Battle of Antietam – Burnside Bridge – Civil War Relics

Description: Original lead bullets excavated from the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battlefields near Fredericksburg, Virginia. They were part of General Grant’s 1864 “Overland” Campaign to reach Richmond. They would be the same type ammunition used during the Battle of Antietam. At left they are Federal issue; a .69 caliber round ball for the smooth bore musket, a .54 for the Mississippi rifle or the Austrian Lorenz rifle. The Lorenz rifle was the third most widely used rifle during the Civil War. The Union recorded purchases of 226,924 and the Confederacy bought as many as 100,000. The .69 bullet at the bottom was for the “Rifled Musket”. At the beginning of the Civil War most of the Regular Army and most State militia units were armed with the older Model 1842 musket, a smooth bore. These were later re-rifled for better accuracy at the Armories during the War, hence the term “Rifled Musket”. The lead ammunition at right are all Confederate issue; a .44 early model Colt revolver, a .58 nose cast for a rifle and a .57 Enfield Rifle round. The Enfield round was either imported from England through the blockades or made with imported molds by the Confederacy. They all used a paper cartridge which has not survived in the ground. The white color or patina is due to oxidation in the ground. The “Army of the Potomac”, under the command of Maj. Gen. George McClellan, mounted a series of powerful assaults against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s “Army of Northern Virginia” along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862. The scene “Battle of Antietam” was reprinted from the lithograph by Kurz & Allison. Kurz and Allison were major publishers of chromolithographs in the late 19th century. They built their reputation on large prints published in the 1880-90 period depicting battles of the American Civil War. This was a period of recollection among veterans, and the company was trying to capitalize on this sentiment. In all, a set of thirty-six battle scenes were published from designs by Louis Kurz, himself a veteran of the war. They did not pretend to mirror the actual events but rather attempted to tap people's patriotic emotions. The artifacts come as shown in an 8” x 12” “Riker” style glass top case which can be opened by taking the pins out. The artifacts are just pressed in, not glued. Riker cases can be hung on a wall, but are best used on a stand. All of the artifacts are guaranteed to be original as stated. A hand signed and dated “Certificate of Authenticity” will be issued by Collectors Frame with a photograph and description of the items purchased. Please see our "About” for more information on the framing and artifacts.

Price: 65 USD

Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-30T14:07:25.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD