Two Maine "Burnside" Eagle Plates in Box with Provenance - Recovered 1956
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These two excavated Union small size Maine "Burnside" eagle plates, both plates measure approximately same size in diameter but differ slightly in design. According to the typed label on the top of the box, both were recovered in from Berkeley Plantation aka Harrison's Landing, VA by one of the early diggers.
Use: Federal. Eagle plates, also known as breast plates, shoulder belt plates, and cross belt plates, were stamped with a patriotic eagle motif and attached to the belt that held the soldier's cartridge box. Eagle plates with two belt attachment loops were purely ornamental and proudly worn by Union soldiers with the belt slung over the shoulder and across the chest. See the additional images in this listing for an image showing its use.
Construction: Die stamped thin sheet brass with solder fill and two iron wire loops.
Condition: Plate A - Good, excavated, loops missing. Its brass face has a chocolate brown patina with a light layer of encrusted yellow soil nicely highlighting the patriotic eagle motif. There is a very small hairline fracture at the 2:30 o'clock position of the rim. The rim is complete. The rear has a near complete complement of solder with moderate flaking in areas of the rim. Printed in dark marker on the rear is "Berkeley Plantation / Nov '56" and the finer script letters "JR" or "LR" in what is believed to be pencil. The plate has no bends or repairs and its diameter measures approximately 59.45 mm.
Condition: Plate B - Very good, excavated, loops present with one straight-up and one bent over to the rear. Its brass face has a taupe or grey-brown patina with a light layer of encrusted yellow soil nicely highlighting the patriotic eagle motif. The rim is complete with a small dent at the 3:30 o'clock position. The rear has a near complete complement of solder with moderate flaking in a few areas of the rim. Printed in dark marker on the rear is "Harrison's Landing / 1956". There are no cracks, breaks, bends or repairs. The plate's diameter measures approximately 59.57 mm.
The well-made sturdy cardboard box that these plates have been stored in for what may be, as many as 68 years, has a typed label attached to its top. The partially attached label is fragile, and one must use care when handling. There are small holes and a section of the lower portion missing. The box is hinged with old red adhesive tape in the rear. Typed on the label is the following:
"UNION EAGLE PLATES EXCAVATED AT BERKELEY PLANTATION OR HARRISON'S LANDING, VA. IN 1955. THESE PLATES WERE UNDOUBTEDLY WORN BY SOLDIERS OF THE 2ND RHODE ISLAND INFANTRY OR CANNONEERS OF ONE OF THE FIVE BATTERIES OF 1st REGIMENT OF LIGHT RHODE ISLAND ARTILLERY IN ACTION DURING THE SEVEN DAYS. THESE WERE UNITS OF THE IX CORPS, THESE PLATES ARE 2 1/4" DIAMETER - ALL OTHERS ISSUED WERE ____" (the blank believe to be "2 1/2"").
Any additional typed information if any, is now missing. The label indicates the year of recovery as "1955", however both plates are marked "1956". Presumably, the label's incorrect date is the result of a mistype.
Reference: Examples of similar Maine "Burnside" eagle plates are found in the following Civil War relic reference books:
- "American Military Belt Plates" by Michael J. O'Donnell and J. Duncan Campbell, second edition, on page 283, as plate 448.
- "Civil War Artifacts" by Howard Crouch, on page 189, item 4.
- "Field Guide to Excavated Federal Plates" by Daniel J. Peters on page 17.
- "Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1874", by Sydney C. Kerksis on pages 54 & 55.
- "Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of The Civil War" by Stanley S. Phillips on page 7, item 6.
See above pages in additional images.
Comments: Maine "Burnside" eagle plates are the smallest size of eagle plates. While these plates have generally been associated with Maine troops over the years, here we have two recovered from known Rhode Island camps at Harrison's Landing. Notable on Plate "A" is that the front patriotic motif design differs slightly from the design on Plate "B", which makes Plate "A" a unique Maine "Burnside" variant as its design is less often observed and quite rare. While the standard size eagle plates are plentiful and readily available, Maine "Burnside" plates, are significantly rarer to recover. The two offered here with their solid provenance will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War accoutrement plate or general relic collection.
Further reading: In an article titled "Renaming the "Burnside" Plate", published in 1999 in North South Trader's Civil War magazine, Vol. XXVI, No. 6 Christmas Issue on page 49 by the late Mike O'Donnell, author of "American Military Belt Plates", O'Donnell suggests "...it's time to start calling these distinctive little eagle insignia plates "Maine" plates rather than "Burnsides"." This article is also found in the additional images.
- Product Code:
- PC8065
- Price:
- $495.00
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