Branding Iron from the Civil War Confederate regiment, “The Auburn Guards” (SOLD)

Being offered is a rare and unusual piece, it is a blacksmith made branding iron. It measures 8 ¾” overall and in the iron circle is “A G” for Auburn Guards. The wooden handle measures 5 ½” and is blackened on one end from the fire.

At the Auburn train depot on February 16, 1861, Jefferson Davis reviewed the Auburn Guards, the first Confederate military company thus honored. Davis was enroute to his inauguration as President of the Confederacy.

The East Alabama Male College (now Auburn University) closed down during the war. Its cadets formed much of the rank and file of The Auburn Guards, and migrated into the 37th Alabama Infantry, under former college teachers James F. Dowell and William F. Slaton, who both recruited companies for the 37th -- Slaton himself having served as an officer in the Auburn Guards

The 37th Alabama was not the primary beneficiary of this manpower once the 12-month terms of enlistment of the Auburn Guards started to expire, but rather, other regiments that formed earlier, are now emerging as units that garnered the greater balance of these young men.

These branding irons were used to mark the equipment of the regiment. This item and a few other pieces came out of an old collection in Alabama. There is a minor split in the handle but does not affect anything – it is a very solid piece. It is very difficult to find unique pieces like this.