Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Musket balls - what era?

ATDigger

ATDigger

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Location
Western New York
Found these at a home from the 1830s. However, prior to it's construction, there were troops stationed here during the War of 1812. This is well documented and I have found a Light Artillery button on site as well. I'm sure it's next to impossible to know, but any idea when these might be from?

7-11_Musket_ball_measured.JPG

7-14_Musket_ball_measured.JPG

7-14_Musket_ball_close-up.jpg
 
I gave up trying to date round balls. There doesn't seem to be a good way to do it. If it has a nice white patina then it's been in the ground for "a good while". 50? 100? 200? Who knows :laughing:
 
Definitely War of 1812 as long as you find other artifacts. Keep me
Posted!
 
Not a whole lot of artifacts from that era, but then again, I rarely dig iron targets so I'm probably missing a bunch. I have found some early buttons including the LA button. I've also found a ton of "lead drippings" which, until now, I assumed were from soldering copper gutters or similar. Now I think it was probably from casting musket balls! :shock:
 
Regarding ID of musket balls, nothing to hang your hat on (date, country, etc).
Better not to spend too much time worrying. ID is nearly impossible.
 
Yes, you definitely need to look for more artifacts, if u find more artifacts from the war then you'll know for sure
 
yandosan said:
Regarding ID of musket balls, nothing to hang your hat on (date, country, etc).
Better not to spend too much time worrying. ID is nearly impossible.
Click to expand...

yando is quite right. Lead gets a coating of lead oxide (the white stuff on old lead). This oxide forms a barrier against further oxidation and the oxide no longer grows. In different soil conditions it may grow slower or faster, but at some point it seals the lead against further corrosion. Hence a ball that has been buried for 100 years will look the same as one that was in the ground for 200 years. Sometimes they can reach the level of no more oxide growth in 50-75 years. All military firearms sooner or later become "army surplus" and were used for hunting well after their military use and balls were used in pistols, muskets, rifles, and shotguns.
 
I found some musket balls and took them to the coin store (he hunts artifacts too) and he imediately said they were from the second seminole war. You know what! He was right! Thus, untill proven otherwise, say they are from the war of 1812! Finding more artifacts will confirm or upset this theory. Good luck man.
 
The musket balls pictured above are the size used in 69cal muskets, such as the French Charleyville, used by American forces during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Musket balls that measured 69cal were used in the British 75cal Brown Bess musket. The marks on your musket ball could have been made by medical tongs used to extract the ball from a wound.
Here is a good article about musket balls recovered from the Revolutionary War battlefield at Monmouth NJ.
http://www.southerncampaign.org/sample-page/
Scroll down and click on "Vol. 2 No. 1" to download the pdf article.
 
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