Civil War soldier’s button recovered from a hospital site in Gettysburg

This is another nice piece being offered; it is an excavated 19.5mm Union Eagle General Service coat button. The brass front has the typical spread eagle, and it still has the upright shank on the reverse, but the backmark is hard to make out, probably Scovill. It was recovered from a 1^st Corp hospital site at the Gettysburg battlefield.

It was dug many years ago by local Gettysburg resident and relic hunter Ken Bream. He recovered it just off the Baltimore Pike by White Church Road, this was the 1st Corp Hospital area. Wounded soldiers were brought directly from the field of battle to these crude make shift field hospitals. No doubt this button came off the coat of one of those wounded soldiers.

Mr. Bream was born and raised in Gettysburg and grew up in a house right next to the famous Peach Orchard. He graduated from Gettysburg High School and for a while worked for Johnny Johnson who owned the General Longstreet’s Headquarters Museum which once stood on Seminary Ridge, right along Confederate Avenue near the Longstreet Headquarters marker.

Mr. Bream obtained some relics from this now defunct museum and dug many more on private property surrounding the battlefield, and on the Confederate approach and retreat routes. This artifact was obtained from the auction of Mr. Bream’s collection in October of 2021. It is in solid condition and a great piece of Gettysburg history.