Relic Hunting the Civil War Battlefield of Cold Harbor Virginia

Having walked the Battlefields of Cold Harbor for over 50 years, I've developed a love for the history of the place, and the sobering relics of the war that the ground so grudgingly gives up. Come along as I coax a few more from their resting pIaces under the soil, and witness them seeing the light of day for the first time in a century and a half! I conclude all of my videos with the revealing of some rare or unusual relic that was unearthed in the past. The one in this video was pulled out of a swamp 54 years ago in 1968. Enjoy the chase, and please don't forget to Like and Subscribe . . .

[@gary4645]

Your finds now as well as in the past is flat out awesome. To also have your dad finds and to know that this was something that you shared with him I'm sure is even more special. Now a subscriber.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you so much Gary. Ill try to keep it interesting. Daddy was one of the first. Wish I had asked him more about the early days. But I have some stories Ill share in future vids . . .

[@jerrilynward5599]

Thanks for posting this. This fascinates and brings me to prayer for all the men and women who never went home.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

YES.

[@DennisEHayes]

I started detecting in 1972 a little later than you, My first detecting was at the battle of Westport and then the battle of Lone Jack, but I was hooked immediately. I'm now a digaholic. Great videos Walker. Was a Civil War buff before I went to Vietnam after finding thousands of dollars in Confederate currency in the attic of a home we rented that was built by a Union Colonel in 1872. I also found an original copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species, but I gave it to my Biology teacher when I left for Nam, in case I didn't make it back....worth over $50,000 today....dam, dam, dam.

[@cyndiebill6631]

My Great Great Grandfather was at Cold Harbor. NY 2nd Regiment Mounted Rifles. Great video. Just joined your channel today and I love what you’re doing.👍🙂

[@jerrydineen2827]

You sure have some great permissions to find your relics.

[@Bubbabubblebarber]

Oh this is gonna be good, love the music 🎶 🎵

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Ha! me too, and thanks!

[@2muchtrash1]

Just subscribed pal. Really good stuff. I’m a born and raised Richmond area fellow myself. Got into relic hunting back in the 70s with a fellow named Mr. Cooley. Been diggin’ ever since. Never hunted Cold Harbor but have some places not far away. Really appreciate your videos digging’ ever since.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

We're sure cut from the same cloth, 2much. Appreciate your kind words my friend!

[@brianprichard7959]

Very cool Walker, looking forward to another. This first taste was excellent for someone (me) who has know knowledge of relic hunting but find it intriguing. The narration was both educational and entertaining. The progression from explanation to hunting to showcasing past finds was excellent. If you are able to keep producing I will keep watching. Thank you Eightball!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Dang. Your compliments are appreciated Ace! My plan is to continue this into retirement. But I'm a really late entry into the game. (The videoing of it)

[@hb2sami]

My great great grandfather was in the union army, NY 8th Heavy Artillery, Co F. Ephriam Bates, he fought in Cold Harbor and was wounded, he was also wounded in the Siege of Petersburg (battle) even though the NY 8th was Heavy Artillery, they fought as infantry, they never had the high ground to set up Artillery in the siege of Petersburg or cold harbor, at least not very much or often. Thank you and I’ll be watching your videos. New subscriber here, I live in Alaska and really want to visit there and Massachusetts where my ancestry goes back to 1635 Hingham Massachusetts. My ancestors Clement and Ann Bates came from England in 1635 on a ship named the Elizabeth and co- founded the town of Hingham.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

I wish I knew the history of my family like you know yours. I know all about the 8th Heavies. Its a remarkable story of dedication and patriotism. They suffered tremendous losses, too. In my last video (Cold Harbor Artillery Trenches) I find an artillery button. Could have belonged to your ancestor. Also, I hunt with a guy whose ancestor was trying to kill yours! But they BOTH survived. Id be very interested to hear your impressions of that hunt, and the trenches and artifacts associated with your ancestor. If you come to Virginia, I'll take you there. Seriously.

[@jonburrell3212]

Great stuff. My great grandfather was in the 98th NY and was wounded at Cold Harbor in the union attack on June 3, 1864. He survived after months in a hospital. With the help of Gordon Rhea, who wrote a comprehensive book on the battle , I've stood on the ground where the 98th launched their attack.

[@harveylloyd7486]

Great memories of my younger days digging holes. Good video keep the coming

[@geoparrothead1]

Thank you so much for the video. I am home-bound after a stroke years ago and can only dream of searching for and finding relics from our history. You are blessed, and you are a blessing my new friend.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

I'm sorry John. But listen, I'll think about you on my next hunt, and you can go with me through these videos. I hope to post one about every week or 10 days initially. I have two videos now I'm trying to get edited. After about a month, the frequency will slow down. Ill be watching for a comment from you on each one! Thanks for reaching out and commenting!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Hey John - I just uploaded a new Battlefield Walker episode tonight. Check out 10 minutes and 20 seconds in (10:20). You might get a kick out of it . . .

[@jimmywicker1662]

I found these entries in my uncle's relic hunting log regarding Cold Harbor trips. My uncle is Robert O'Hara. I get a kick out of reading these - brings back good memories. "Sunday, November 30, 1980 (sunny and clear, 55 degrees): Went to Cold Harbor with Dave White, Jo Ann O'Hara, Sandy Roberts, and Dad Wicker [Fred Wicker, Sr.] (second battle of Cold Harbor was June 1-13, 1864). We hunted on Dave White's approximately 30 acres adjacent to park land. We drove on park road and on the user road coming out to a lane off the park ground. I [Robert O'Hara] found shrapnel, and Sandy Roberts found four minnie balls. [Dave White is Judge, David Meade White]" "Saturday, November 24, 1983, Thanksgiving weekend (bright, sunny and clear 75 degrees): Jim Wicker and I [Robert O'Hara] went to Mechanicsville Rt. 156 to David Meade White's place read of Cold Harbor. Jim found some artillery shell pieces and I found two minnie bullets and one great Civil War Virginia State brass button. Ate lunch, then a Mr. Mahon, son-in-law of Mrs. Via and Park Ranger Mr. Southers drove up and made us leave as it wasn't White's and McCall's property, and we were trespassing. Came on home!" To this day, I remember digging up that button, and it was a beautiful thing. If this was your first video, you did a great job; I subscribed.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you for subscribing, and your compliment. I know exactly where he was. Used to ride my pony to that property. I grew up about a half mile away. Love the old stories!

[@davidallison2112]

Great video. Appreciate seeing that you have to dig junk to also find the good stuff. Also appreciate you emphasizing how humbling it is to be on such historic grounds, something all of us relic hunters always need to remember.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you David. I want folks to know that you have to sift through a lot of trash! And yes, an honor to be able to walk where such nation-changing events took place.

[@mandograssable]

I have a bullet in wood I found on my property and I cut a section of the hard pine tree and made a nice plaque of it. It was on a hill where the Yankees were dug in and the Confederates had to charge 3 times to get to the top. It was hand-to-hand combat and all the Yankees were killed and the Confederates slit 60 horse's throats so they could not be used to pull all the cannons away. I also found a bullet tree that soldiers had been shooting at for target practice. I got many bullets out of it still in the wood.

[@americanwoman9342]

Amazing!! I have a friend that does metal detecting in Chatham, Wake & Orange counties of NC.. Unfortunately, a lot of those areas are under water now due to the building of Jordan Lake & Shearon Harris Lake.. My understanding is most of those areas were campsites for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.. I have found one Confederate button that was just laying on the ground and was told it’s not that unusual for this area..

[@dawnlefevre9172]

My great-great grandfather fought there. Cool to think maybe you're walking where he walked or finding the spent bullets he shot!!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

YES!!!!!

[@rickmcclintock4300]

Awesome video. Looking forward to more.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

I hope so. Finds are getting scarce in Cold Harbor!

[@bdhbdh2822]

cool relics from the past

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks Brian!

[@donpumsey413]

Great video!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

[@williampickhardt6851]

Thanks for cool educational video, Battlefield Walker

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks William!

[@Civilwar.relics]

Dude i just spent $1700 on a Irish jasper greens button of savannah georgia. Its the coolest confederate button i have, very lucky to be able to dig here im sure the people that live near or on these old battle sites are probably sick of people asking to look. I did a video on it if you never seen one

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

John, I have NOT seen one. Gonna check out your vid!

[@RelicUnderground]

This is one of the best relic hunting videos I’ve ever seen! Great narration, great finds and just an all around wonderful story about the past. Thanks for taking the time to create these videos and I sure hope to see many more!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Man, thank you for that huge compliment! Haven't I seen you on Tnet? Episode 4 landing today . . .

[@RelicUnderground]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 I am on tnet but I think I’m Limestone Cowboy on there. Lol. That name came from working in a stone mill. I haven’t posted much on there but I enjoy looking!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

@@RelicUnderground Same for me. It's a super good informational site . . .

[@johnokeeffe6729]

Great video and at one of my favorite places as I grew up relic hunting Cold Harbor as well. Looking forward to more videos and old digs at the end of your videos.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks John. Did you live nearby?

[@johnokeeffe6729]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 yes i grew up near Ellerson's Garage in the mid 80's and still live in the area. Love that Cold Harbor sand.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

@@johnokeeffe6729 I grew up in the brick rancher directly across the road from Hanover Farms. I was gone by 1983. I used to ride my pony to the garage and watch Bill Ellerson work on cars . . .

[@dcdiggin137]

Great video, the frag in wood is really neat!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks man! I think so too!

[@61chip72]

Great video. I enjoyed the bullets in wood you showed. I dug one near Saylers Creek battlefield, and another in the low country of S.C. Some of my favorite relics

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you! I agree - Something really cool about bullets in wood!

[@SkiSearcher]

very awesome hunt and history of cold harbor ! thanks for saving history ! new sub here brother 🤠🏴‍☠️👍

[@jasonduggan2903]

Good stuff Yo! Keep it up!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Not triangles...!

[@DetectDigSmile]

Great stuff, I love you talking about the history and what you are doing. I did a sub, Can't wait to see more, glad you are sharing.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks man!

[@forgottentreasure1233]

Awesome video! Subbed!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thanks!

[@joemiller8965]

Hi, just found your channel. Liked and subscribed. Great video and content! It’s great seeing the bullets and shell frags in the wood. I’ll check out your other videos too. Been quite some years since I detected here in Georgia, miss doing it! Thanks for sharing my friend. Keep up the great work!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you SO much Joe! I get a kick out of people enjoying what I enjoy!

[@1ybuzz]

I found a few rounds in wood like that and so did my dad but for the life of me I cant remember where we were hunting, it was in Hanover about 30 35 years ago.

[@e.whawkins7211]

I was just at that metal detecting store in cold harbor trying to get a copy of Albert's button book.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

They helped me a TON when I switched from a Tesoro to the Deus. Very helpful, and very knowledgeable!

[@e.whawkins7211]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 weird I run the Deus and a Tesoro Vaquero

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

@@e.whawkins7211 That IS weird. I still have my Tejon and found a lot with it, but I feel like I can discern targets better with the Deus, and it def goes a little (not a lot) deeper. Is that your experience?

[@minermikesouthernusa4017]

My Gg granddad fought with the 51st NC co D he was shot in the left shoulder 6-1-1864 lived threw the war nice to see your finds 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

WOW. I have no family history with the war. I envy that you know those facts!

[@JeffsObsessions]

I see you're wearing a Michigan shirt,I'm in Muskegon Michigan

[@Vox-Populi]

Cold Harbor is unique. Looking over the battlefield in some places it looks like ocean waves due to the multiple trenches dug one behind another.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Agreed Vox. Eerie and incredible at the same time.

[@luckyduckdigger]

My great great grandfather was in the Pa 55th. Capt Josiah Hissong was on the monument commission I would love to detect the area and find something.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Yes Duck. The cemetery dedicated to the Pa regiment was about 3/4 of a mile from my Parents home. I grew up seeing that cemetery several times a week.

[@kellykaplan6413]

I've found bridal tack hardware, a few bullets. Not at cold harbor. Been on a glass bottle blaze lately.

[@joanhamilton2651]

💖

[@swarm6697]

Very nice I just found you great video I too have hunting in Virginia for years I'm trying to get this large maybe 35 feet tall mass grave in Petersburg to be protected it's lost and forgotten it has a large tree growing at the top

[@bamadave6324]

Great video. Just subbed ypu

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Thank you for that Dave!

[@GregSheppard]

Greetings from another old-time Hanover relic hunter! I’ve spent many a happy hour on the Cold Harbor battlefield digging relics since the 1980s. I don’t recognize your face but might know your name. Are you familiar with the Hanover Metal detecting club? Stay safe and happy hunting!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Hey fellow oldtimer! You probably wouldn''t know me. I was not hunting in the 80s. But I'm sure we know the same people. I started in the era of Mac Mason, Sam McClaren, Harry Cassidy, Popeye Hott and others Then shortly after came Gary Williams, David Young, Bobby Wilson and others. I was a child when I started swinging (with great difficulty) a modified GI mine detector. After the metrotech days, I slipped away from the hobby to pursue my career and raise a family only to come back to it much later. Never heard of the Hanover Metal Detecting club. Glad to connect with you though. Later this week, I'll post my latest hunt and you might recognize the artillary trenches that surrendered a few nice (Deep) relics out of that sweet Cold Harbor sand!

[@edmc1000]

I grew up in Richmond and relic hunted in the 60’s and until I moved out west in 1974. With the sandy soil in Hanover what is the adv. depth you find bullets at ?? I am afraid my old Metrotech would not do the job these days. I sure miss relic hunting !

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Metrotech!! Oh my gosh. I started with a modified GI mine detector. When my Dad brought home a metrotech, I thought technology could never get better than that! (I still have that machine). My average depth on bullets would probably be between 6 and 10 inches. So not MUCH deeper than a MT. However, when the soil conditions are right, I can go 12-15" but the 15 is rare. I have a friend who seems to have an unusually "hot" Deus. He regularly digs .69 cal minie balls at 24 inches! Whoa. I seriously don't want a bullet bad enough to hear it at 24". Plate or button Yeah. In THIS video, the first bullet was deepest. It was about 8-9 inches, but the ground was dry and these machines go deeper in damp ground.

[@jimmywicker1662]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 Hey! I think I know this edmc1000! We Hunted together back in the day. My uncle kept a log of all the hunts he was on and I found this in it...March 17,1974. Eddie McCranie, Jim (that's me) and Fred Jr and I drove to Malvern Hill in the Creepy Crawler (1963 Cadillac convertible). Eddie used his new metal detector for the first time and found 20 bullets. Fred Jr and I used our metrotect. He found 10-12 bullets and I found one well worn copper epaulet and 2 musket shot. Hunted below the Y in the road where the Confederates attacked from. Nice day, sunny and windy but comfortable in the woods.

[@jimmywicker1662]

I have two logs from Cold Harbor here Ill post below.

[@edmc1000]

@@jimmywicker1662 , Hi Jimmy. Days gone by with great memories. Ed McCranie

[@edmc1000]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 Thanks for Your kind reply.

[@danielbarber8253]

Is this on private property or park property? I’d love to be able to do this, great video. Thanks for posting!

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Daniel, the opening scenes are on Park property but all my hunts are on private property with permission. Park hunting in Virginia is a felony and they will seize your finds, your equipment and even your vehicle (Because it was used in the hunt, to get you there!) Thanks for commenting!

[@danielbarber8253]

@@thebattlefieldwalker2841 Yeah that’s what my father had told me years ago when we would visit Gettysburg. I’m from Maryland and had direct ancestors who fought for the Union and Confederacy so the kind of work you do is so fascinating to me. Thanks for posting and happy hunting.

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

@@danielbarber8253 Thanks man. I have a rare Maryland relic that will be featured at the end of some future video . . .

[@camillesauvager8542]

Why don't you use the big, deep coil for everything?

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

If you're in a lot of trash, it doesn't discriminate well between trash and good targets. The little coil is like a micro lens. Three nails and a bullet in the hole, it can pick up the bullet and separate the tones from the nails. Big coil is like a panoramic view. You see "more" but its one big garbled signal sometimes. Big coil is also heavy and BIG. If you're surveying a new area, the little coil is way easier on 62 year old arms! If you know youre in a good spot with moderate trashy targets, big coil all the way.

[@topsanger7219]

out of interest whats the difference between a civil war bullet and one they used for hunting during that era?

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

Great question Tops. You cant always be sure which one you're looking at. Previous to the civil war, hunters almost always used a smaller caliber Patched ball. A round ball of lead, in .45 or .36 caliber usually. Military arms were usually a .69 or .58 cal. Projectile innovation advanced quickly around the time of the war. The standard round became a conical bullet, most often, .58 cal. However AFTER the war, many soldiers took their military guns home and presumably hunted with them using surplus military ammo. For that reason, you're rarely 100% positive you're digging CW projectile. But if you're on a known battlefield or campsite, it's a very safe bet. Hope that helps!

[@pbwiz1404]

Metal detecting on federal property??

[@roberthott5733]

I thought it was illegal to hunt relics in Cold Harbor?

[@thebattlefieldwalker2841]

My apologies Robert. I thought you were kidding on your Facebook post. It IS illegal to relic hunt in the park or on "preserved" land. It is fine on private property with the permission of the landowner, which I always have.

[@edmc1000]

Walker, please check your messenger account for message.

[@nunyabuziness8421]

That stuff should be left alone thats hollowed ground. Shame. There's enough shit in museums already

[@teddyhaynes9876]

Boo hoo let them dig nothing wrong with it