The vast majority of the artefacts recovered from archaeological investigation of a Civil War battlefield will be lead bullets. These will be af a range of different calibre, depending whether they were to be fired by a pistol, carbine, musket or dragon. In addition such bullets will have been fired from artillery pieces at close quarters as case shot, but there will normally be distinctive impact marks on the latter to show that they were fired in this way. Roundshot, typically of iron, of a wide range of calibre depending on the piece from which it was fired, are also found in relatively small numbers.

A wide range of other artefacts from the arms and equipment carried by the troops and their horses may be recovered in small quantities. Some of the most common are the pewter caps from the powder boxes carried by musketeers, the wooden boxes themselves having long since decayed. Examples of contemporary illustrations of artefacts are also given here for comparison.

Far more rare, but particularly significant on some siege sites and occasionally seenon battlefields, are shot impact scars on buildings and other structures.

To see how the musketeer's arms and equipment were used CLICK HERE

For more examples of actual archaeological finds from a battlefield survey see the EDGEHILL SURVEY pages.