Civil War Soldiers Wedding Band

Excavated Civil War Soldiers Wedding Band. (SOLD)

Civil War Soldiers Wedding Band. It is made of stippled brass and has a diameter of approximately 3/4”. This is the type which appears to have a split so it can be adjusted to the finger size. It was recovered on private property at a New York camp in Stafford, Virginia, just off Brooke Road.

 

After the Battle of Fredericksburg, Gen. Burnside's Union troops retreated over the Rappahannock River and dug in for the winter in Stafford. Over 120,000 federal troops--more men than today's bulging population--camped there, many in small log huts. At the time, the county was home to only around 5,000 people, and 1,000 men were away serving in the Confederate Army. The remaining residents suffered terrible deprivation as Union troops stripped local farms of livestock, produce, and wood.

 

The Yankees looted and tore down abandoned farmhouses and churches and even pulled up fence posts for firewood. Of course, the Union troops didn't have it easy, either, as they licked their wounds and fought off the cold. The suffering and dying didn't stop on the battlefield. For every man killed in combat, two died from disease and other causes. After the Civil War, around 3,000 bodies were removed from Stafford and reburied in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery....countless others may remain.

 

There are examples of similar wedding bands recovered at battlefields and campsites in Civil War Artifacts – A Guide for the Historian, by Howard Crouch (see pictures). No doubt, it must have been upsetting for the soldier who lost it. It has a great aged patina and remains just as it came out of the ground. I will also include the glass top display case pictured. (SOLD)