Looziana Loot

09/20/2024

It’s a button!

09/18/2024

I dug this near a Louisiana CIvil War battle area.. the wear and tear on it is so severe, it is difficult to tell what it is! It has the hole in top as seen when some coins were punched and worn on a string..but not sure if its a coin or not? Any ideas? Thoughts?

09/17/2024

Although not civil war related , I did find this cool vintage 1920s Re Umberto olive oil bottle while digging ! Always cool finding items that I had no idea existed!

09/11/2024

I dug these on a hillside on the Louisiana/Mississippi border..mixture of dropped and fired minies with some artillery action incoming as discovered from the case shot! Great day of digging!

09/06/2024

09/03/2024

I haven't found a lot of buttons in my time searching for relics..but one of the best is this awesome Virginia cuff button! I found on one of my 3 trips to Virginia venturing out from my home state of Louisiana.

08/30/2024

I found this .58 minie ball that was not only swaged but pulled..double cool-ness!!

08/29/2024

Heads you win! Tails you lose! Here is something I found while looking for Civil War artifacts. It’s an advertising token for Cascarets- a laxative that came into market about 1894 into the 1920s- The CCC stands for “Candy Coated Cathartic (laxative)”.. The main ingredient was cascara or buckhorn tree found in western US. As the token says “Always Win -Best for the Bowels”! Tony Brantley

08/25/2024

Although found back in the spring, I have to show off my friend, John Russell’s Marshall, Texas Arsenal Confederate manufacured Shenkl artillery shell! I was 3 feet from swinging over this before John found …but junk iron was everywhere ! Proves you need to dig the iron even if junk iron around!
Then to top it off , he goes and finds a .58 caliber rifle barrel in the side of a creek! Can you say a BLESSED MAN! Congrats again John!

08/18/2024

One hek of a day! 40 Minnie’s and round balls.. one big .69, some artillery pieces, camp knife and ….a golf ball?😜

08/14/2024

Love me some southern .69 caliber lead!

08/08/2024

11 in one hole! The most .58 civil war minnies that I've ever found together! More than likely lost by a Union soldier retreating from getting their b***y kicked at the Battle of Mansfield/Sabine Crossing on April 8, 1864.

07/27/2024

I was not long into my metal detecting addiction when I found my one and only US belt plate.. and battle damaged at that! This unfortunate US soldier lost this at the battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864- Red River Campaign - US General Nathaniel Banks vs Confederate General Richard Taylor.

07/25/2024

Boom 💥! Can you imagine the sound of a 217 pound 13” mortar ball coming at you! The first photo is my partial recreation of a 13” mortar round shot from Farraguts’ US Gun Boats at Port Hudson, La. I pieced it together from fragments that I found digging. I can only imagine the anxiety those Confederate soldiers felt as these came screaming in !!! Saving history before it’s lost forever!

07/01/2024

I call it a lead "fossil"... I love it when these imprints of a 160 yr old lead .58 cal minie' are left behind.. as I save this piece of American civil war history...

06/27/2024

I had the pleasure of recovering this 9" Dahlgren shell cullet in Vicksburg. Below are photos of it fresh out of the hole and later after preservation. Also included a photo of a "whole" IX=9" shell. After cleaning, electrolysis and preserving, it turned out to be a nice artillery piece to add to my collection of history! For more info on the Dahlgren take a look at this Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlgren_gun

06/19/2024

Part of the haul from my recent trip to Virginia! .54 and .58 -3 ring Minnie’s, a few Williams cleaners , broken large colonial button, and few other lead remnants - I
was fortunate enough to recover history from two different battlefield areas- Petersburg and White Oak Road. More loot and history to come on my trip in future post!

06/05/2024

Recently I participated in a hunt out in good ole Virginia. My good friend Chris Boardwine with To***co Road Relics was with with me as well as Grant Gitschlag. History Hunts Metal Detecting put on good hunt. I found some history to save and enjoyed some beautiful scenery in the creek bottoms. There were quite a few US plates , buttons, coins and colonial items found. Overall a good time enjoying the hobby

05/25/2024

Found this Parrott artillery fragment at a Louisiana Civil War site ..after electrolysis, coating with rust reformer and a fresh coat of paint to keep it looking in great.. it’s ready for display …History saved !

05/07/2024

I was driving through A small Louisiana town today, and came up on a relic of the civil war .. A Confederate Cemetery .. Here CSA soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of Mansfield , also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossing, were laid to rest ..some know but the majority unknown.. Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas troops …the youngest soldier one was only 14! Tony Brantley

05/02/2024

Had an opportunity to hunt the American Civil War Battle of Yellow Bayou (Red River Campaign) thanks to my friend Brett Pollard. Found Parrot shell base and some hotchkiss fragments along with 3 ringers. One bullet was a nice swage bullet that was pulled by a soldier from his muzzleloader. Bret Pollard Tony Brantley