Indian wars treasure

[Combat]

Went to one of my deer lease's yesterday to get an idea what all needed to be done before season. It had been clear cut earlier this summer. While scouting out a deer trail I found a piece of pottery on the ground. I started looking around for some more and quickly found some more. Then I spotted an arrow head. All of this was in a 50' circle or so of each other. When I was leaving I saw what looked to be a nickel or some other coin lying next to the trail. I wiped it off and it turned out to be a US button. Looked it up and it's from the 1812 to about 1820 or so era. Around these parts that's when the US army was starting to help move the locals out west to they're new home in Oklahoma. Some of them didn't want to go so they gave them the dirt nap option. Anyway, here is a couple of pics.

 

[Damn Yankee]

The American Indians had poor "Immigration Laws"

 

[usm1rifle]

I would return to that area and look for more goodies, could be a skirmish or camp site.

 

[M&P Freak]

Nice finds, I would be out there today looking for more...

 

[Sven]

Nice!!! Looks like it's time for a metal detector!

 

[Combat]

I will be going back with a metal detector when I can. Today I'm going to a funeral so it would be next weekend before I could do it. In case anyone was wondering all Indian artifacts were released back into their native habitat after the photo-op. There are some new laws about picking that stuff up I'm not to sure about so I'm playing the better safe than sorry game. I don't think there is anything wrong with or illegal about keeping buttons or early American stuff.

 

[quneur]

I don't know about GA but I believe those laws preventing you from picking up relics were made because the actual location is just as important as the finds. I would call someone like a local historian at a local college and invite them to your stand. If anything, you'll learn a lot about the history in your area.

It looks like a U.S. Army Greatcoat button. Would it be from the Seminole Wars up in GA?

 

[Combat]

more info on some Ga. history

It seems Guneur was right about the Seminole connection. I found an obscure book written by a local historian that had a chapter on early Indian history in my county. In 1818 a "brigade of Tennessee Gunman" left Ft. Perry in Marion Co. and headed to Ft. Gaines which is south of where I live on the banks of the Chattahoochee river. There were no roads here at the time so they had to travel on the Indian trail to get there.The local Indians (Creeks) were friendly to them and some even went with the militia on their quest. As they traveled across Randolph Co. (where I live) one of them must have lost a button. Anyway, after they left Ft. Gaines they went to Ft. Scott where joined with Gen. Andrew Jackson's troops the Seminoles were defeated. Sorry for the long story about a button but to me it turned out to be an interesting relic of some unknown local history.

 

[DeathGrip]

That's really cool. I wonder if the button might have belonged to an Indian. It's a possibility that it was a gift from a troop or a war souvenir. I guess that would depend on which tribes encampment it was found on, or it was just lost.

If only it could tell its story.......

 

[tops]

That's what I think when I find something old like that. By using my imagination I can think up a bunch of good possibilities and probably all of them wrong. Larry

 

[feralmerril]

Well since the button was found with pottery, kind of makes ya wonder what the last dinner was.

 

[gjgalligan]

Seeing as you are leasing the land I doubt you have a legal right to keep any of the items unless it is in your lease.

 

[Rule3]

This is just plain "cool" Can't think of another word.

Fascinating!

Up in MN where we go hiking there is sectioned off areas (in the middle of no where) of old small cemeteries, and homesteads, I love exploring and looking for stuff like that.

Here where I live, there are shell mounds all through the Intercoastal made by the Calusa Indians. The ruled the whole area from the West Coast over to the East thousands of years ago. Many of the major sites of course have been looted and tore up.