  crafted from bullets. Copelan said he has found a number of carved
  bullets, "but unfortunately, the ones I find, the guy wasn't a real good
  artist."

  Everything found by Copelan and the other members of the North Georgia
  Relic Hunters Association was found on private property.

  Relic hunting is prohibited in federal and state parks such as Kennesaw
  Mountain National Battlefield Park in Cobb and Picketts Mill Battlefield
  Historic Site in Paulding.

  Relic hunters study historical maps and texts to pinpoint likely
  encampments and battle sites.

  Then they wait for the spot to be cleared for a subdivision or shopping
  center.

  "It seems when they start clearing it [the land] and moving the dirt
  around, that is when stuff pops up," said Copelan.

  Relic hunters said they always ask permission to search the land. What
  they find can end up in private collections, in museums, or, more and
  more, for sale on the Internet.

  A good metal detector can be had for about $500 and can find a bullet a
  foot below the ground. A cannonball can be detected if it's three feet
  under the dirt.

  "We also find a lot of cars and junk," Hammonds said.

  *************************
  Jeffrey L. Holland
  Senior Historian
  TRC Companies, Inc.
  3772 Pleasantdale Road,
  Suite 200
  Atlanta, Georgia 30340
  770-270-1192
  ************************