These field glasses belonged to General Ulysses S. Grant, and were probably used during the Civil War. The objective lenses are 55mm diameter and give a good image. The length is 160 mm (closed). The cloth covered barrels are flared slightly at the eye end; the outer 55 mm are cylindrical.
General History
Ulysses S. Grant, a West Point graduate who fought with distinction in the War with Mexico, found postwar life in the West unbearable and resigned from the army in 1854. When the Civil War began, he offered his services and soon took command of a volunteer regiment. In September 1861 he was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers by President Abraham Lincoln. In February 1862 Grant took Fort Henry and attacked Fort Donelson. When the Confederate commander asked for terms, Grant replied, "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." The Confederates surrendered, and President Lincoln promoted Grant to Major General of Volunteers. Grant fought one of the bloodiest battles in the West at Shiloh, but it was not the decisive victory that the Union wanted. President Lincoln believed in Grant and refused to remove him from command, saying "I can't spare this man–he fights." His next major objective would cut the Confederacy in two. Grant maneuvered and fought skillfully, winning Vicksburg, the key city on the Mississippi, and breaking the Confederate hold on Chattanooga. Lincoln appointed him general in chief in March 1864. Grant directed Sherman to drive through the South while he himself, with the Army of the Potomac, pinned down Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. On April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Lee surrendered. Grant wrote out magnanimous terms of surrender that would prevent treason trials.
Pink silk with oil paint. The canton consists of seven silver and six pink stripes. The center of the guidon is a painted badge of a winged and fulminating thundercloud with ten gold-colored thunderbolts emanating like rays of the sun. Under the badge is a silver scroll with the motto "PATa CONCITa FULMnt NATI"; a rough translation is: "The fatherland/country calls/expects its sons to respond with/in tones of thunder."
Specific History
Squadron Guidon or Color, Second Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Tallmadge's Dragoons.
This artifact is one of three known surviving components of a suite of four, and possibly five, colors carried by the Second Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons during the Revolutionary War. Although no definitive order has survived specifying the number of colors to be carried by a regiment of Continental Light Dragoons--nor for that matter respecting the colors to be carried by a regiment of Continental infantry--research into the subject of Continental regimental colors indicates that at least two and as many as five colors were considered appropriate for each infantry or cavalry regiment.
Other surviving regimental colors of the Second Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons are: 1. National Standard, captured by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, July 2, 1779, at Bedford and Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York. Sold at auction June 14, 2006, by Sotheby's New York, to undisclosed individual in the United States. 2. Blue or Regimental Standard, owned by the Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut.
This guidon was referenced in the Memoir of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge published by the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York in 1904. This "pink" standard was known to be in the possession of Mr. F. E. Harper of New York City (reference from Gherardi Davis, Regimental Colors in the War of the Revolution [1907]).
The guidon was later referenced in American and French Flags of the Revolution 1775-1783, by F. E. Shermerhorn (1948) as having been owned by Senator Morgan G. Bulkeley, but "in some curious fashion, never explained, this flag disappeared and its whereabouts is not known...."
The artifact was donated to the Smithsonian in 1968 by the Estate of Emily Howell Wilkins, daughter of Emily Howell, who was the daughter of Mary Tallmadge of New York City. Research as to family lineage has not been completed.
General History
The Second Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Tallmadge's Dragoons, was named for Major Benjamin Tallmadge. Commissioned on June 20, 1776, he was eventually promoted to the rank of colonel, and became the chief intelligence officer for George Washington.
He organized the "Culper" spy ring on Long Island and in New York City in 1778 when asked by General George Washington. The city was then occupied by a strong British force under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton. Members of the Culper network also kept Clinton's headquarters under constant surveillance and were able to report to Tallmadge any loyalists posing as patriots who visited the British commander. In 1780, the network's information saved a French army marching to Washington's aid.
Sword: The blade of this sword is straight and double edged. It is also diamond-shaped. The obverse of the blade features ornate silver relief work, including the initials "USG" inside a sunburst surrounded by four long floral sprays. The reverse of the blade is similar, and also has four floral sprays. This time, however, instead of initials the sprays surround two military trophies. The grip of the sword is gold plated and features eight sections of tortoise shell. There are three heads on the gold portion of the grip. The pommel is shaped like a vase, and on the obverse it features a shield reading, "Sic floret respublica" surrounded by laurels. There is an eagle on the pommel's reverse. The upper part of the pommel is encircled in 14 diamonds of varying size, and there is a star on the very top. Six of the diamonds are Rose cut, 7 are Brilliant cut, and the cut of the final diamond is unknown. At least two of the diamonds are fake. The knuckle guard is golf plated and decorated with military trophies, laurels, and, in the center of the obverse, the head of Mars. The knuckle guard continues and turns into a quillon in the shape of a knight's head. The counterguard is double-heart shaped and features an inscription reading, "Jo Daviess County, Illinois, to Major General Ulysses S. Grant, U.S.A., the Hero of the Mississippi." This inscription is surrounded by laurel wreaths, and the initials "U.S.G." can be seen behind the inscription. The counterguard on the reverse is a simple gold plated oval shape.
Scabbard: The scabbard is gold-mounted with scrolls, flowers, and shields which are ornately engraved with the names and dates of the battles in the Mexican American War that Grant participated in. There are mounts on the scabbard's reverse, but they are much less intricate and bear no inscriptions. There are two carrying rings, each on the top half of the scabbard.
Pencil and ink wash sketch on white paper. In the background is a large building, in front of which are troops engaging in training. In the left foreground are a group of American soldiers, all wearing the Montana-peak style hat. Next to them is a tripod of some sort. Catalog card indicates that the sketch is of a training school for American artillery officers at Saumur on the Loire.
Oil painting on canvas showing the aftermath of a raid during World War I. Depicted is a dead soldier lying on his back an empty dirt road. His rifle and helmet are lying on the ground beside him. There are two forms on the other side of the road, possibly more dead or wounded soldiers. There are two tall poles lining the road behind the soldier. In the background, fading into the distance at the end of the road, are several buildings. The scene is hazy and the sun is low on the horizon at right. Signed by the artist at bottom left, "Harvey Dunn, A.E.F. 1918"