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
************************