Poolesville Maryland MD Zouave Camp Site 1862-63 Civil War Dug Relic Musket Ball

Description

We are working as partners in conjunction with Gettysburg Relics to offer some very nice American Civil War relics for sale.
POOLESVILLE MARYLAND / 1861-1862 FEDERAL ZOUAVE WINTER CAMP SITE - A dropped .69 Caliber Musket Ball evidently recovered from a camp site in the 1990s that was used by Zouave troops during the Winter of 1861-1862 (This was likely known due to a volume of Zouave uniform buttons being recovered from the site)
A dropped .69 caliber musket ball that was recovered in the 1990s
from a Federal Zouave Camp Site. I acquired this artifact directly from the relic hunter who found it, so it is the first time that it is being offered for sale. A provenance letter with the digger's name will be included.
In 1760, brothers John Poole, Sr. and Joseph Poole, Sr. purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2; 0.25 sq mi) acres in the area that is now Poolesville. Thirty-three years later, John Poole, Jr. used a 15 acres (0.061 km2) tract that he inherited from his father to build a log store and subdivided the tract, selling portions to a number of other merchants. The settlement grew from there and was incorporated in 1867.
During the Civil War, Union military leaders realized that the shallow fords of the Potomac River posed a threat to the capital city. At certain times of the year, the Potomac River is shallow enough to cross and thus thousands of troops were moved to both Darnestown and Poolesville. The Corps of Observation was established just outside Poolesville and soldiers were stationed near the river to monitor potential Confederate incursions into Maryland. During the winter of 1861–1862, it is estimated that 20,000 Union troops were stationed in or around the town. There were no battles fought in Poolesville; however, the infamous Battle of Ball's Bluff was fought nearby on October 21, 1861. Hundreds of Union soldiers who were stationed in Poolesville were killed in this battle that was badly managed by inexperienced Union generals.
There were several Confederate raids into the town during the war, and the Confederate Army invaded Maryland by crossing the Potomac near Poolesville in 1862 and 1864. The old Poolesville Methodist Church cemetery contains the remains of approximately twenty soldiers who either were killed in action at Ball's Bluff or who died of illness while in camp.
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