Very Rare – Confederate Memphis spur with “CS” lettering, recovered at Tullahoma, TN

This is one of the rarest Confederate spurs being offered, it has the lettering “CS” on it which stands for Confederate States. It was made by Memphis Novelty Works, Thomas Leech & Co, maker of quality manufactured weapons and accoutrements for the Confederacy, was owned by Thomas Leech of Memphis, Tennessee. It was recovered years ago at a Confederate campsite in Tullahoma, TN.

The Tullahoma campaign was a military operation conducted from June 24 to July 3, 1863, by the Union Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans and is regarded as one of the most brilliant maneuvers of the Civil War. Its effect was to drive the Confederates out of Middle Tennessee and to threaten the strategic city of Chattanooga.

The Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg occupied a strong defensive position in the mountains. But through a series of well-rehearsed feints, Rosecrans captured the key passes, helped by the use of the new seven-shot Spencer repeating rifle. The Confederates were handicapped by dissension between generals, as well as a lack of supplies, and soon had to abandon their headquarters at Tullahoma.

The campaign ended in the same week as the two historic Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and Rosecrans complained that his achievement was overshadowed. However, Bragg's army soon received reinforcements that enabled it to defeat Rosecrans at the Battle of Chickamauga two months later.

When this rare spur was recovered, it was broken. It was given to Robert McDaniel of Alabama for restoration. Bob is a true professional and was considered the best restorer of Civil War artifacts in the country, I myself used him several times with items I had. This spur was thoroughly examined by JP, of JP Hunts Restoration, who is also considered the finest current restorer of Civil War and other excavated relics. He told me that he really did a nice job on the spur, and that it was a very difficult and timely undertaking to have it come out as it is now.

This spur comes in a beautiful wooden display case, and a Certificate of Authenticity will be included with it. Like I said, this is a very rare, complete spur with a great price. Similar examples with no repairs, when available, are usually priced over $2000.00.