This Congressional Gold Medal was awarded on December 17, 1863 to General Grant after his victory at Vicksburg. The battle of Vicksburg was a turning point for the Union Army. The siege lasted six weeks until the Confederate forces surrendered on July 4, 1863.
Wool bunting tapered swallowtail flag. Red field with two blue diagonal stripes; the stripes run from one end of the hoist to the opposite swallowtail and cross at the fork in the swallowtail. A cotton white number "6" surmounts the blue stripes. White cotton hoist with a metal grommet at either end. Hand-stitched. The inscription on the hoist reads "From/Wm.F. Scheible 6th Corps/Philada. Pa./Contract March 23, 1865/Qr. Master."
General Description:
Sixth Army Corps (18 May 1862 - 28 June 1865)
Originally the Greek cross was the corps emblem for the Sixth Army Corps. Early in 1864, the cross was shifted 45 degrees to create the St. Andrews cross in 1864 that was used until the end of the war.
Known as "The Fighting Sixth" and "the most famous corps in the Civil War", the Sixth Army Corps was created on May 18, 1862 and discontinued in June 1865. The Sixth Corps was commanded by Major General John Sedgwick, who was known as "Uncle John" to his men. General Sedgwick was killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania. After the war, a member of his staff, Colonel James H. Platt, presented the headquarters flag of the Sixth Army Corps to the Association of Vermont Officers with the following letter:
"This flag should be especially dear and sacred to the old Vermont brigade, as it is the only one that our beloved Sedgwick ever used while he commanded the immortal 6th Corps. It was his headquarters battle flag. Always carried near his person in every action in which he commanded the corps, it will be recognized by every soldier of the Old Brigade at once, and must awaken in their hearts vivid memories of the numerous fields upon which, under its folds, they achieved so much of their imperishable renown. It will recall the noble Sedgwick, who loved them so well and was so well loved in return, who was at once the brave soldier, the able commander, the sincere friend; the best soldier and the noblest man it was ever our good fortune to serve under. It will also recall our brave comrades who sealed their devotion to their country by their heroic deaths upon the field of battle under its folds. I have regarded it as a precious and sacred relic; and, believing I had no right to retain it all to myself, have long contemplated presenting it to this association. I respectfully request my old comrades, through you, to accept it a valuable addition to their store of relics; that they will permit it to grace the hall at their annual reunions, and cherish it as a memento of our beloved Sedgwick and the old Corps."
These Zouave-style trousers belonged to Lieutenant Charles R. Carville of the 165th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This was the 2nd Battalion of the famed 5th New York Volunteer Duryee's Zouaves. This unit primarily served in the Lower Seaboard Theater of the Civil War. In 1864 the 165th moved northward to join Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley.
This hat was a part of the 1st United States Sharpshooters uniform. Sharpshooters fought mainly as skirmishers—soldiers who led advances and probed enemy lines for weaknesses, sometimes taking cover and targeting officers or artillerymen. Wearing green uniforms that made them hard to spot amid trees and grass gave them a strategic advantage. Sharpshooters of exceptional skill were assigned to act independently as snipers, using heavy target rifles that could hit their targets up to a thousand yards.
Slouch hats, like this one worn by Private George William Ramsay of the 17th Virginia Infantry, Company A of the Confederate States Army, were among the garb typically worn by Confederate soldiers. These hats were sought after since the alternative, kepis, provided little protection from the weather
This innovative piece of memorabilia consists of a tintype of Augustus B. Hayes in a hardtack frame. At the age of 18, Hayes enlisted in the 1st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery Battery B on August 8, 1862. Hayes was wounded on December 31, 1862 in the Battle of Stones River. Despite this he served three more years and was mustered out June 16, 1865.
This waist belt plate was worn by soldiers of the 1st Virginia Volunteers, Confederate States Army. The brass, oval plate was manufactured around 1858-1860. Most likely the inscribed "CSA" was added after Virginia's secession from the Union.
These utensils were issued in 1862 to Prisoner-of-War Colonel John S. Crocker, 93rd New York Volunteers, by the commandant of Libby Prison. A knife and fork would become hard to find once prisons became overcrowded. Many prisons became notorious "hell holes."
1st Regiment of Artillery, Pennsylvania Militia shako, ca. 1861 (missing pompon). This regiment was raised on April 13, 1861. The insignia displays crossed-cannon and an ordnance bomb.
Many Confederate soldiers had their home state emblems on their waist belt plate. For example, this rectangular plate has the initials for North Carolina.
One of a pair, the eagle-head strap spur was worn by West Point graduate Brigadier General David M. Gregg. He entered service on January 17, 1862 as a colonel of the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry. On November 29, 1862 he was promoted to brevet Brigadier General and was a commander of a cavalry division under Ulysses Grant and Philip Sheridan. Gregg was involved in major battles such as Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.
Tin cups were typically a part of any Union soldier's mess kit. This cup was an innovative idea of Augustus Hayes. It was made out of a soup can and the words "Cup made and used by Augustus B. Hayes during the Civil War U.S.A." were inscribed on the bottom.
Southerners had a greater assortment of belt plates compared to Northerners. One example was this waist belt plate with the familiar lone star symbol for Texas.
Among the conspicuous items worn by militiamen when the conflict began were shakos-- tall hats that could make soldiers prominent targets in battle. The prevailing tactics, however, called for opposing ranks to open fire on each other at close range, in which case even soldiers wearing inconspicuous clothing were plainly visible to their opponents. A greater danger was the deadly confusion that resulted when troops in motley dress were unable to tell friends from foes.
This Baltimore Mounted Rifleman cap was purchased from Canfield Bros. & Company. Militiaman Thomas Hill of the Maryland National Guard wore it when he went to fight for the Union. During the Civil War it was common for soldiers to have two kinds of headgear. An order issued by the U.S. War Department in 1858 called for enlisted men to receive each year one dress hat and a fatigue or forage cap like this red one.
Lieutenant Charles R. Carville was among the nearly five thousand Union men killed or wounded at the Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the 165th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1862. This regiment was the 2nd Battalion Duryee Zouaves, a unit known for fierce fighting. Carville probably felt compelled, like many his age, to serve his country and take part in the great events that would define his generation.
On May 27, 1863 the Battle of Port Hudson left nearly two thousand federals dead or wounded. Carville fought that day with the "soul and heart of a man and patriot," according to his obituary in a New York newspaper. The headboard marked the temporary spot where he was buried on the battlefield.
Adorned in gold with the U.S. coat of arms, this ceremonial chapeau was authorized for staff officers in 1858 and worn by General McClellan. This hat and other relics belonging to General McClellan were donated to the museum by his son in 1917.
This cloak was made from captured Confederate Army gray cloth and was worn by a woman. The donor indicates that this cloak was made at the first Freedmen's School in Richmond, Virginia. After the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau aided the establishment of schools to educate emancipated African-Americans.
The cloak is gray wool with three large brass eagle buttons and a 15" long hood. The circumference of the bottom edge of the cloak measures 184 inches. The inside of the cloak is fully lined with red wool.
Dragoon helmet, First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, 1835 (missing horsehair crest).
When the conflict began it was apparent that in order to even fight a short war both sides needed more men. A call for volunteers was issued by the Confederacy and the Union. Many men who answered those calls wore their militia uniforms; others received uniforms of various patterns from local depots or tailors, resulting in considerable variation in dress even among companies within the same regiment.
Once General Robert E. Lee's Army had been cut off from its supplies, the Confederate Army was limping along. By the spring of 1865, Lee had no choice but to surrender his Army of Northern Virginia. This copy of Grant's letter outlining the terms of surrender was made by W. H. Atkinson, a clerk in the Adjutant General's office of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The two commanders met at the McLean home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. There Grant and Lee formalized and signed the surrender.