Camp Slaughter (CSA) 1864-65 

Through the years, many things change, and this includes history. I would like to share with everyone, my experiences about 6 years ago to the present, in locating a civil war camp here in Texas named "Camp Slaughter" (CSA). Camp slaughter was named for Brigadier General J.E. Slaughter. The camp was established by members of the 4th infantry regiment, Texas state troops. Camp slaughter had a large hospital, and several barracks.  Ashbel smith was in charge of the 4th Texas infantry at camp slaughter. Ashbel Smith rendered further military service to Texas during the Mexican and Civil wars. During the former he was on active duty with Gen. Zachary Taylor in the field. When the Civil War began he organized a company, the Bayland Guards, which he drilled and trained. While leading this company, a part of Company C, Second Texas Infantry, at Shiloh, he received a severe arm injury and was cited for bravery, along with the rest of his company. He was promoted to colonel and named commander of the Second Texas Infantry, which he led in several engagements in Mississippi, including Corinth and the Tallahatchie River. During the siege of Vicksburg, he was in command of a vulnerable earthen fortification at one of the entrances to that city. After the surrender of Vicksburg, Smith was in charge of several positions in the vicinity of Matagorda Peninsula on the Gulf Coast of Texas, and was credited with preventing Union invasions in that area. Toward the end of the war he was put in charge of the defenses of Galveston. After the war he and William P. Ballinger were sent by Governor Pendleton Murrah as commissioners to negotiate peace terms for Texas with Union officials in New Orleans. 

I would like to note, when ashbel smith returned from Vicksburg to Texas, his command was changed to the 4th infantry regiment Texas state troops. 

Through my research in searching for camp slaughter, I was coming to many dead ends per text, and even had a great diary with precise locations of this site. One would think with precise locations given, as well as distances from other camps, it would be relatively easy to find. In fact, I had more information on this camp than many I had located in the past. One specific thing that kept me from locating camp slaughter early on, was a miss spelling of a name in a diary. Some may have experienced reading a real hand written diary, and some are tough to make out. In this diary, ashbel smith states his command was at camp slaughter located at a "Browns place" on gulf prairie. I spent hours looking up the name brown, and even found a brown that had a plantation close to the next county, but didn't match up to the miles that were given. I searched this brown place out just in case and came away empty handed. 

Through time, and finding no browns within this distance given, I decided to pull up all the plantations in this area and see what I could come up with. I once again came up empty handed, there were no browns. I was reading one evening on one particular plantation within the miles given on camp slaughter, and it finally dawned on me. The name brown was miss spelled in the diary, and should had been spelled "Bryan". I kept on reading on this Bryan place and in this one particular letter, they mention having a large hospital during the civil war. By now, I was feeling pretty good about finally finding camp slaughter, but I still wanted more information about this plantation, and finally the missing piece was found. I found a letter from a private stationed at camp slaughter stating they were at camp "#$^%" (I have hunted this one yet, but know where it is) and they moved to camp slaughter located at "Bryans".  I was jumping with joy :) I finally found the piece I needed, and funny thing about it all, the Bryan plantation was 10 minutes from my home, and I knew exactly where she stood.

 A quick note about the Bryan family. The Bryans were related to the father of Texas "Stephen F. Austin", and built a plantation a couple of miles from Stephen F. Austin's office about 1826.

 The following day could not come fast enough, but when it arrived, my brother ken and I went to investigate this site with detectors in hand. While driving over to the location, I told my brother, I was going to find a republic of Texas staff officers button. Little did I know at the time, that button would be my first target to uncover at camp slaughter. I don't know how many have experienced this, but that's kind of spooky :) Upon arriving to the site, we began to detect, I found the ROT button and the finds were countless. We did indeed find camp slaughter. 

Ken and I hunted this site on and off for 5 years. We took many friends there to detect, and we hunted the site until she just wasn't producing any longer. To be perfectly honest, I was a bit unhappy with what was actually found during that 5 year spread. Out of the 5 years of detecting the site, only 5 good buttons were found. Many flat, flower, and occasional eagle buttons were found, but very few good buttons. The coin count was low as well. The Bryan plantation was built about 1826 and was occupied until 1865. In 1864 the owner moved out due to the troops raiding crops, and stealing lead, cows, chickens, etc. It was basically a waste to stay.  Two years ago, we gave up on this site as it quit producing. I never saw any evidence of barracks, or a hospital. I never hit a wall so to speak, but did hit many bricks. The fired clay bricks litter this site. Every hole had a brick. Just a few months back, I was thinking about this site, and all the documentations I had read. I was disappointed to say the least, we never hit a building site, but then again, we were detecting. Then it dawned on me. There were certain areas at this site that didn't produce anything that should had. I mean not a signal one, like a dead area. An occasional nail signal, but nothing good. During the 5 years of hunting this site, I had also noticed this, and found it to be odd, nothing was found in certain areas, but a lot of targets all around these areas.

 I had a hunch, that maybe the stuff was real deep in these areas, and we couldn't hear it. I discussed this with my brother, and we decided we would dig out one of these areas that produced nothing. I tried a method John in Va. showed me he used in locating hut sites. I used the detector in all metal and listened for deep iron. Sure enough, I heard deep iron in these areas. The areas were about 20 foot by 20 foot square. I took a shovel and started to dig. After I opened the hole up a bit and where I could maneuver around, I hit a brick wall. The top of this wall was about 10 inches under the original ground. We didn't know if we were on the outside of the wall or the inside. I had invited some friends to help with this project. I asked bob mailloux if he was interested in helping and he accepted. I went to all metal again to find bob a hole to dig in and hit right on top of a wall. We looked at the lay outs of these walls and they were right in line with each other. We knew then we had the barracks because of the distances between each of them.

 During the past  two months we excavated this site by digging down to the original ground inside the buildings with shovels and spreading the dirt to be detected. The original ground was about 20 inches down from today's original ground and a lot of brick in between the two. I figured one of the reasons we didn't find anything in these areas was due to all the fired brick from collapsed walls. Throughout this excavation, we invited others to help with this labor work. I asked Norm TX. and Richard TX. if they were interested in helping and they accepted. The sheriff of this county asked if he could help and he helped out. Other friends helped as well, Mike and Karen King from Alabama. Many out of place buttons were found during this time. Several eastern theatre CS buttons were found, block I tin back, AVC, Eastern style CS staff, script I's, etc. It dawned on me how these buttons had gotten here. Ashbel smith and many Texans fought at Vicksburg Mississippi. When the town was taken over by the union, a prisoner exchange was made. Once the Texans were released, they came home, and went right back into camp to defend the gulf coast. This explains how these eastern theatre style CS buttons had gotten here. Another surprise was found on finishing up the last barrack that had not been found prior.

 We had split up into two groups while digging. Bob mailloux hollered out, "we need an I.D. on a button"!! Me and ken looked at each other like, "here we go"! I yelled back and said, "what's on the button"? Bob yelled back and said, "it has an eagle on it with a snake in its mouth above an anchor"! Ken and I just shook our heads. We knew what it was, and we have looked many years to find one. It was Mike Kings find, and it turned out to be a republic of Mexico naval button. I was jealous to say the least, but congratulated mike on his spectacular find. Later in the day Karen King found a republic of Mexico staff officers button. * an interesting note* We had left about a one foot by two foot area un dug in an earlier barrack as it wasn't producing anything weeks ago, Karen found this Mexican staff button, a 1856 half dime, a complete spur and other stuff in this small un dug area. I learned to never leave a foot of dirt un dug thanks to mike and Karen :), and I finally found what I had been searching for, for years, a republic of Mexico naval button just like mikes. *Note* There is a very funny and interesting story that follows my Mexican naval button find :) 

I knew how the Mexican buttons got there, as did the others I had found at nearby plantation sites. After the battle of san jacinto 1836, the Mexican prisoners were sent to the plantations to work as punishment. This explains why we find Mexican buttons at many of the local plantation sites. Another reason we find these Mexican buttons at these sites, ashbel smith fought with the republic of Texas army as did many of his men in his regiment. I'm sure they took clothing from the Mexican soldiers as clothing or mementos, only later to wear them during the civil war. After 5 years of detecting this site and only digging 5 good buttons, we had found 15 good buttons in 2 months of digging the site out. About 20 seated and other old coins were found as well, but we only found 4 while detecting, and the 4 were all reales, and the coins we dug out were all seated. Strange to say the least.

 We have finished digging out the barracks of camp slaughter, and all that remains is the original home place (which I believe to be the hospital site). If there's one thing I have learned from this its, we only scratch the surface when detecting. So many things are left behind because we think we get them all when the signals stop. If you want to find some awesome relics as well as many items not made of metal, dig a site out, you will be amazed. We have made plans to dig out the main house site this weekend. I'm anxious to see what she holds. Funny thing about the main house site area as well, we never dug a thing while detecting this area, but we did all around it, same with the barracks. I have no doubt there will be some awesome finds made in this area. Pictured with this article, are some of the finds we all have made so far. I would like to dedicate the finds of camp slaughter CSA 1864 to the following people for giving me the inspiration to dig out a site once your done detecting it. These folks are as follow, John in Va., John K., Ernest Bower, Mike & Karen King, Tom ILL., and Dave Maryland. I know I will be teased for a while from a few of these folks listed, yes I made the statement a while back, " Those aren't relics your dign" well needless to say I have eaten my words. These are relics :) 

I wish everyone great success in the field!

 TR