Posted 14 years ago
rfs1920
(4 items)
I really like your Show and Tell pages and I thought your readers might enjoy seeing some artifacts I found in the refuse burn pit at an old abandoned fort. The fort was closed in 1940 so the artifacts probably date from the 20's and 30's.
Most of the military buttons and insignia came from the uniforms of the 12th Infantry who took over the fort when the coast artillery left in the early 20's. The 30.06 and .45 ammo are pieced together cartridges and projectiles I found and cleaned up. I have a question that one of your knowledgable readers might help me with. I'm pretty sure the larger brass eagle is an officers cap insignia but I'm not sure about the purpose of the smaller eagle. Is it also a cap insignia? The DUI is from the 12th Infantry and includes a dragon with a sword and a teepee. The ID tag belonged to a private named William Stanton who was in the service company at the fort in 1935-36.
The brass hardware must have come from field gear and horse/mule harnesses that were disposed of and burned.
The bric-a-brac collection includes watches, a razor, make-up compacts, a lead soldier, marbles, tableware shards, a compass, a lighter, a sheet music holder, eyeglasses, a whistle, belt buckles, a silver bracelet, perfume and medicine bottles, buttons, a key, a shaving stick container, a syringe needle, wheat pennies, a thermometer, a cuff-link, ceramic figures and assorted items I have no idea about.
Very nice display
Thank you. Your collection is mindblowing.
Thanks gentlemen, Coming from you four, it's high praise indeed. Can any of you help me with the purpose of the smaller eagle insignia?
Hi, I have a therory about the small eagle. I think it's part of an enlisted man's cap insignia. It would have gone of top of a brass, slightly convex, disk of about an inch and a half diameter. This type of hat insignia became official issue in 1936.
I wonder if the ammo is still live ?
He says he pieced together the cartridges and projectiles. At the center of each of the 5-round 1903 Springfield clips, he has a dummy or practice round.
Oh yes, I should have read it more carefully.
Thank you for your info regarding the smaller eagle insignia. Do you have a link or pic that shows the enlisted cap you refer to?
Regarding the ammo. I recently found two "gallery" or "guard" projectiles in the burn pit. They're rounded lead projectiles that were used in situations where regular 30.06 rounds were not advised.
I also found a 37 mm gun shell. It's marked AMLOT 37mm Gun. Do you know anything about AMLOT?
Here's something similar to what I’m talking about on the link below, 4th one over on the top row. It's of two piece construction, the eagle and disk being able to be taken apart for polishing, etc. An oblong, rather than round "glory" over the eagles head was more common in earlier versions. Was there a post in the middle of the back of your eagle?
http://medalweb.us/souv/eUS/Badges.html
I've seen "AM LOT" on cases, but I'm not sure what it means.
wow, would love to spend my off time hunting those grounds! FUN!!