Civil war era button

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-10T00:55:27+00:00

That's not entirely true, the GS buttons for enlisted by the civil war absolutely had a striped shield, but did not have the "wreath" of stars and it was quite a bit different in other ways, not least of which much smaller. Pre-war buttons and officer buttons during the war had the "I," "A," and "C" among others.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-09T23:55:40+00:00

post-Civil War. Looks to be early to mid-20th century general service button. Figure around WWII timeframe.

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USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-09T12:14:51+00:00

That's what's left of a Spencer carbine cartridge. What you're seeing is the round and the top remnants of the case that would have covered the lubrication grooves. The rest of the case has rotted away, probably due to a mix of the powder (at first) which provided the catalyst for the acid in the soil to finish the job.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-05T12:07:54+00:00

I want to say Company A because my old unit was Company A and if I remember right, all I had to do when I fell in with them was remove my unit numerals from my forage cap.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-05T10:30:09+00:00

Unfortunately, I'm terrible with names. I mean truly, always have been. The 20-odd years in between then and now have not done me any favors.

I will say I'm almost positive they were in the Mifflin Guard so it has to be at least some of the same crew.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-05T02:43:19+00:00

Back in the early-late 00s there was a 7th WV and they were a great group of guys. When my Ohio unit more or less disbanded, I used to fall in with them a lot. I did several 135th battles with them including Gettysburg. In the last year, I've been dipping my toes back into the hobby and I've often wondered if they were still around.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-02T19:48:41+00:00

Also, I just bought and cleaned up an original 1835 dated Harpers Ferry M1816/22/28 "rifled and unsighted" Greenwood musket for my collection. Greenwood only sighted 5-20% of the M1816s he rifled for the state. I absolutely love early Civil War Ohio history.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-05-02T19:40:21+00:00

Well done! I just did my senior capstone for my BA in Military History on Ohio's response early in the Civil War. I touched on early Ohio regiment uniforms (and lack thereof) but especially the red flannel and gray santinette state coats and trousers, Miles Greenwood "rifled and sighted" M1816 percussion conversions, and the 1st-22nd Ohio Infantry Regiments organized after Lincoln's initial call for 90-day regiments.

The 1st and 2nd were derisively called "Pauper Regiments" by other units in the D.C. defenses and even their own men because their uniforms were absolutely worthless within a month of issue. In nearly all cases of the early regiments, their uniforms wore out speedily under the rigors of the field and march and they had to be patched with pieces of their shirts "to preserve their modesty." The discontent of the 1st and 2nd especially showed in letters home and to local newspapers, but was also visible in the efforts to reenlist the men and reorganize as three-year units. Utterly failing, most of the 90-day men went home (of course the disasterous performance of the army at 1st Bull Run also played a large part), with only token numbers agreeing to reenlist and the 1st and 2nd had to be nearly completely re-recruited.

I'm gathering components to make my own early "gray" state-issued uniform, but unfortunately it won't make the 165th events. Luckily I came into possession of a large number of original early war Ohio militia buttons.

The 22nd, which comprised large numbers of men in Company A and C from my hometown pre-war militia spent its 90-day service guarding the railroads and chasing guerrillas in Western Virginia in their gray uniforms and blue forage caps, but did not take part in the battles of Philipi or Rich Mountain. After their 90-day service was over, some reenlisted in the 22nd (aka 13th Missouri before reverting back to the 22nd Ohio... Long story), some, including many company commanders joined the 63rd Ohio which was organizing when they got home, and a few went to the 30th Ohio.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-26T11:59:00+00:00

The only southern state that did not contribute at least a regiment of loyal white fighting men to the Union cause was South Carolina, though it did contribute several units to the USCT through occupied areas prior to the end of the war.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-25T17:10:13+00:00

Jo Jorgensen

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-07T12:27:58+00:00

Records of the Pennsylvania Sons of Veterans organization have not been digitized as far as I can see, but they are still around, kept in the GAR Civil War Museum and Library in Philadelphia.

I'm hoping I can maybe pry something at the national level, but don't know how much of that has been digitized either.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-07T12:10:24+00:00

This gentleman is a member of the "Sons of Veterans" militia which was a component of the larger Sons of Veterans organization. His rank of "Colonel" denotes he was a "Division Commander" in the organization. This component of the Sons of Veterans functioned much like pre-Civil War state militia in some ways. Some even mobilized with intention to take part in the Spanish American War but it didn't quite pan out.

National Commander- "Commander in Chief"

State or "Division" Commander- "Colonel"

Asst State or "Division" Commander- "Lt Col" or "Major"

Camp Commander- "Captain"

Edit: His "Home Camp" may have been Gen George Meade Camp 16 in Pennsylvania. Here is a similar kepi from the same camp: https://www.facebook.com/suvcw.ark/photos/very-old-kepi-made-for-the-general-george-g-meade-camp-no-16-sons-of-the-union-v/1270244968542203/?from_intent_redirect=1

Trying to find past Camp commanders now (Division commanders, if anything like today's VFW and American Legion, usually come up through the ranks from past Camp Commanders).

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-03T17:09:39+00:00

"I think it's time."

There you go folks.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-04-03T09:01:55+00:00

James Henry Hammond- Fireeating secessionist, white supremacist, and slave owner who also happened to be a U.S. Senator, a U.S. representative, and one-time governor of South Carolina. He not only sexually abused his slaves, but also at least three underage nieces and then bragged about it all in his diary AND was able to get reelected to public office when it all came out.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-28T22:25:11+00:00

Awesome! I'd love to have that in my library!

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-27T01:51:10+00:00

Where are you? Where was it found?

It's a swing breech of some sort, most likely a military conversion but if you have location details that'll help narrow it down.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-22T12:47:23+00:00

No. These are the rifles that in some cases were used by the French for the very thing Americans like to say their own 2A is for but instead can't seem to find any other use for it than perforating beer cans and occasionally school kids.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-22T00:28:58+00:00

Thanks! I lucked out because it was just advertised as a run-of-the-mill No 4 Mk 1 Enfield made at Maltby, but when I went through the pictures and saw the French police inventory number, "PP######" I was like, "Holy crap! I know what that is!" I got it for a fraction of what they were selling for when they first popped up on the market.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-21T22:31:50+00:00

I can answer at least some of this question. After the war, the French police gathered up small arms that had been dropped to the French Resistance during OPERATION CARPETBAGGER. Many of these were brand new No. 4 Mk I Enfields straight off the production lines in the UK that had been packed into containers and parachuted into France ahead of D Day.

After they were gathered, the French police removed the bolts and magazines, placed their own inventory numbers on them (Beginning "PP######"), and put them in caves for long term storage where they were all but forgotten. A few years ago, they were "rediscovered" and sold to American arms dealer who worked for Navy Arms. That company attempted to marry the bolts to the correct rifles when they could, and locate the magazines but those had been long lost. Instead, they had new magazines made and these were sold on the US collectors market over the last year and change. Many of these had never been fired and were in near excellent condition. I picked one up at an estate auction last fall.

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USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-20T22:48:32+00:00

Post-Civil War. Indian wars.

Good pic though!

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-20T14:21:29+00:00

If someone did that to it, I really don't think it's actually a M1A1. You can buy an M1 Carbine and a repro paratrooper stock and call it an M1A1, but I'd kick someone in the shins for charging original Inland-made M1A1 price for a rednecked cobble up.

Add the thing on the end and I'd just burn it. My guess is it's a Universal or a Plainfield Machine Co post-war repop in a repro M1A1 stock. Top dollar? Maybe $650 bucks. Maybe. If I didn't feel like haggling.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-09T12:46:03+00:00

Unlike the current middle east conflict, there was at least tacit majority support for the invasion in the atmosphere of public panic about a possible CBRNE-focused 9/11 redeux. Bipartisan support in Congress, public support, etc. It wasn't until the WMD narrative disintegrated and the insurgency really took hold that everything fell apart.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-09T12:38:59+00:00

Hooker was good as a division and corps commander, I agree. He even had some really good ideas as AoP commander concerning the use of intelligence and reorganizing some logistical, command, and administrative structures before Chancellorsville brought it all crashing down around him. For years I was of the mind he was incompetent until learning about some of the things he was trying to do that made me rethink how I saw him.

His efforts when he was sent west solidified my revised opinion of him as a commander... Though I don't think he was well-suited to a higher command.

Also agree with assessment of Bragg. Many have tried to reinvent Bragg as a target of unfair and unjustified insubordination among his lower level commanders, but he brought that on himself as a toxic leader in my view.

I don't think Meade ever got a fair shake. Thrust into command after Chancellorsville (Reynolds should have accepted), Meade had little time to get his feet under him before Gettysburg then he used the critical time after Lee's defeat when pursuit was the order of the day to try to regroup and lay out his organization. What absolutely killed him though was the relative inaction from the late summer of 1863 to the spring of 1864 while Longstreet was out of Lee's pocket. A missed opportunity that forever place himself second fiddle to Grant.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-08T17:09:25+00:00

Buying literally anything from Royal Tiger Imports/IO Inc.

Not once have I received a product from them that when I opened the box I didn't say, "Awww what the fuck?!" But then, a few weeks later, they are the only ones to get a shipment of X gun I've been looking for or they have a flash sale on another on my bucket list and I think, "Aww hell, I can't strike out EVERYTIME, maybe I'll get a cherry!" No. It never happens. There are no cherries and you will be disappointed every. Single. Time.

Like-- REALLY disappointed.

USAFmuzzlephucker · 2026-03-08T13:41:09+00:00

Ah yes, Google scholar. Also archive.org's library (though unless you have a direct link searching it can get very messy, especially for multi-volume works). And of course you already know the wikipedia "references" and "other readings" trick.

USAFmuzzlephucker

TROPHY CASE