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Your Price: $ 595.00
Item Number: 6395
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A rarely surviving example of the period common practice of wearing a single epaulette as insignia of rank by military officers both militia and Regulars*, this silver Captain of Infantry epaulette is accompanied by a Sergeant’s epaulette, both offered here as set aside decades ago with the notation from Father’s uniform 1839 Aroostook War Lizzie J Longley Rines. Our research finds Lizzie J Longley Rines as the 1843 Bangor, Maine daughter of Aroostook War** participant then Captain of the Old Town, Maine Militia Capt. Stover Rines. [As an aside Lizzie Rines died in 1849 at her home in Boston.]
* After the Revolution the American system was that General to Major wore two epaulets while others wore one. Captain on the right, Lieutenant on left with silver designating infantry and dragoons with gold for artillery. Sergeants frequently wore an abbreviated epaulette held by a button on the right shoulder .
The Aroostook War occurred in 1838 and 1839 and was centered around a dispute between the U. S. and English over the international boundary between the British colony New Brunswick and the state of Maine. Simmering over a number of years a second and in the time equally paramount was the issue of navigation rights on the St. John River. Largely lost in time is the fact that earlier on these issues were responsible for the establishment of a US Army barracks in Hancock, Maine and the service of Robert E. Lee there as an Army surveyor. In 1839 Capt. Stover Rines and his company of militia was part force of some two hundred men who marched to Aroostook to arrest and imprison trespassers on state land. Capt. Rines and two other key figures leading the Maine force were ultimately taken captive and jailed in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The action inflamed both sides. Additional State troops were authorized and the US Congress raised 50,000 men to repel any actual invasion of American soil. The Aroostook War ultimately came to a bloodless end when General Winfield Scott was successful in negotiating a settlement between the parties. One of the officers serving under Gen. Scott at Headquarters, Eastern Division, United States Army, Augusta Maine was Robert Anderson later Major Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter fame.
While a Google search of Capt. Stover Rines Maine will offer considerably more detail on Capt. Rines and his service on the Maine frontier, we did not find an account of his earlier militia service thus can only assume that the included sergeants epaulette is a remnant progression through the ranks.
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!
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