MEARS recently purchased a grouping of battle dug relics originating from the area around Fort Fillmore. Included were (14) 1851-62 Fort Fillmore (Battle Dug) 1842 Smooth Bore Springfield .69 Musket Ball & Shot Groupings and (7) 1851-62 Fort Fillmore (Battle Dug) Flattened .69 Caliber Musket Ball from the early Indian Wars and Civil War era.
Fort Fillmore was a fortification established by Col Edwin Vose Sumner in September 1851 near Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, primarily to protect settlers and traders traveling to California. Travelers in the Westward Migration were under constant threat from Indian attack, and a network of forts was created by the US Government to protect and encourage westward expansion.
Fort Fillmore was intended to protect a corridor plagued by Apache attacks where several migration routes converged between El Paso and Tucson to take advantage of Apache Pass. Possibly the most famous soldier who served at Fort Fillmore was Captain George Pickett. Pickett is best remembered for leading the fateful charge on July 3, 1863 at the battle of Gettysburg. Later Union General Ambrose Burnside used the fort as a supply point when he drilled geo-thermal wells about fifteen miles west of the post in 1855. The Union Army closed the fort n 1862.
Used by the United States Army from 1844-1865, the US Model 1842 Musket was a .69 caliber musket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th Century. It is a continuation of the Model 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to as its own model number rather than just a variant of the Model 1816.
The Model 1842 was the last U.S. smoothbore musket. The Model 1842 was the first U.S. musket to be produced with a percussion lock, though most of the Model 1840 flintlocks ended up being converted to percussion locks before reaching the field. The percussion cap system was vastly superior to the flintlock, being much more reliable and much more resistant to weather. Like all Model 1816 derivatives, the Model 1842 has a .69 caliber barrel that was 42 inches in length. The Model 1842 had an overall length of 58 inches and a weight of 10 lbs.
The .69 Musket Ball & Shot was a common load for muzzle loading muskets. The combination found action in both the Revolutionary War & Civil War. The Load usually consisted of a .69 caliber round lead musket ball that was combined with three to six buckshot pellets.
As our protocol dictates, MEARS documented the purchase of the (14) lots .69 Musket & Shot with the following information:
Date of Purchase: July 23rd, 2014
Ebay Seller: Danjer
Ebay Item Number: 121387769458
Original Description: Nice lot of fired .69 caliber musket balls and buckshot, all found while metal detecting around Fort Fillmore, New Mexico. Fort Fillmore was activated in 1853 and abandoned in late 1862. Confederate troops from Texas captured the fort in 1861 before marching northward to Fort Craig and the battle of Valverde.
The original grouping was broken down into 14 individual lots, with a musket and shot included in the riker mount display. Each mount was labeled as
A second grouping associated with Fort Fillmore included (7) Battle Dug Flattened .69 Musket Balls.
Date of Purchase: July 23rd, 2014
Ebay Seller: Danjer
Ebay Item Number: 131244331929
Original Ebay Description: Nice lot of flattened out musket balls, generally thought to have been used as poker chips by the soldiers, all found while metal detecting around Fort Fillmore, New Mexico. Fort Fillmore was activated in 1853 and abandoned in late 1862. Confederate troops from Texas captured the fort in 1861 before marching northward to Fort Craig and the battle of Valverde.
Another recent MEARS battle dug purchase included a grouping of (12) .58 Caliber Mini Balls fired from the Model 1861 Springfield Rifle, each found in the area of Fort Craig, the home of the famous “Buffalo Soldiers”.
African-American soldiers, referred to as “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 9th Cavalry and the 38th and 125th Infantry served at Fort Craig in the segregated frontier army. The infantry units served from 1866 to 1869, and the cavalry units in 1876, 1877, 1880 and 1881, during the Apache Wars. The courage and dedication of these “Buffalo Soldiers” was such that General William Tecumseh Sherman was moved to remark “They are good troops; they make first rate soldiers, are faithful to their tasks and are as brave as the occasion calls for.”
The Model 1861 Springfield Rifle was used by the United States Army from 1861-1872. The gun barrel measured 40 inches long, and fired the .58 caliber mini-ball. The total weight of the gun was 9 pounds. Gun had an effective range between 200 and 300 yards, with 500 yard capabilities. The flip up sight has range settings of 300 and 500 yards, with a 100 yard set range with the site down. The rifle cost $20.00 each and a triangular socket bayonet was an added option.
Construction on the fort began in 1853 and it was garrisoned the following year. The fort was named after popular Mexican American War Hero Captain Louis S. Craig. Life at remote Fort Craig was uncomfortable and lonely at best and deadly at worst. The buildings were a constant source of misery to the soldiers and records reveal litanies of complaints about leaky roofs, crumbling walls and chimneys, crowded conditions and filth from crumbling dirt roofs and muddy floors. This may have been a reason the African American troops were sent there.
The (12) Mini Balls were acquired by MEARS with the following provenance:
Date of Purchase: July 23rd, 2014
Ebay Seller: Danjer
Ebay Item Number: 131244329150
Ebay Description: These spent Civil War era minie balls were all found by a man (now deceased) while metal detecting in the vicinity of Fort Craig, New Mexico in the 1960’s. Mostly seem to be .58 mine balls. The Battle of Valverde was fought very near Fort Craig on Feb 21st, 1862, between Texas troops and Union regulars, as well as New Mexico Volunteers. It’s possible that some of these are from that battle, but I can’t say for sure, as he did not have them marked.
With a direct link to Fort Craig, the home of the Buffalo Soldiers, these dug relics are quite historic and a rare opportunity to own an item from the 9th Cavalry, 38th and/or 125th Infantry. Questions can be directed to Troy R. Kinunen at troy@mearsonline.com