"Avid Diggers have searched for years, without finding a Confederate Plate"
" Wow, That's one of the nicest I've ever seen, People hunt a whole life time and never find something like that"
That's just some of the comments my Father, Brian Thompson has received since digging up an Army of Tennessee's Confederate Soldier's Belt Plate here on our property.
It was a Sunday. We were working on clearing out my summer kitchen/future studio and he was metal detecting in our yard. Something he has done before many times. In fact when we first moved here he insisted on having sole digging rights to the property.
Something I wasn't too worried about since up until this point he had only found several different varieties of pop tabs. An agreement I might live to regret.
He had been at it for a few hours. Several holes in. When I came outside to check the progress and there I found Logan and my Dad staring at something Dad was holding. Logan instantly thought it was a joke. Dad couldn't believe what he had found and I was completely lost as to what was even going on. But I got out my cell phone and started snapping! They both instantly started searching for information on the internet.
The buckle plate was found 8-10 inches into the ground. Just feet away from both the back porch and my Summer Kitchen.
After contacting both Museums and Dealers all have agreed this is the real deal. Marked CS for Confederate States. This buckle plate dates back to the Civil War.
Then the questions started coming up.
Why was a Confederate Soldier of Tennessee's belt plate found here in Indiana?
Was he visiting?
Did he ride the train?
Was he a prisoner?
These are just some of the theories people have come up with.
So my question to you is...
What's your theory?
Enjoy these enlarged photos just for you history buffs out there!
Found three names in the Tennessee State Library & Archives for Confederate soldiers who resided in Orange County IN. But two are the same name so might be the same person. B.J. Roberts 31 TN Infantry, J.H. Wright Akans Artillery. I also know that Confederate soldiers where not allowed to be buried in military cemeteries. They were technically buried wherever they passed. So it is possible he was being transported by train to camp Morton in Indianapolis during the war and passed while they were in route.