Remains of Model 1836 Pistol picked up at Gettysburg Battlefield

This is another nice item being offered; it is the wooden-stock section of an M1836 Percussion Pistol. It measures 11 ½” x 1 ½” and all of the hardware was intentionally removed (not sure if it was found this way or removed by someone in the past). These flintlock pistols were US arsenal altered to percussion. I show a complete example, not included (see pictures) It was picked up from the Gettysburg Battlefield shortly after the July 1863 battle.

This item is from the collection of the Peter Miller GAR Post #551. The Post was located in York Springs, Adams County, Pennsylvania and was named after Private Peter Miller of Company K, 1st Pennsylvania Reserves, who was killed in action at South Mountain on September 14, 1862, and is now buried in Sunnyside Cemetery, York Springs.

Not much is known about the Post other than it closed sometime before 1925. In a letter from a collector, he explained how he and his father found the relics from the Miller Post #551 in the 1970’s at the home of Civil War veteran David Starry. At the time when the items were purchased, the house was occupied by Starry’s descendants. Mr. Starry had served in the 165th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry during the war and afterward joined the Peter Miller Post #551 of the GAR.

With most of the local Pennsylvania GAR posts, the relics on display at the posts were from the Gettysburg battlefield, usually donated by veterans. This was a time before metal detectors and many items from the field were just “eye balled”. The nice condition of the wood validates its early recovery. It is a very nice relic which was actually used at the Battle of Gettysburg.