Civil War shell-design Powder Flask from the NPS Gettysburg Museum

This is another nice item from a Gettysburg collection that I acquired about fifteen years ago. It is a shell-design copper flask that was a very early pickup from the Gettysburg Battlefield. It measures 6” high x 3 ¼” wide. The top spout is missing, probably why it was discarded. Two pieces of the original carrying twine remain attached. There are no visible manufacture markings which is common for the era, having the museum identification number which is “5947”.

This unique item is part of a grouping of Gettysburg artifacts which were deacessed from the famous Rosensteel Collection, which was part of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum. George D. Rosensteel, a long time relic collector, established a Civil War museum in Gettysburg in 1921. He subsequently added the collection of John H. Rosensteel to the museum. John Rosensteel, George's uncle, lived through the 1863 battle and began gathering Gettysburg artifacts shortly thereafter.

George’s daughter, Angela, married Lawrence Eckert in 1941, and began working at his father-in-law's National Museum. When the Rosensteel family sold the Ziegler's Grove property to the U.S. government in 1972, the family also donated the museum's collection to the National Park Battlefield Museum; this Gettysburg piece was part of that collection, having the museum's markings.

There are examples of this type of flask still in the Gettysburg NPS Gettysburg Museum (see pictures), as well as in the relic books. I have kept some of the items from this grouping for my personal collection for the possible inclusion in the next revision of my book “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs”.