2nd New Hampshire soldier authored - FALLEN SOLDIER – MEMORIAL RHYME Best described here by our photos as to condition and eye appeal, suffice it to say this touching memorial rhyme is easily read, and remains in pleasing period condition with no tears or repairs. The sonnet was penned by Cpt. Enoch G. Adams who was a 23 year old graduate of Yale and teacher when he enlisted on 6/1/1861 as a Private of Co. D of the soon to be hard fought 2nd New Hampshire Infantry. Promoted to Sargent 10/1/1861, wounded at the Battle of Williamsburg on 5/51862, then commissioned 2nd Lieut 8/10/1862. Discharged for promotion on 5/6/1864 when he was promoted Captain of the 1st Regt. U. S. Volunteers Capt. Adams was in command of the 1st USV for 4 months in which as senior Capt. and acting Colonel. After the War he lived for a time in National Military Home, KY. He died in Berwick, Maine in 1901. The sonnet reads as follows:

blown 2 piece mold Dr. J. HOSTETTE’S STOMACH BITTERS - bottle Nicely preserved with no condition issues and offering the two piece mold seam collectors appreciate, this Dr. J. HOSTETTE’S STOMACH BITTERS ,18 FLUID OZ. marked amber bottle stands approximately 9 inches. Formulated by Dr. Jacob Hostetter 1853 and commercialized by his son the ’cure’ became so widely used in the mid-19th century that it was actually government rationed to Union soldiers during the American Civil War. Though marketed as a remedy for various ailments, Hostette’s bitters were most widely appreciated for the alcohol content becoming staple in saloons across America. An attractive piece of Americana for the Civil War enthusiasts, this attractive bottle will fit nicely in any frontier Western or period saloon grouping. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!


 

Civil War vintage Drum Major Baton An especially fine find for the Civil War or period music enthusiast, this all-original drum major’s baton remains in untouched condition. Measuring approximately 42 ½ inches in length, it features a tapered maple shaft and a solid brass head. The brass has acquired a deep, natural patina—a pleasing testament to its age and authenticity. This piece remains in excellent original condition, showing only the honest wear consistent with period use.
Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!


 

Original! 1700s / very early 1800s – forged HAND SICKLE / REAPING HOOK Easily referenced in Neuman’s Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, Bill Dancy’s ’ Discovering Virginia's Colonial Artifacts’ and a Guilford Court House National Park Service Museum display, such early forged iron sickles with the long sweeping blade are frequently touted for their Revolutionary War military use. While true, such hand sickle’s though true enough they were a common farm utility in their time. That said they were heavily used in the period and have seldom survived. This example remains in untouched, totally original condition and will make a nice addition to any period collection. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
 

vintage - Tiger Cowrie Shell – TRINKET BOX A desirable item, this delicately brass hinged trinket box is made from a tiger cowrie shell. Attractive and durable, this item was suitable for travel and storing of small personal items such as jewelry, medication, tobacco snuff and so on. The box offers a beautiful natural pattern in shades of brown, cream, and gold, making it a stylish addition to any vintage personal collection. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!




 

7th US Colored Troops - Bvt. Brig. General James Shaw Jr. - Daguerreotype – Christian Pocket Book & Best described here by our photographs as to condition and eye appeal, this important grouping was acquired by us several years ago when it surfaced intact from a Rhode Island estate and will come with our letter of provenance. The group includes Bvt. Brig. General James Shaw Jr.’s ninth plate daguerreotype portrait, illustrated here alongside a period CDV image for comparison, (See also Roger Hunt’s Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue, p. 549, and Findagrave.com.) his ‘Christian’s Pocket Book’ carried while serving as Colonel of the 10th Rhode Island, and U.S. staff officer’s button. As his earlier staff buttons would have been Rhode Island state buttons this offering is thought to be a remnant of Shaw’s later Federal service with the 7th U.S. Colored Troops.
Most noted for commanding the hard fought 7th U.S. Colored Troops, the Rhode Island native, James Shaw Jr. served as Colonel of the 10th Rhode Island Infantry, then as Lieutenant Colonel of the 12th Rhode Island Infantry, before assuming command of the 7th USCT. He later led the First Brigade, Second Division, XXV Corps, the only all Black corps in U.S. history. Brevetted Brigadier General for ‘meritorious services during the war’, Shaw was also instrumental in shaping the Grand Army of the Republic’s rules, regulations, and rituals adopted in 1869. A fuller appreciation of Shaw’s extensive Civil War service—and of the historical significance of the 7th U.S. Colored Troops—may be quickly obtained through any modern AI or archival search.Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!


 

C. S. Lt. GEN. WADE HAMPTON’S SIGNED FREEMASON’S MONITOR Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton’s inscribed 1858, 1st edition copy of Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor. Entering the war on July 12,1861as Colonel of "Hampton's South Carolina Legion" (which he equipped at his own expense), Wade Hampton would be wounded at 1st Manassas and would command an Infantry Brigade in the Peninsula Campaign. He was soon be promoted to Brig. General and assigned to brigade commander in J. E. B. Stuarts Cavalry Corps (7/18/1862). General Hampton participated in Stuart’s operations from 1862 to 1864, again suffering severe wounds at Gettysburg. Hampton succeeded to command General J. E. B. Stuart’s corps upon Stuart’s death at Yellow Tavern. At the close of the war this hard fought patriot of the Confederacy would hold the rank of Lt. General in command of the Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia. Gen. Wade Hampton’s signed Masonic volume remains in excellent condition with a good tight binding and minimal period wear. It’s deeply embossed cover with gold guilt Masonic embellishment offer lots of eye appeal. A most desirable signature and an outstanding personal item of one of the Confederacies most renowned patriots. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!!

Manufacturer: Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor  

CIVIL WAR ERA SUTLER / COUNTRY STORE SCRIP Attractive little cardboard country store or sutler’s scrip. Each is approximately 1 7/8 X 1 ¼ inches and is printed with a denomination number and the merchant’s identification (F. B. Hilyard) on its’ face. Attractive pastel colors. These came from old storage and are in fine uncalculated condition. A really neat original Civil War era item. Sold as a group of four for one price ! please note: ALL ITEMS ARE CURRENT & AVAILABLE UNLESS MARKED SOLD!!.


Manufacturer: F. B. Hilyard  

original! Civil War- Extra Rich- STAFF GRADE OFFICER'S HAT CORD Another product of a search of our 50 plus years accumulation, this attractive high grade bullion hat cord with the netted acorns is from a small acquisition of some years ago when we were fortunate enough to acquire a grouping of Civil War surplus smalls that had been set aside from the inventory of the defunct Philadelphia Army Surplus firm of Stokes / Kirk. No exception to the other items in the lot, this officers hat cord remains in fine, as new and unissued condition yet offer good evidence of age and originality and will please the most discriminating collector. This extra rich grade cord is of the gold bullion, double cord type with netted caps and slide with extra thick 3/16 inch diameter cord and netted acorns that measure a full 1 3/8 inch in length. A variation of the type is referred to in the 1864 Schuyler, Hartley & Graham Military Goods catalogue as a General Officers cord though they are seen on the better officer slouch hats of all grades (see: Don Troiani's REGIMENT'S & UNIFORMS of the CIVIL WAR p. 252, see also: Gen. Thomas G. Stevenson slouch hat, p. 185 Time Life’s ECHOES OF GLORY – Arms & Equipment of the Union.) Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!
 

Civil War era BULLET MOLD Our photo illustrations will likely do best to describe this nice old two cavity bullet mold. With good evidence of age and period use, this neat old .36 caliber conical bullet and ball mold offers lots of period charm. With no maker markings this mold will lay in well with any Civil War vintage percussion revolver. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques !
 

Civil War era Military Motif - import PORCELAIN TOBACCO PIPE A style initially made popular in this country by German immigrants, the use of this classic type by American Civil War troops has been well documented by period field photos and military camp excavation. The elongated porcelain bowl was joined to the cherry wood stem by means of a hollow V-shaped secondary bowl, this component intended to collect moisture and tobacco tar making for a fine smooth smoke. The mouthpiece is of natural horn and the bowl is generally capped by a hinged metal lid. Popular from the earlier 19th century and Civil War era through the later 1800s, the earliest of these bowls were hand painted as is this offering. The advent of color transfer printing in the later, mid 1800s, and the nearly universal use of that newly available medium to decorate these pipes, is a primary feature in determining whether such a pipe is pre or post-Civil War with hand painted examples as is offered here falling in the just pre and Civil War era. Especially desirable by virtue of the colorful and especially well done military battle scene, its overall condition and completeness this example will make an attractive addition to any tobacco and smoking grouping or simply as a stand-alone in a period personal grouping. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!

 

Patriotic DESK BELL from period repurposed pre Civil War - US Army Camel Corps bell Commercially repurposed for sale from army surplus this attractive old bell measures approximately 3 ¼ inches across the mouth and stands about 6 inches high. The bell remains in excellent untouched and original condition retaining a pleasing bronze patina and a goodly amount of its black enamel on the handle. The bell sports an attractive cast in panoply of American Eagles with shield, banner and star bursts. Examples of these bells, with an account of their origin, may be seen in the U. S. Army Quartermaster Museum collection at Fort Lee, Virginia. These bells were cast in four sizes (this being the smallest) under contract to the U. S. Army during the Pierce and Buchanan administrations for use by experimental Army camel pack trains moving from Texas to the West Coast. A solution to the occurrence of blinding dust storms, Camels were trained to march in line following the sound of the bell of preceding camel during long treks. The bells are said to have been later pressed into use by the Army during the Civil War with collectors of that era frequently referring to these artifacts as Union Cavalry Bells referencing Dr. Francis Lord’s Civil War Collectors Encyclopedia. Though in our fifty plus years of seeking out such things, we have had three or four of the patriotic motif bells in addition to a full set of varying sizes in our own collection, we have seen only two other example of this small size repurposed bell. One remaining in our own collection, all are identical in so far as construction clearly repurposed by the same source. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!


 

Gettysburg captured 154th NY POW home spun Shirt Best described here by our illustrations as to condition and eye appeal, this homespun cotton, waist shirt remains in fine original and unlikely unworn condition. Constructed in the classic Civil War style utilizing the typical square cut pattern with minimal fit tailoring, this desirable old textile bears the embroidered initials E S (Eugene Sample) and retains the pinned on period ink notation: Made by Annette for her first husband Gene 154th NY a prisoner in Richmond 1864 Returned ! A product of our years of seeking out such treasures, and recently unpacked from our move from Maine to Washington state, thanks to the internet we have finally uncovered the story of Gene’s returned shirt. While we found three E S 154th NY troops, that were taken prisoner, only one, Pvt. Eugene Sample had a wife named Annette. Further and consistent with the inked notation, Eugene Sample was Annette’s first husband as she remarried two years after his death. (See: Historical Document Systems, Ancestry & Find a grave databases)
Eugene Sample and Annette A. Griswald both of Randolf, New York, were married on July 30, 1860 just over two years prior to Eugenes’s September 25, 1862 enlistment as a Private of Co. H, 154th New York Infantry. Pvt. Sample was one of 167 members of the 154th NY to be taken prisoner at the Battle of Gettysburg and would die in a Confederate prison hospital on February 6, 1864. With the preceding well established we can only surmise that per the notated Returned! the shirt was either sent to Pvt. Sample by his wife Annette and was returned for failure to deliver, or was returned to Annette after his death. Due to the condition of the shirt and the unlikely scenario that a prisoner of war’s personal items would be returned we feel the failure to deliver scenario is the most likely. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!

 

exceptionally nice S. S. Stewart’s STUDENT’ marked - Banjo Marked S.S.STEWART over THE STUDENT 215, this desirable old banjo measures 29 inches in total length with a 10 ¾ inch diameter pot and remains in exceptionally nice original condition with the exception of one missing tension hook. Best described here by our illustrations as to physical specifics. The natural finish neck features a dark rosewood stained headstock and fretboard set off by natural pearl fret indicators. The rim is of beautifully figured birds eye maple. Originally designed by Samuel Swaim Stewart who was one of the most influential American banjo makers of the late 19th century the STUDENT was intended as an entry-level instrument affordable in the time while maintaining quality and craftsmanship. An especially nice all original old banjo.Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!


 

original! Civil War era published Farcical Play – Wanted A Male Cook This original copyright 1865 ’Armature Drama’ was published in wraps consisting of 20, 7 3/8 x 4 ¾ inch pages and remains in excellent, complete condition with no tears, stains or other issues while offering good evidence of age and originality. A farcical ammeter play, Wanted a Male Cook is written in colloquial jargon complete with costume and stage prompts. Likely published just after the Civil War, in the back this play book offers several advertisements for additional plays to include ’A NEW GRAND ARMY DRAMA – THE SPY OF GETTYABURG’. Buy with confidence! We are pleased to offer a no questions asked three day inspection with return as purchased on direct sales! Just send us a courtesy e-mail to let us know your item will be returned per these provisions and your purchase price will be refunded accordingly. Thanks for visiting Gunsight Antiques!