Collection of Relics from the Battle of South Mountain / SOLD
Collection of excavated Civil War relics from the Battle of South Mountain near Middletown, Maryland. The centerpiece is an eagle breast plate with a nice light green patina. The plate is missing the attachment hooks and has some edge damage but displays well. The lot includes a Bormann fuse, two eagle “I” buttons, and a number of Confederate .54 Gardner bullets, .69 round balls, a William’s cleaner type II, and a Minie ball with carved spiral design on the nose. The Battle of South Mountain was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, needed to pass through these gaps in his pursuit of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's precariously divided Army of Northern Virginia. Although the delay bought at South Mountain would allow him to reunite his army and forestall defeat in detail, Lee considered termination of the Maryland Campaign at nightfall. The Battle of Antietam would be fought three days later on September 17th. A nice collection of relics from an important Civil War engagement.
Comes housed in a 8 x 12 inch display case with red velvet backing and descriptive card.
Inventory Number: GRO 055 / SOLD