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Preliminary Artifact Finds

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We are just beginning the cleaning and detailed analysis of the materials so it will take some time to make final determinations. A few things will undoubtedly be reclassified as we get them cleaned and see more details but this list should give you a pretty good idea of what we found. 

I did check the numbers and types of things found in earlier years in the same areas we walked for the road mitigation, and found that our original sampling design was very accurate in predicting the kinds of things we should and, indeed, did find. We estimated, based on some statistical sampling that the earlier work was about a 35% sample. That proved very accurate, but in some areas, like the Calhoun loop road which we sampled heavily in 1994 we found 78% of the artifacts then (the total artifacts recovered includes all earlier work and that from the road work).

Preliminary sorting of the artifacts determined there are 337 individual or groups of artifacts recovered at 320 separate find spot locales.

The table below is an initial sorting determined that the following types of artifacts were recovered:

Artifact

Number Found

45-55 cartridge cases              

82

45-55 unfired cartridges       

6 (one found 10 inches deep,
 probably indicating a rifle pit locale at 
Reno-Benteen) 

Benet primers (loose)

 
4 

45-caliber 405 grain bullets       

47

45-caliber 500 grain bullets       

2 (post-battle)

50-70 cartridge cases               

10 

45-caliber cases fired in .50 guns  

5 

.50-caliber 450 grain bullets      

12

.44-caliber cases fired in Henrys   

41 

.44-caliber cases fired in other guns     

2 

.44-caliber 220 grain bullets            

15

.44 Colt unfired             

1

.44 or .45-caliber Sharps bullet    

1 

.44 Evans case?

 
1 

.44 Short cases?

 
2 

.44-77 Sharps cases                

2

.44-40 cases                        

5 

.45 Colt cases                     

3

.45 Colt cartridges unfired        

2 (one failed to detonate)

.45 Colt bullets              

2 

.56-50 Spencer cases                

2 

.56-50 Spencer cases other          

3 (block or circular firing pin
imprints) 

.50 Spencer bullets                 

2 

.36 spherical balls                 

2 

.44 or .45 spherical balls          

3 

.50 spherical balls                 

5 

Unidentified lead fragments         

3 

Other bullets (Modern)

 
7 

Iron arrowheads               

3 

Gun parts                      

3 (barrel band, Colt backstrap screw, 
and a possible band fragment) 

Canteen Stoppers              

2 

Trouser buttons               

4 

Boot nails                    

2 (one loose, one group with leather 
fragment) 

Horseshoes                    

4 

Horseshoe nails              

2

Horse bone                   

1 (intermediate carpus right front leg)

Lithic debris (prehistoric) 

1 flake

Miscellaneous                       

27 (including some modern items, 
as well as boot heel plate, suspender 
grip, knife handle, possible boiler 
handle, ferrel from a Civil War era 
cleaning brush, and an 1876 cartridge  
belt buckle [post-battle]. 

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