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 01, 2008

The Ridgeway Civil War Reference Archive 
Buckles issued by South Carolina

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.

P0373    South Carolina two part belt plate



Two part die stamped brass motif, sweated onto cast keeper, wreath is cast. This was pre-war manufacture, with matching bench marks on both halves.  Motif was originally found with the keeper but had separated. It was then filled with lead and reattached buy the digger. It probably started out as a right handed buckle, but now is left handed as result of this re-assembly. This buckle was in the collection of Robert Coli when photographed for the Mullinax book, and although this was explained at the time, this information did not make it to the final copy of the book.
Recovered: Savannah GA
Tongue keeper 50.3mm, wreath keeper 50.5mm, wreath 51.6mm
Ref: Mullinax Plate 352, actual example photographed 

P0349 / P0393      South Carolina two part plate, Ames manufactured



Plate was manufactured as a prewar commercial product by Ames, the bough on the wreath is a distinguishing feature on most Ames two part buckles. Most Ames buckles are right handed, (as is this one), most other producers are left handed.
P0349 Wreath shows serial number 38 stamped on back
Wreath has been Recovered: by Harry Ridgeway near the Cedar Creek trenches.
P0393 Tongue shows serial number, 21 which is estimated, as ground action prevents absolute identification of the benchmark.
Tongue Recovered by Bill Hunt, Charleston SC, original discovery was published in the NST Vol SSVI, No 2, 1999, pg 15
Tongue keeper 51.2mm, wreath keeper 51.2mm, wreath 49.2mm
Ref: Mullinax, Plate 358

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

P0340        South Carolina militia panel plate

Construction is stamped brass, soldered hooks
Top grade nondug plate, hooks intact
Recovered: from a Charleston SC attic.
Plate measures 62.5mm X 79.2mm
Ref: Mullinax Plate 376, actual example photographed 

P0341     South Carolina militia panel plate

Construction is stamped brass, soldered hooks
Attractive dug example, traces of silvering, hooks missing.
Recovered: from Charleston SC, original discovery was published in the NST XVII, No 2, pg 10
Plate measures 63.8mm X 81mm
Ref: Mullinax, Plates 382 or 383 

P0347     South Carolina waist belt plate

This is a pre-war stamped plate of obviously limited quantity. Note the very pronounced die break at top center. All have this break. Apparently, the die broke early and production simply stopped once the die became unusable which must production stopped once die became unusable which have been nearly from the beginning. It also has a pronounced mold pattern on the back.
Recovered: Camp "Measles", Centerville VA
Plate measures 56mm X 83mm
Ref: Mullinax, Plate 384 

P0346     South Carolina crude militia belt plate

This is a pre-war style made from heavy sheet brass stock with a somewhat crude seal applied which is fastened by wire through holes in the base stock. A militia company likely ordered these from a small local metal working shop.
Top grade nondug plate, hooks are brazed, bar intact, tongue is missing.
Plate measures 61mm X 75mm
Ref: Topper South Carolina relics, pg. 60 actual plate photographed.
Ref: Keim, fig 187, actual plate photographed.
Ref: Mullinax, Plate 386, actual plate photographed. 

P0343     South Carolina oval belt plate, large size

Stamped brass, solder filled with stud hooks.
Outstanding example, stud hooks intact, some missing caps
Recovered: Fredericksburg, VA
Plate measures 56.4mm X 88mm
Ref: Mullinax plate 389 

P0545       South Carolina oval belt plate, medium size

Stamped brass construction, solder filled with stud hooks, caps peened.
Sharp example, all hooks intact.
Recovered: by Red Loy Brucetown, VA, original discovery was published
in the NST Vol XXII, No 6, Christmas 1995 pg 12
Plate measures 47mm X 77mm
Ref: Mullinax plate 390

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

P0344        South Carolina round box plate

Construction is stamped brass, solder filled, iron hooks missing
Recovered: Charleston SC by Greg Craven
Plate measures 64mm
Ref: Mullinax Plate 395, actual example photographed 

P1633     South Carolina shoulder plate converted to buckle

Construction is stamped brass, solder filled, originally had iron hooks.  The Confederacy needed buckles and not shoulder plates so quantities of these plates were converted to buckles in small shops in South Carolina.  This one employed brass arrow hooks, crudely fashioned and soldered into place.
War relic was recovered during the war by Captain John A Wheeler, 15th Maine Infantry , and is from the Norm Flayderman collection. Plate measures 64mm  
Ref: Mullinax Plate 400, actual example photographed

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