Tongue from a Leech & Rigdon Confederate 2-piece brass buckle, dug at Chickamauga Battlefield

This is another rare piece being offered, it is the tongue from a Leech & Rigdon Confederate 2-piece sand-cast brass buckle. The overall size of this piece is 50mm x 60mm. An example is in “Confederate Belt Buckles & Plates” by Steve Mullinax (see pictures). This tongue was dug years ago at the Chickamauga Battlefield.

The Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia took place September 19–20, 1863, to control the railroad center at nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee. Union General William S. Rosecrans had established his army at Chickamauga, Georgia, 12 miles southeast of Chattanooga. Confederate General Braxton Bragg collected reinforcements and prepared to do battle, assisted by General James Longstreet.

For two days the conflict raged in a tangled forest along Chickamauga Creek. Dazed by the ferocious Confederate assault, the main body of the Union army gave way and retreated in disorder. Union General George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga,” skillfully organized the defenses and withstood the attack until the assistance of a reserve corps made possible an orderly withdrawal to Chattanooga.

Of 120,000 troops participating, casualties numbered 16,000 Union troops and 18,000 Confederate troops, making this one of the bloodiest engagements of the Civil War. Chickamauga was considered a decisive victory for the South, but General Bragg did not choose to follow it up, and two months later the results were completely nullified at the Battle of Chattanooga.

This tongue is very solid with only some slight loss on the round disc. It appears this is just from extensive use, not from the elements. It is a rare piece and if you had a single wreath, you would have a nice complete buckle. Relics such as this are highly collectable, and difficult to find. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.