Excavated “Puppy Paw” U.S. Belt Plate – Stafford County, Virginia  

Description

Excavated “Puppy Paw” U.S. Belt Plate – Stafford County, Virginia  

A classic excavated Federal oval “US” belt plate displaying the distinctive “puppy paw” lead fill pattern on the reverse, recovered in Stafford County, Virginia. This desirable battlefield relic retains an attractive untouched patina and exhibits the characteristic stress cracks often seen on plates subjected to decades beneath the soil.  

Stafford County occupied a critical role during the Civil War. Following the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, the region became one of the largest Union military encampment areas of the war. Hundreds of thousands of Federal soldiers passed through or wintered in Stafford during 1862–1863, transforming the countryside into a vast city of huts, hospitals, supply depots, roads, and artillery camps. Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac left behind countless artifacts, making Stafford one of the most productive and historically significant relic-hunting regions in the nation.  

 Inventory Number: BEL 649