Civil War New York button with remains of coat, dug at Chancellorsville Battlefield (SOLD)

This is another nice item being offered, it is an excavated Civil War New York coat button, measuring 22.5 mm.  It has the eagle on a globe and shield device. There are 13 stars around the top and on the bottom is “EXCELSIOR”. What is really rare about this one is that when the digger recovered it, it still had a piece of the soldier’s uniform attached. Originally the fabric was blue but has turned brown over the years. It was recovered from the Chancellorsville, VA Battlefield.

The Battle of Chancellorsville, fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, is widely considered to be Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory during the Civil War. Facing an enemy force nearly twice the size of his own, Lee daringly split his troops in two, confronting and surprising Union Gen. Joseph Hooker. Though Hooker still held numerical superiority, he did not press this advantage, instead falling back to defensive positions.

When Lee once again split his forces and attacked, Hooker was forced to retreat across the Rappahannock River. Lee’s victory came at a high cost, however. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, one of his most trusted generals, was mortally wounded by friendly fire during the battle.

It is a very rare find to come across a button with original fabric still attached. I believe this button has a makers backmark, but I left it undisturbed. There were many New York regiments which fought at Chancellorsville and suffered many casualties. Whether this soldier survived, no one will ever know. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.