Pickett George. E. Pickett. A re-evaluation.

:laugh: That's true! Jeb Stuart was another who loved the fancy clothes - red lined cape, gold spurs, ostrich plume in the hat and a luxurious beard that surprised even him when it came in. He did the super perfumed curls for a short time while in West Point but kept getting mistaken for his sister - got a lot of demerits for fighting!

Wow, Now I’m wondering what Jeb’s sister looked like, she probably looked like she fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on her way down.
 
Wow, Now I’m wondering what Jeb’s sister looked like, she probably looked like she fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on her way down.

:rofl: Remember - Forrest had a twin sister!

He was another variety of the cavalier - the cracker cavalier. No fancy family tree, not a lot of sophistication or education, farmer. But he could dude up just as fine as Jeb or George! There's one photo of him floating around somewhere where he is in his full Confederate general uniform, sword and all, feather in the hat, white gloves. The interesting full at the bottom haircut was peculiar to the South - but it was meant for slicking down with bay rum and curling sweetly around your ears and face. Add a brocade vest with gold buttons and big silver buckles on your shoes - pretty close! Don't recall him getting into any fights over his curls... :eek:
 
Any idea where I can locate that photo, I’ve searched the internet but no luck so far..

I've been looking for it, too! Once it was on my photo files but that computer got nuked by little gamers - haven't been able to find it since. It was the best photo of Forrest ever. There's a story of three brothers who rode up to their dad's place and saw a 'splendid officer' talking with their father. It was Forrest in his full uniform, hat, sword and all the accoutrements - they signed up right on the spot just because of his looks!
 
I've been looking for it, too! Once it was on my photo files but that computer got nuked by little gamers - haven't been able to find it since. It was the best photo of Forrest ever. There's a story of three brothers who rode up to their dad's place and saw a 'splendid officer' talking with their father. It was Forrest in his full uniform, hat, sword and all the accoutrements - they signed up right on the spot just because of his looks!
I hope you eventually find it, I bet it would be a great photo if it were colourised.
 
I have not read the entire thread so forgive me if this was brought up, it is somewhat related. Has anyone see the episode of, I think it was "Strange Inheritance" if not mistaken, where Pickett's descendant inherits a suitcase full of George's things, to include the kepi that they think he wore at Gettysburg during the charge, never really even looks at the contents, and gets conned out of it for like $10k by some huckster posing as a buyer for a museum that knocks on his door one day, only to find out later the shyster resells the contents for like $250k?? I mean, not to mention that he didn't even care to examine the contents but when someone knocks on the door and offers you $10k, wouldn't your suspicion be aroused about the value of the heirlooms? IIRC, he stated he wasn't even much interested in these items.
 
I have not read the entire thread so forgive me if this was brought up, it is somewhat related. Has anyone see the episode of, I think it was "Strange Inheritance" if not mistaken, where Pickett's descendant inherits a suitcase full of George's things, to include the kepi that they think he wore at Gettysburg during the charge, never really even looks at the contents, and gets conned out of it for like $10k by some huckster posing as a buyer for a museum that knocks on his door one day, only to find out later the shyster resells the contents for like $250k?? I mean, not to mention that he didn't even care to examine the contents but when someone knocks on the door and offers you $10k, wouldn't your suspicion be aroused about the value of the heirlooms? IIRC, he stated he wasn't even much interested in these items.
I believe that the Pickett family were approached by a civil war broker/appraiser who valued the Pickett antiques for $87.000. The broker then sold the items onto the National Civil war museum for $870.000. I think that I’m correct in saying that following a complaint from the Pickett family, the FBI investigated other civil war antiques that had been appraised and purchased by the same broker, it turns out that the broker had underpaid for a sword owned by Major Samuel Wilson and had done exactly the same with a presentation pistol that had belonged to General George G Meade.

Did you know that the same broker also made quite a bit of cash on a Union Zouave Jacket. He sold a 137-year-old Union Zouave jacket to the museum as part of a $1.8 million collection in 1995. At the time the jacket‘s estimated value was $21,000. Its speculated that it was when the broker was given access to the collection to take photographs that he switched the jacket for a French musician's jacket. He then sold the authentic jacket to a collector for $30,000.

Its estimated that the broker/appraiser made anything from $800.000 to $1.5 million on fraudulent transaction.
 
I believe that the Pickett family were approached by a civil war broker/appraiser who valued the Pickett antiques for $87.000. The broker then sold the items onto the National Civil war museum for $870.000. I think that I’m correct in saying that following a complaint from the Pickett family, the FBI investigated other civil war antiques that had been appraised and purchased by the same broker, it turns out that the broker had underpaid for a sword owned by Major Samuel Wilson and had done exactly the same with a presentation pistol that had belonged to General George G Meade.

Did you know that the same broker also made quite a bit of cash on a Union Zouave Jacket. He sold a 137-year-old Union Zouave jacket to the museum as part of a $1.8 million collection in 1995. At the time the jacket‘s estimated value was $21,000. Its speculated that it was when the broker was given access to the collection to take photographs that he switched the jacket for a French musician's jacket. He then sold the authentic jacket to a collector for $30,000.

Its estimated that the broker/appraiser made anything from $800.000 to $1.5 million on fraudulent transaction.
Been along time ago since I saw it so I guess I was way off on the figures but what stuck out to me was how nonchalant the descendant was about the heirlooms.
 
I‘m not sure how accurate it is but I read a report that claimed that Ed Pickett ‘Great Grandson’ of George E Pickett showed very little interest in the famous Pickett antiques that had been left to him, he apparently didn’t show any interest because he had suffered a lot of ridicule growing up because of the association of the family name to the famous/infamous Pickett’s charge, in fact, he was so desperate to distance himself from his great grandfather that he used his middle name ‘Ed’ rather than use his Christian name ‘George’.
Its therefore no surprise that when the appraiser came knocking on his door that he had no real idea of either the historic or financial value of the Pickett antiques.
 
I‘m not sure how accurate it is but I read a report that claimed that Ed Pickett ‘Great Grandson’ of George E Pickett showed very little interest in the famous Pickett antiques that had been left to him, he apparently didn’t show any interest because he had suffered a lot of ridicule growing up because of the association of the family name to the famous/infamous Pickett’s charge, in fact, he was so desperate to distance himself from his great grandfather that he used his middle name ‘Ed’ rather than use his Christian name ‘George’.
Its therefore no surprise that when the appraiser came knocking on his door that he had no real idea of either the historic or financial value of the Pickett antiques.
He changed his mind when he heard the stuff fetched upwards of $800k!
 
He changed his mind when he heard the stuff fetched upwards of $800k!
That’s very true but it took the crew of a TV show ‘Strange Inheritance’ to convince Ed Pickett that the memory of his great grandfather was something that he should be proud of. I think that it was a simple case that Ed Pickett was embarrassed and had suffered so much ridicule especially as a kid that he had turned his back on CW history and in particular the role that his GG Grandfather had played in it. You know how it is, most people even those with zero interest in the CW would have heard of Pickett’s charge, the uninformed will automatically assume that Pickett was responsible for its failure.
 
I bet he spent days digging through stuff in the attic and closets lol.
No doubt he did, but he must have been kicking himself when he realised that he been played by the appraiser, fortunately he was compensated for his loss.
 
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