Brass Horse Rosette dug in Texas, with papers (SOLD,DC)

This is another great piece being offered, it is a Civil War or earlier rosette. It is made of stamped brass with a diameter of 1 ½”. There are small remnants of the original hooks on the reverse and was never lead-filled. Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. Many of the Union examples had eagles, ‘US”, and “USA”, but civilian rosettes, especially pre-Civil War, had an array of designs. Many private purchase or civilian horse rigs were pressed into service during the Civil War, particularly by southerners.

The rosette offered here was dug in Texas in the early 1990s by Rudy Shultz. It was recovered, along with two others, at the site of the Donoho Plantation in southeast Texas (see map). This area around Clear Creek had many Confederate camps. There were other items recovered at the site, including a Frame buckle with Texas ID. In 1836 Sam Houston was at the Donoho site, and later Confederate camps were in the area. Mr. Shultz stated that he found numerous buckles, knives, spurs, stirrups, and other items at the location back when he had permission to hunt the property.

Unlike the eastern states, Texas had a big problem early in the war with supplies and had to depend on their own equipment and horses. In "Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns", by Charles Harris, there are examples of this rosette, and he states they were used by Confederate cavalrymen (see pictures). Dug Texas items are very desirable. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.