Small size knife and fork from the “Gettysburg Battlefield Museum”

Being offered are some interesting pieces, they are a small size Civil War period knife and fork. They appear to have bone handles and the fork measures 5” and the knife 4 ½”.  Originally, they were on a relic board with other soldiers eating utensils. They were deacessed from the Battlefield Military Museum in Gettysburg, which is now removed. These pieces and many other artifacts were sold at auction in Gettysburg in October 2024.

The Battlefield Military Museum was established in 1963 to display the massive militaria collection of the late George Marino. Over 7,000 pieces made up the two floors of exhibits and included many Gettysburg items. The American Battlefield Trust acquired the brick museum and the four acres it stands on and demolished it to return the terrain to its 1863 appearance. The tract is located on the slopes of East Cemetery Hill, abutting the Baltimore Pike and sitting just below the crest of the Union artillery position on Stevens Knoll.

The size of these utensils may seem a little unusual, but soldiers were always concerned with the weight and size of personal items they had to carry for long distances, so they tried to keep everything at a minimum. These pieces were on display for decades at the museum. In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items” I discuss these types of utensils and Gettysburg (see pictures). This would make a nice addition to any Civil War or Gettysburg collection. They come in the glass top display case pictured.