Eagle Button from Antietam, Dunkard Church

This is another nice item being offered, it is an original Civil War Eagle button, measuring approximately ¾”. The reverse still has the complete shank and there is no visible backmark. It was recovered on private property in the fall of 1999, near the Dunkard Church (see period photograph) at the Antietam Battlefield.

During the early morning hours of September 17, 1862, furious conflicts swirled here as the Union Army made several attempts to break the Confederate left flank. Union Generals Hooker, Mansfield, and Sumner would launch successive attacks toward the Confederates positioned on the slight high ground upon which this church rested. The Battle of Antietam would become the single bloodiest day of the American Civil War and all of American military history, seeing nearly 23,000 casualties. The inconclusive but strategic Union victory partially politically enabled Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

This button is very solid and has been coated with a varnish for preservation. Along with the button, there is a Certificate of Authenticity along with a map showing the exact location of the recovery site. This is truly a historical piece and has been in my private collection since its recovery. (SOLD)