Is this a G or C?

[CyleKostello]

Hi all!

Quick dumb question. This little device is attached to a ribbon with a civil war ID shield. I can't tell if it is a WC or a WG

It certainly looks like a WC but the little doohickey (circled) hanging off the bottom right of the would-be 'C' makes me second guess myself. Just seems like if it was supposed to be a C the jeweler would've left that bit off.

I welcome your opinions!

 

[lupaglupa]

I would say C since I think a G would have an extra piece at the top left. Can we see the whole ribbon?

 

[CyleKostello]

I would say C since I think a G would have an extra piece at the top left. Can we see the whole ribbon?

For sure! Here's the rest of it. My main point of interest is the Co.D, 21st Massachusetts ID Shield (initials CCC for Sgt. Charles C. Crosby - only Co.D soldier that works) at the bottom. Co. D of the 21st Mass. was also known as the "Washington Guard" which is why I thought it could be a WG despite it looking very clearly like a WC.

Hard to say how long the shield and the ribbon have been together so the WC could have no relation to the shield. Looks to me like somebody simply pinned the shield to the ribbon at some point in the past 170 years. There's remains of a t-bar pin on the back of the shield so it was originally meant to be pinned directly to the chest, rather than worn on a ribbon

The cypher up top was not attached to the ribbon but the seller included it.

 

[lupaglupa]

The pieces do not match each other, that's for sure

 

[CyleKostello]

The pieces do not match each other, that's for sure

Yeah, way I figure the mostly likely explanation is somebody found dad's/grandpa's Civil War badge and tacked it onto an unrelated ribbon. Shield itself is pretty much bog standard. Just wanted to confirm it wasn't some old bygone way of writing a "G" haha

 

[Mike Serpa]

Here's a book about the history of the 21st Mass. Crosby's name is in a couple times.

History of the Twenty-first regiment, Massachusetts volunteers, in the war for the preservation of the union, 1861-1865: with statistics of the war and of Rebel prisons : Walcott, Charles F. (Charles Folsom) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : I

xiii p., 1 l., 502 p. : 23 cm

archive.org

Worcester County? The unit was organized there.

 

[CyleKostello]

Here's a book about the history of the 21st Mass. Crosby's name is it a couple times.

History of the Twenty-first regiment, Massachusetts volunteers, in the war for the preservation of the union, 1861-1865: with statistics of the war and of Rebel prisons : Walcott, Charles F. (Charles Folsom) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : I

xiii p., 1 l., 502 p. : 23 cm

archive.org

Thanks! Love a good regimental history.