| I had been hunting for the
Republic of Texas army camp of 1837 called Camp Bowie for 2 years. As the history books state,
Camp Bowie was the place of several historic events. Camp Bowie was the last encampment of the republic of
Texas army after the battle of San Jacinto in 1837. This battle won
Texas her independence from Mexico by defeating Santa Anna and the
Mexican army. Camp Bowie was also the place, the famous Albert Sidney
Johnston and Felix Huston duel took place, in which Albert Johnston
was shot in the leg, and was replaced by Felix Huston. Camp Bowie was also the place of a murder. The men of the army was restless with nothing to fight against, and grew angry with
their lieutenant Henry Teal. Late one night while everyone was asleep, the men murdered
their lieutenant Henry Teal. These are a few historic accounts that
took place in Camp Bowie in 1837.
On a nice day in August, me and my partner Bob Mailloux headed out to find a camp. I had told
Bob I had found what I believed was Camp Crockett of the
Republic of Texas army a couple of years ago due to its size, but I never found camp
Bowie and walked almost every bit of the ridge. I told my partner we can go walk a small part of the ridge I
didn't walk, but I wasn't going to promise nothing. Bob agreed this plan would
be great, so off we went. We arrived on the property that morning and I showed
Bob what I had walked and where Camp Crocket sat. Little did we know, the turn of events that were to follow. We started walking out a small portion of a slough "
200 yds" that I didn't walk out 2 years prior. We separated ourselves along the gentle slope of the ridge by 40 feet so we
wouldn't miss anything and swept our way down the slough. I walk rather fast, and before I knew anything I done left my partner out of site. I heard something and it was bob walking up to me without a
detector. Bob asked , " is this what we are looking for?" Bob held out his hand, and there lay a brass canister shot. I said to my partner " hell
yes, where'd ya get it ?" We went to the spot Bob had found it, and hunted but only found one fired .70 cal. round ball.
I told Bob, " that didn't get here for the hell of it, that camp is around here somewhere". Well we finished walking out the old slough with out
any finds. I told Bob, " I never walked the ridge out on the river, I left about 1/4 mile that I
didn't walk. Bob said, well lets go do it, and off we went. The river was about 1/2 mile from where bob found the brass canister. We made it to the river, and low and behold, it was a spectacular
site. This little ridge had two short sloughs running up to it. I told bob right then, " Bob, your fixing to
experience a hunt of a life time in a virgin camp" Bob looked at me
with that " how do you know look" and said "okay" with a big grin. We parked the truck under a huge oak, got our gear
together and started searching the gentle slope between the two sloughs.
I walked up to the slough and didn't get a beep, Bob was digging a target, then I got a hit. I dug up a .70 cal. drop round ball, then bob tells me
he has a 1809 1/2 reale. I said then, " get ready to dig until you cant dig anymore". Believe it or not, bob and I had walked right through the
middle of this camp without hitting a target, I couldn't believe this, I mean what are the chances of this happening. We had a good laugh. There
is a rough thought here, two years prior to me and Bob finding
Camp Bowie, I had found
Camp Crocket. Camp Crocket was 1/4 mile from Bowie, and was the camp 1/3 of the army moved to when the other 2/3rds was
furloughed at Bowie. I took my brother to help find Bowie back then, we
were headed in the right direction, but we were coming into the ridge from a different direction, and 50 yards before we would had hit camp
Bowie, my brother and I made a sharp left turn and walked out this small creek with no luck. Two years later I return and find the camp, and
stand there 50 yards away from where my brother and I turned the other direction, telling myself, " if we would
have kept going straight ".
Camp Bowie was a wonderful specimen and the best well preserved camp I have ever dug. I learned a great deal while hunting camp
Bowie. The guys in this army were from all parts, and most likely spoke different languages. While hunting
Bowie, the hut sites these guys had lived in, were far
apart. We would find 1808 new York excelsior buttons at one hut site,
Mexican buttons at another, Texas buttons at another, and on and on.
These guys must have separated themselves from one another. It doesn't
talk about new Yorkers too much in this army in text, but the fact is,
there were many. Another interesting find that came from Camp
Bowie and only recorded find of its kind associated with the army, was the use
of lead smoking pipes. We found 13 lead pipes. I couldn't believe what
I was seeing, I mean these guys were killing themselves, and had not a clue. Over
the next few months, Camp Bowie would produce many rare finds. We detectorist would sit around the truck during lunch breaks and swap
tales of the day, just as the soldiers of the Republic of Texas army must have done back then. What
necessities they lost, we found as treasure, and will always wonder what did the guy look like that lost this coin, button, sword, or belt plate. This is a thought that often goes through a
relic hunters mind. Camp Bowie is mentioned in every Texas history book, as well as
Camp Crocket. As a boy in school, I remember reading about the
Republic of Texas army and of these camps in my history class, never once as a student did I think I would be the one to make
their discovery. Good hunting to all, Larry Cissna----TR |
