Brass-colored metal on ribbon awarded to Sergeant Frank E. Brownell, inscribed “The Congress/to/Sergeant/Frank/E./Brownell/Co. "A" 11th New York/Volunteers".
Specific History
When Brownell was awarded the Medal of Honor, it was not inscribed. Brownell returned the medal and asked that it be engraved with the details of his information. The government complied and the medal was returned with the engraving.
This flag is made of white silk damask. One side features a wreath of green palm and a laurel branch tied with pink ribbon around a crown with the letters "M.Z.B." for Markgraf zu Brandenburg over date "1775." A scroll bears the motto "pro pincipe patria" or "for prince and fatherland." The other side bears the monogram "S.E.T.C.A." for Sincere et Constanter, Alexander, or "truthfully and steadfastly, Alexander, which is the motto of the Prussian order of the Read Eagle and the Margraves of Brandendburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth.
Specific History
This Ansbach-Bayreuth Regimental flag was surrendered at Yorktown, 19 October 1781. It was sent to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia as a trophy and is one of the few to survive.
General History
Defeated British and German troops refused to recognize the Americans as their victors, fixing their gaze on the French troops. When the French fife and drum corps played Yankee Doodle, the surrendering armies turned away and glared directly into the faces of the victorious Americans.
This .54 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol 2nd Model was made by the Virginia State Armory in Richmond Virginia. It is wedge fastened, has an iron rib under the barrel, a walnut half stock, and a swivel type ramrod with button head. It has a brass ramrod pipe, buttplate and trigger guard.
The lock plate is stamped “RICHMOND” under the flashpan and “1815” at the rear. “77” is stamped on the left side of the barrel. The inside of the lock plate is stamped “V”.
History:
The Virginia Manufactory is also known as the Richmond Armory and the Virginia State Armory. It was established by the Act of 1797 to manufacture arms for the state militia. It was built along the James River and was initially in production from 1802 through 1820. The man who was in charge of the armory was James Haslett. He was formerly employed by McCormick. He was recommended for the job by Colonel John Shee, a surgeon from Philadelphia who served in the Third Pennsylvania Battalion. He wrote to the Governor of Virginia that the state would “be enabled to engage Haslett…for the Richmond Armory.” The Armory reopened in 1860 for production during the Civil War.
The Virginia Manufactory was one of the only companies to issue only one pistol. This practice was called the single pistol theory. It was based on the economy and the belief that a sword was more important to a cavalryman than a pistol.
This pistol has two differences from other pistols with this date. It has a thicker and straighter grip and the lock marking lacks the typical “VIRGINIA” stamp.
References:
Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 200.
Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 246.
Red wool waistcoat with gold lace and gilded civilian buttons.
Gilt brass gorget. The gorget is engraved with the British royal crest and the initials "GR" for Georgeus Rex or King George.
Specific History
Uniform waistcoat worn by Lieutenant Colonel Adam Stephen during the French and Indian War. Stephen was George Washington’s second-in-command of the Virginia Regiment.
General History
The Virginia Regiment saw active service in western Pennsylvania from 1754 to 1759. In 1755, the officers of the Virginia Regiment received orders from Washington to provide themselves with a suit of regimentals of good blue cloth. The coat was to be faced and cuffed in scarlet and trimmed with silver, and they were to wear blue wool breeches and a scarlet wool waistcoat with silver lace. The waistcoat, which extended to below the hips, was typically worn over a plain shirt.
A gorget is part of the full dress uniform. It is a vestige of plate armor, symbolizing rank and authority.
This .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock First Model pistol was made by the Virginia Manufactory for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is iron mounted and fastens at the forend with a double strap barrel band. This pistol has a large gooseneck hammer. It also has a brass blade sight brazed to the lower strap of the barrel band. The ramrod is iron with a bulbous head. It has been reconverted from percussion.
This pistol is stamped “VIRGINIA” under the pan and “MANUFACTORY” is script under Virginia. “RICHMOND/1808” is stamped at rear of lockplate. There is a raised “P” on the pistol.
History:
The Virginia Manufactory is also known as the Richmond Armory and the Virginia State Armory. It was established by the Act of 1797 to manufacture arms for the state militia. It was built along the James River and was initially in production from 1802 through 1820. The man who was in charge of the armory was James Haslett. He was formerly employed by Robert McCormick. He was recommended for the job by Colonel John Shee, a surgeon from Philadelphia who served in the Third Pennsylvania Battalion. He wrote to the Governor of Virginia that they would “be enabled to engage Haslett…for the Richmond Armory.” The Armory reopened in 1860 for production during the Civil War.
This specific type of pistol is the largest American martial handgun ever made. The Virginia Manufactory cut down defective musket barrels from the iron mountings for these pistols. The raised “P” is in the place of typical Virginia regiment mark “4,V,A, REGT.”
References:
Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 200.
Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 240.
This .58-caliber carbine was manufactured at the Richmond Armory in 1863. Virginia seized the equipment used for making Model 1855 Rifle Muskets at Harpers Ferry when she seceeded from the Union in 1861. The Model 1855 patterns account for the hump shape of the lockplate.
This .54 caliber smoothbore flintlock 2nd Model pistol was made by the Virginia Manufactory. It was modeled after the Harpers Ferry Model 1805. It has brass mountings, a walnut half stock and is wedge fastened. It has an iron rib under the barrel with a wooden ramrod with swelled tip.
It is stamped “VIRGINIA” and “RICHMOND/1812” on the lockplate. “P” is stamped inside the lockplate and so is “VIII” and “8”. The walnut stock is stamped “RI”.
History:
The Virginia Manufactory is also known as the Richmond Armory and the Virginia State Armory. It was established by the Act of 1797 to manufacture arms for the state militia. It was built along the James River and was initially in production from 1802 through 1820. The man who was in charge of the armory was James Haslett. He was formerly employed by McCormick. He was recommended for the job by Colonel John Shee, a surgeon from Philadelphia who served in the Third Pennsylvania Battalion. He wrote to the Governor of Virginia that they would “be enabled to engage Haslett…for the Richmond Armory.” The Armory reopened in 1860 for production during the Civil War.
It is a rare pistol type made with a hickory ramrod. Fewer than 300 wooden ramrods were made after 1812 because the iron swivel type was favored. There are cuts in the iron rib to make it easier to get the ramrod.
References:
Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 200.
Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 242.
This knife, fork, and plate was issued to prisoner of war Colonel John S. Crocker, 93rd Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers, by the commandant of Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, and used by him at Libby and Salisbury prisons, 1862.
General History
Libby Prison's three buildings were designed and built as a warehouse by John Enders, who died before putting them to use. Following his death, the warehouse sold to Luther Libby from Maine, who erected a sign "L. Libby & Son, Chip Chandlers". At the beginning of the war, Libby was given 48 hours to vacate the building so it could be used as a prison. The only thing Libby left behind was his sign; the building became Libby Prison. During the war, Libby held over 125,000 men, mostly Union officers. On February 9, 1864, the most bold and daring of prison escapes happened at Libby. One hundred nine Union army officers managed to escape by crawling through a fireplace, sliding down a chimney, and slithering through a 53-foot-long tunnel. The escape came after months of digging with tools smuggled into the prison by a Northern sympathizer, Elizabeth Van Wert, a.k.a. Crazybet. Libby was vacated just before the Union army captured Richmond, and spent the rest of the war empty.
Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Frank E. Brownell, private, Company A, 11th New York Infantry. On May 24, 1861, Brownell killed James W. Jackson, who killed Brownell's commanding officer, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the Civil War. He was shot by Jackson as he lowered a Confederate flag flying from the Marshall House Inn in Alexandria, Virginia. Seconds later, Brownell shot and bayoneted Jackson. Brownell received two Medals of Honor; the first one issued to him was inscribed on the reverse: "The Congress to Sergeant Frank E. Brownell Co. 4 11th New York Volunteers." Brownell was not pleased with the inscription and sent the medal back. He was given a new medal with an inscription he had written himself: "The Congress to Sergt. Frank E. Brownell, 11th N.Y. Vol Inf'y for gallantry in shooting the murderer of Col. Ellsworth at Alexandria, VA, May 24, 1861."
These crutches were used by John Mosby during the Civil War. Mosby stated, “These crutches were made for me during the war by a slave named Isaac who belonged to my father. They were first used in August 1863 when I went home wounded. My mother kept them for me and I again used them in September 1864 & December 1864.” General Robert E. Lee once said to Mosby, after seeing him on crutches at his headquarters, “The only fault I have to find with your conduct, Colonel Mosby, is that you are always getting wounded.”
General History
John Mosby was wounded on August 24, 1863. He was shot through the side and thigh as he attacked the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry, which had halted to water the horses at Billy Gooding's Tavern on the Little River Turnpike in Virginia. He was carried into the woods and was attended to by Doctor W. L. Dunn. Due to the painful nature of his wounds, Mosby was slow to travel so he was carried into the pines and concealed as the pursuing federal troops passed through searching for him. Once clear of the danger, Mosby returned to the South to recuperate.
Star-shaped brass medal suspended from red-and-white striped silk ribbon.
Specific History
1896 Pattern Medal of Honor awarded to Daniel Butterfield, “for distinguished gallantry in action at Gaines Mills, Va. June 27, 1862”
General History
Perhaps best known as the composer of the bugle call "Taps," Daniel Butterfield began his Civil War service as a sergeant in the Washington, D.C., militia. Two weeks later he transferred to the 12th New York Militia as a colonel. He was commissioned brigadier and major general of the Volunteers and he commanded a division of the 5th Corps. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Butterfield was wounded at the Battle of Gaines' Mill, during the Peninsular Campaign; it was also at Gaines' Mill where he seized the flag of the 3rd Pennsylvania and rallied the troops, an act which eventually earned him a Medal of Honor. Butterfield later commanded successfully at Second Bull Run and Antietam, and also saw action at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. During those campaigns he served as chief of staff, Army of the Potomac.
Butterfield is also credited with designing the system of corps badges, an idea which began with Major General Philip Kearney's order to his troops to sew a two-inch patch of red fabric to their hats in order to identify each other during the confusion of battle.
On April 21, 1861, Virginians claimed an abandoned navy yard at Norfolk, Virginia. There they found the sunken hull of the burned USS Merrimack. The Merrimack was raised and on June 23, 1861 the Honorable S. R. Mallory, Confederate secretary of the navy, ordered it to be converted to an ironclad. That ironclad was christened the CSS Virginia.
This horse was presented to General Philip Sheridan by the officers of the Second Michigan Cavalry in 1862. He was three years old, was jet black with three white fetlocks, and stood 16 hands high. Originally called "Rienzi" after the town of Rienzi, Mississippi, his name was changed to "Winchester" by Sheridan after he carried Sheridan on his famous ride from Winchester, Virginia, to Cedar Creek, Virginia on October 19, 1864, in time to rally his troops and turn almost certain defeat into victory. While Cedar Creek was his most famous engagement, Winchester and Sheridan were actually together for more than forty others. Winchester was even present at Appomattox Courthouse in April 1865 for the official surrender of the Confederate Army.
Despite being wounded in battle several times, Winchester lived to be almost 20 years old. After his death in October 1878, he was preserved and mounted; in 1879, Sheridan presented him to the Military Museum at Governors Island, New York. Winchester was exhibited there until a fire in 1922 forced the museum to transfer him to the Smithsonian Institution; a military escort accompanied him to his new home amid much fanfare. He was put on display in the National Museum until 1964, when he moved to the newly opened National Museum of American History.
Horse and man have forever been immortalized and commemorated in poetry, song, sculpture, museum exhibits and battlefield recollections. Portraits, sketches and poems all immortalized Sheridan’s famous ride atop Winchester. The most famous of these poems was written by Thomas Buchanan Read, a painter; the poem, entitled "Sheridan's Ride", became an instant sensation and was even thought to have helped Lincoln get reelected. Read followed up the poem in 1865 with a painting of the same title.
