Confederate Adjutant General button	The Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway
	Winchester, Virginia USA (changed hands 70 times in the Civil War!) I am a collector buying and selling authentic Civil War Relics
	This page updated   March 02, 2008

The Ridgeway Civil War Reference Archive 
Confederate government two piece "artillery" plates

This is a sampling of relics collected by Harry Ridgeway over the years.  This archive record is for educational purposes only.  Some of the relics listed may be on display at the Old Court House Civil War Museum, Winchester Virginia, some are no longer owned by the author.  None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to the separate sales catalog for items that are currently offered.

All  items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described.   
Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.    
This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

P0897     Confederate "Artillery" style two piece buckle

 
Cast brass, this monstrous sized plate was patterned after the Federal Regulation 1839 plate but is much larger. The biggest and heaviest of the Confederate plates, this is a very rare. 
Beautiful dug together example, pleasing consistent patina. 
Tongue keeper 67mm, wreath keeper 67.5mm, wreath, 51.6mm 
Recovered: Fredericksburg, Va 
Reference: Mullinax (Expanded Edition) Plate 066 or 067 

Authenticity note. This piece shows the definite ring around the letters and the slash in the "S" which is also in many Hanover Brass copies! However there is a good bit of difference in the details on the back, and this plate is much larger than the Hanover Brass example. I have been able to confirm that this piece was owned by Shannon Pritchard several years ago, Shannon allowed Gary Williams to copy it. (Shannon now apologizes for ever letting GW copy anything, but that is a story for another time), Williams has also confirmed that he copied this tongue from Pritchard and did not copy the wreath. So this is the original from which Hanover Brass made the master for their repro and will be the only authentic example of this buckle configured with this funky ring and slash etc.

P0288 / P1318      Two part "Artillery Plate" adapted for CSA


 
Tongue motif originally had "US" which was removed by a Confederate soldier in the field with a simple file. It was found near where a jeweler altered WA (Washington Artillery plate was found, so perhaps this was a captured artillery plate that a Louisiana soldier was trying to fashion in the field but never finished. Plate is solid cast and has three stars stamped in the keeper.
P0288 Tongue found by Harry Ridgeway, Pumpkin Ridge, Clearbrook VA
P1318 Wreath recovered Lexington, KY
Ref: Mullinax Plate 069

Item is on display at the Old Court House Civil War Museum, Winchester, VA.

P0960 / P0974     Artillery plate, Regulation 1839, Confederate altered



Solid cast, originally bearing the motif "US" and intended to carry the artillery short sword. The letters have been filed off, a field alteration sometimes performed by the Confederates. Marked "Storms" on the upper edge of the tongue keeper, a limited quantity of buckles and swords was produced by this contractor.
Buckle is a marriage, fit is good, small break in wreath. Tongue shows a casting flaw on the back, it is likely that the motif was removed from a plate, then used as a master, then these blank tongues were copied.
Tongue recovered: Shenandoah Valley Va (P0960)
Wreath recovered Richmond Va, it is the correct fit.(P0974)
Tongue keeper 55.6mm, wreath keeper 55.6mm, wreath height 49.5mm
Ref: Mullinax Plate 069 and O'Donnell & Campbell plate 254 

P1544     Artillery plate, Regulation 1839, Confederate altered "CS"



Solid cast, originally bearing the motif "US" and intended to carry the artillery short sword. The "U" has been crudely reshaped to form a "C", a field alteration probably done by a jeweler.
Outstanding example, this is the example published.
Recovered: Fredericksburg, VA
Tongue keeper 54.5mm, wreath keeper 54.1mm, wreath height 48.9mm
Ref: Mullinax Plate 071, this is the example photographed. 

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