Eagle Plate Recovered from Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg, VA

US Eagle Cartridge Box Sling Plate recovered
years ago from Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg VA

Lead filled back with iron attachment loops still present.





Wartime view of Marye's Heights. On December 13, 1862,
Ambrose Burnside hurled 35,000 federals against the
stone wall at the foot of the heights. After 15 seperate assaults
over a 6 hour period, nearly 8,000 Union soldiers fell before
the Confederate guns. Marye's Heights was finally seized
by the VI Corps on May 3, 1863 during the
Battle of Chancellorsville





"Gallant Charge of Humphrey's Division at the Battle of Fredericksburg"
Sketch by Alfred R. Waud









Battle of Fredericksburg letter of Benjamin E Sumner, 141st Pennsylvania, Killed at Chancellorsville

Bennie Sumner's letter, written on the pages of an old account book.

Camp Pitcher

Near Falmouth VA Dec 24th '62

Dear Uncle

     If my memory serves me right, I am owing you a letter, though I have to use an old account book for paper. Have received no money & can get no paper. So further excuses are useless. The weather has been most bitter cold, but is quite comfortable today. We have log huts built up some two or three feet & plastered or mudded up & then put our tents on the logs, a number have fireplaces in them.

    

     Dec 25th   Wish you all a merry Christmas. Nothing very special going off today as I know of. Our regiment went on picket duty yesterday morning, to be gone three days. There are some thirty six in this company that are on the sick list. We were over the river at Fredericksburg 14th instant, had to double quick it some two or three miles through the mud shoe deep nearly, then had to lay flat on the ground so long we nearly all took cold. I have had a pain in my left side since and considerable of a cold. So that I have not done anything since I came back. We went over the river Saturday & came back Tuesday before day light. We were on picket the last twenty four hours within fifteen rods of the rebels, had to hide behind a bank not more than a foot and a half high, but we agreed with them (the rebels) that neither side should fire, went half way and shook hands with them & had a chat with them. Said if it were not for their officers they could soon settle this war. We exchanged the dead with them & they did not leave a pair of shoes or pants, cap, or socks, or coat, if they were not wore too bad, on to our dead men. Our men did not bury all the dead that we exchanged, were in such a hurry to retreat.  The pickets that were put around the pontoon bridges fired two or three times when we came up, but no harm done. I have not heard from home since 4th instant, guess they have run away or expect me to soon. Our Capt & 2nd Lieut has resigned I believe the captain had our muster roll & we could not draw our bounty, all the other companies in the regiment got theirs. I wrote to Cousin Annie Bannatyne this week. Hear Cousin C. H. Bunnel was home, wish I could see him. I had an apple this morning, never had one taste better, wish I could get in your apple bin, I would do a smashing business.

    Dec 27th   Moderate sort of weather today. I received a letter from home yesterday dated Dec 7th, got a vest, mittens & night cap from home. I got a letter from Bro J.B & Alma today, were well. Write soon as convenient and ever remember your Soldier nephew.

                                                                                                       Bennie E. Sumner

Sumner enlisted on August 18, 1862 in Co. A of the 141st Pennsylvania Infantry. He was killed at Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863, where the regiment lost 37 killed, 101 wounded, 17 captured, and 4 missing out of 419 engaged. 

The 141st PA served in III Corps, Army of the Potomac from Fredericksburg to Appomattox. Their losses were as follows. 

Officers Killed in Action:    6

Officers Died of Disease:    3

Enlisted Killed in Action:    161

Enlisted Died of Disease:    76

Pontoon Bridge over the Rappahannock, Fredericksburg VA

Soldiers of III Corps in their winter huts.     Camp Pitcher, Falmouth VA

Cartridge Box Carried by Charles Grebel, 74th PA Infantry, Possibly at Gettysburg

    This .58 cal cartridge box was carried by Charles Grebel of the 74th PAInfantry. Grebel enlisted on September5th, 1862 at age 23, and was mustered out with the regiment on June 22, 1865 at Clarksburg, WV.

The 74th PA was one of many all German regiments in the army. Commanded by Col.Alexander Schimmelfennig, the regiment saw
its first significant action at Cross Keys in the Shennandoah Valley, and was heavily engaged at Second Manassas. Attached to the largely German XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, the regiment was roughly handled at Chancellorsville, where the XI Corps bore the brunt of Stonewall Jackson's crushing flank attack.

The XI Corps Germans, denigrated by their rout at Chancellorsville, were again flanked and routed on the first day at Gettysburg. After the battle, their brigade was permanently transfered from the Army of the Potomac to South Carolina, where the 74th participated in the campaign to seize Charleston. 

The 74th Pennsylvania's losses during the war were as follows:

Officers Killed or Mortally Wounded: 2

Officers Died of Disease, Accidents, etc.: 1

Enlisted Men Killed or Mortally Wounded: 54

Enlisted Men Died of Disease, Accidents, etc: 85

74th PA Monument at Gettysburg.
The regiment lost 10 killed, 40
wounded, and 60 captured or missing
in the battle. 

Grebel's name on the Pennsylvania State Memorial at
Gettysburg, one of 34,530

"C.S. Storms, NY Maker" mark. Christian S. Storms
received a contract for 15,000 .58 cartridge boxes
in 1862

The removable tins held 40 .58 cal paper cartridges

A copy of Charles Grebel's discharge. He is listed as 5' 8 1/2" 
tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. His
occupation is listed as Laborer. 

Legal document regarding an unpaid $100 bounty to Grebel

Identified Tintype to 62nd NY Infantry, Anderson's Zouaves

This 9th plate tintype is identified to Charles Decker of the 62nd NY Infantry, known as Anderson's Zouaves. Decker enlisted in Company "A" on May 29, 1861 in New York City at age 21. The 62nd NY was attached to VI Corps, Army of the Potomac, and saw heavy action on the Peninsula, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Petersburg, and numerous other battles and skirmishes. This tintype was likely made after the regiment abandoned the colorful zouave uniform in favor of the more standard infantry jacket and kepi. I have encountered other tintypes of VI Corps soldiers with the same background scene and matting. I suspect that these were made in the VI Corps winter camp at Brandy Station, which I have had the pleasure of relic hunting on several occasions. 

The casualties of the 62nd NY are as follows,

Officers Killed in Action or Mortally Wounded:         3

Officers Died of Disease, Accidents etc:                     2

Enlisted Men Killed in Action or Mortally Wounded: 85

Enlisted Men Died of Disease, Accidents etc:             82

Welcome to The Relic Seeker

  Welcome to The Relic Seeker. This blog is the firsthand account of a Civil War collector and relic hunter from Massachusetts. I have been collecting Civil War memorabilia for about a decade, and for the last several years have made three or four trips annually down South to metal detect Civil War battlefields and camps. I will post detailed history of items in my collection, as well as youtube videos and descriptions of my travels to Civil War shows and relic hunts. I hope that this blog will be a useful and entertaining stop for fellow enthusiasts.