Treasure hunter discovers possible Civil War-era relic on dried river banks. ‘Insane’
Relic collector Riley Bryant is no stranger to finding precious artifacts that hold the stories of yore.
His latest search was no different and led him to the drought-stricken banks of the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, a TikTok video shows. Scattered across the parched shore were relics over 150 years old, including a likely Civil War-era cartridge box plate.
Bryant shared videos of his “insane” discovery with his more than 380,000 online followers.
“I’m walking the riverbank here in Memphis ... and all this stuff is washed out, and look what I just found laying here,” he said in the video. “Look at that. It’s a Civil War belt buckle. Look, it’s in perfect shape.”
The plate, engraved with the letters “U.S.,” wasn’t the only artifact Bryant found on the river below the Interstate 55 bridge, according to ABC News. He also uncovered Civil War-era bullets.
It’s unclear if Bryant, better known as “Relic.Riley,” has had the items authenticated.
A months-long drought has caused water levels to fall to near record lows on the Mississippi River, news outlets reported. The Mississippi River gauge at Memphis plunged to -9.88 feet on Friday, Oct. 28 — about 18 inches higher than this time last week, according to the National Weather Service.
Bryant, 21, travels the U.S. in search of unique artifacts and had high hopes that he would make a rare discovery at the river.
“I wanted to search that specific spot (under the bridge) because the river bank above was once the site of a fort during the Civil War that was occupied by Union soldiers,” he told AccuWeather. “I knew there had to be some artifacts washed out.”
Union troops took control of the fort 1862 and used it mostly for shipping until the war ended, ABC News reported, citing historians. It was dismantled four years later.
Bryant’s searches are sometimes aided by a metal detector, but the seasoned collector said his latest find was hiding in plain sight.
“To find it there in such good condition just lying there, it almost gave me a heart attack,” he told ABC News.