Arkansas 5th-grader finds Civil War bullet on grounds of historic house during field trip

April 19, 2018 at 3:58 p.m. | Updated April 20, 2018 at 4:30 a.m.

by Rachel Herzog

Five generations of the Drennen-Scott family called this Van Buren house home. The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and the Arkansas Department of Heritage purchased the historic home and the family’s belongings in 2005. The home is now open to visitors, telling the story of the man who founded Van Buren and his descendants.
Five generations of the Drennen-Scott family called this Van Buren house home. The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and the Arkansas Department of Heritage purchased the historic home and the family’s belongings in 2005. The home is now open to visitors, telling the story of the man who founded Van Buren and his descendants.

An Arkansas fifth-grader discovered a Civil War bullet during a field trip Tuesday.

According to museum officials, Sammy Lunsford found the Carbine bullet on top of the ground outside the Drennen-Scott Historic Site in Van Buren, where Union troops took position to drive a force of Confederates across the Arkansas River in 1862.

The projectile is the first found on the site since the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith took over the property in 2005 and confirms the presence of federal troops there, the museum said on Facebook.

Lunsford's find will be put on display, the post states.

The Rena Elementary School student is not the only one in his family who's contributed to the site — his grandfather, Rich Rapin, supervised the house's restoration, according to the museum.

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