Relic collections

I don't collect dug relics, but as many of the folks here know by now, I collect pocket watches with ACW provenances. I have six watches now, three silver, three gold, and all of them American made, that are engraved with the owners' names on them. Four of them, including all three of the gold ones, are watches that were presented by the respective recipients' unit, commanding officer, or subordinates. Five have Union provenances and one has a Confederate provenance. The recipients range in status from a Confederate private to a Union major general. I have shown most of these watches on this site in previous threads, but I will show some of those pictures again here when I get home this evening.

My cherished goals are to find watches traceable to the 20th Maine, to the First Minnesota, to the 69th NY, and to the Iron Brigade, as well as a Howard watch with an ACW provenance (all my current possessions are Walthams), and examples of Waltham's "American Watch Company" grade Model 1859 (18 Size 3/4 plate keywind) and 20 Size Keywind models with ACW provenances.

Currently, the most illustrious ACW combatant whose watch I own is that of English-born General John Wallace Fuller of Fuller's Ohio Brigade, who was brevetted from brigadier to major general in March of 1865 on account of his heroic performance during the Battle of Atlanta the previous year. He may also be the only Union commander who could have claimed to have gotten the better of N. B. Forrest in an engagement. That happened at Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee on December 31, 1862. And of course, his brigade's courageous defense of Battery Robinett at the Battle of Second Corinth, and their capture there of the colors of the 9th Texas Infantry, are well known.

Specific individuals whose watches I would like to find some day would be: Col. William Colvill (1st Minnesota), Col. Patrick O'Rourke, CMH recipient Sgt. Benjamin Levy (1st NY,), CMH recipient Sgt. Powhattan Beatty, and if I may aspire to own some extremely illustrious provenances, John Buford, George Henry Thomas, Thomas Francis Meagher, Michael Corcoran, and CSA Rear Admiral and Brigadier General (!) Raphael Semmes.

As promised, here are some pictures of my watches. The excerpt from the Harvard Memorial Biographies documents that Lt. Colonel John Hodges Jr.'s watch was in his pocket when he was killed in action during the Battle of the Crater on July 31, 1864.
 

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As promised, here are some pictures of my watches. The excerpt from the Harvard Memorial Biographies documents that Lt. Colonel John Hodges Jr.'s watch was in his pocket when he was killed in action during the Battle of Crater on July 31, 1864,

And some more pix.

The picture is an illustration drawn circa 1886, depicting Brigadier General Fuller, who is holding his unit's colors, rallying his brigade at the Battle of Atlanta. Fuller commanded a division under McPherson. After repulsing a confederate assault on his front, a second rebel column found a gap between his division and the rest of the federal line and struck his Ohio Brigade on the flank, almost gaining their rear. Fuller replanted the Brigade's colors and right wheeled his men in the face of heavy enemy fire. His men then poured a withering volley into the oncoming confederates. Then Fuller personally led a countercharge that killed the rebel commander, General William Walker, and broke the momentum of the rebel surprise attack. Here is federal corps commander, Major General Grenville M. Dodge's testimony on the subject (pages 178-180):

https://books.google.com/books?id=8QMTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=Fullers+Division+Rallies+after+being+pushed+back&source=bl&ots=lpztgh1KAI&sig=VEsAju2ssngtwCMOR87AC2KFTKE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjF__DflJjLAhXDWz4KHVFhDdQQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=Fullers Division Rallies after being pushed back&f=false
 

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I have a handful of artillery shells, period photos, accoutrements, swords, and documents. However, the bulk of my collection is firearms. I don't have a group photo of my pistols and carbines, but I can share a photo of my longarms. I originally intended to just get a Model 1861 Springfield and an 1853 Enfield. It seems to have gotten a little out of hand, but I think I am done now.
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Very nice collection Rob.
 
And some more pix.
And here is the one Johnny Reb watch I have managed to collect so far. It was first carried by a not quite 16-year-old Private William Wilson Sloan of the 33rd Texas Cavalry (a.k.a. "Duff's Partisan Rangers," "Duff's Raiders," and later, the "Benavides Regiment"). (Alas, I have no picture of the young man.) I assume that the watch was likely a gift from his father. Interestingly. the date inscribed on the dust cover below Sloan's name, January 28, 1861, is the date on which the Texas state legislature convened to vote on secession. The Waltham factory production records indicate that the movement was manufactured in March of 1860.

From the information I have been able to find, the 33rd TX Cav had a very checkered history. The regiment was formed in 1863, using the pre-existing Duff's 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion as its nucleus, to which several tejano companies were then added. The regimental commander, Colonel Santos Benavides, was the highest ranking Spanish speaking Texan (tejano) in the confederate army.

The 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion was recruited by a wealthy slaveholder from San Antonio named James Duff. The battalion, and later the regiment, seemed to have terrorized local Union sympathizers along the Rio Grande, sometimes even crossing the border into Mexico to pursue fled refugees. On August 10, 1862, the 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion intercepted a group of fleeing pro-Union German immigrants on the west bank of the Nueces River before they could escape to Mexico. Most of the immigrants perished at, or soon after the "Battle of the Nueces," in what was likely more of a massacre than a battle:

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/texas-unionists.25410/#post-315448

The 33rd TX Cav performed a more honorable service for the Confederacy by enabling the sale of some cotton in Mexico, raising badly needed foreign exchange. They fought at the battles of Zacate Creek, Laredo, and Palmito Ranch, they were never defeated in battle, and were one of the last rebel units to surrender.
 

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I got started collecting when I inherited my father-in-laws carbines. He left me a Maynard, Burnside, Spencer, and a Smith. I then bought a 1862 dated Enfield that was carried by John Lozier in the 86th Ohio and then carried by Charles Ingersoll of the 86th Indiana. The 86th Ohio were not issued Enfields, but during the Cumberland Campaign they captured a bunch of rifles, and mine was made on a confederate contract in Birmingham, England so I am guessing he got it as a confederate capture. Private Lozier must have turned in the gun at the end of his enlistment, because it was issued to Private Ingersoll in Indiana a month later. I am from Indiana and live in Ohio, so this gun is special to me. My other gun is an M1861 dated 1861 Springfield from the Rosensteel collection. The provenance states that the gun was a local pick up in Gettysburg. I think it is incredible that the gun came in to Gettysburg in July 1863 and remained in Gettysburg until I bought it. It has a little bit of lead fill in one of the screw holes...maybe a confederate repair?
 
I got started collecting when I inherited my father-in-laws carbines. He left me a Maynard, Burnside, Spencer, and a Smith. I then bought a 1862 dated Enfield that was carried by John Lozier in the 86th Ohio and then carried by Charles Ingersoll of the 86th Indiana. The 86th Ohio were not issued Enfields, but during the Cumberland Campaign they captured a bunch of rifles, and mine was made on a confederate contract in Birmingham, England so I am guessing he got it as a confederate capture. Private Lozier must have turned in the gun at the end of his enlistment, because it was issued to Private Ingersoll in Indiana a month later. I am from Indiana and live in Ohio, so this gun is special to me. My other gun is an M1861 dated 1861 Springfield from the Rosensteel collection. The provenance states that the gun was a local pick up in Gettysburg. I think it is incredible that the gun came in to Gettysburg in July 1863 and remained in Gettysburg until I bought it. It has a little bit of lead fill in one of the screw holes...maybe a confederate repair?
Sounds nice
 
I must say, that you have probably one of the rarest and most prolific CW identified watch collections in the country. Lots of people collect antique watches, there are plenty out there, including CW period. But you not only have CW officer carried watches, but they are identified, not by family tradition or word of mouth, but presentation inscription specimens. It is absolutely fantastic. I collect Union Navy and Indiana identified artifacts, but I do not have a CW watch. If you ever come across a Union Navy officer ID'd or Indiana officer ID'd watch, I would greatly appreciate it if you could notify me. I LOVE identified artifacts, and yours is an amazing collection.
 
I must say, that you have probably one of the rarest and most prolific CW identified watch collections in the country. Lots of people collect antique watches, there are plenty out there, including CW period. But you not only have CW officer carried watches, but they are identified, not by family tradition or word of mouth, but presentation inscription specimens. It is absolutely fantastic. I collect Union Navy and Indiana identified artifacts, but I do not have a CW watch. If you ever come across a Union Navy officer ID'd or Indiana officer ID'd watch, I would greatly appreciate it if you could notify me. I LOVE identified artifacts, and yours is an amazing collection.

Hi, Thank you for your very kind words. I had been collecting watches for over thirty years, and had published a book and several research articles on American watches before I began focusing on CW provenances. So I had the benefit of extensive connections and a reputation as a watch expert before I started. I recently gave a talk entitled "Collecting Civil War Watches" at the Natl. Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC) regional meeting in Lexington, KY, and I would be happy to post the presentation on this site if there were a way to do it. It is, however, about 45 MBs in length.

As for an Indiana officer, one of the watches I showed was presented to Major Josiah B. Cobb of the 12th Indiana Cavalry by his commanding officer, Colonel Edward Anderson. The watch likely was presented when Cobb was promoted from captain. Cobb raised Company D of the regiment in his home town of Goshen, IN. Prior to being commissioned as a captain in the 12th IN Cav, Cobb had served as a sergeant in the 2nd IN Cav, which saw action at Shiloh, the Seige of Corinth and the Battle of Chickamauga. The 12th IN Cav was organized in 1864, saw extensive operations against Forrest's guerrillas, and fought at Murfreesboro, Spanish Fort and Ft. Blakely. Cobb survived the war and returned to Goshen, where he served as mayor in 1884 and as an Elkhart Cy. commissioner around 1900. He owned property outside of town, on which he built a race track, and where he raised and raced horses - a fitting occupation for a former cavalryman. Sadly, I have been unable to locate a picture of Major Cobb, despite having contacted the Goshen Historical Society.
 
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CW Watch Collector - Have you tried the U.S. Army Education and History Center: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/index.cfm ? They have hundreds upon hundreds of ID'd ACW photographs and will sell a copy for a nominal fee. The photo archives are no longer open to the public, so you have to rely on them. It is worth a shot if you haven't tried this source!
J.
Thank you, Jobe. No, I have not tried that source, but I will!
 
Hi, Thank you for your very kind words. I had been collecting watches for over thirty years, and had published a book and several research articles on American watches before I began focusing on CW provenances. So I had the benefit of extensive connections and a reputation as a watch expert before I started. I recently gave a talk entitled "Collecting Civil War Watches" at the Natl. Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC) regional meeting in Lexington, KY, and I would be happy to post the presentation on this site if there were a way to do it. It is, however, about 45 MBs in length.

As for an Indiana officer, one of the watches I showed was presented to Major Josiah B. Cobb of the 12th Indiana Cavalry by his commanding officer, Colonel Edward Anderson. The watch likely was presented when Cobb was promoted from captain. Cobb raised Company D of the regiment in his home town of Goshen, IN. Prior to being commissioned as a captain in the 12th IN Cav, Cobb had served as a sergeant in the 2nd IN Cav, which I believe saw action at Shiloh and some of the other major battles in that vicinity. The 12th IN Cav was organized in 1864, saw extensive operations against Forrest's guerrillas, and fought at Murfreesboro, Spanish Fort and Ft. Blakely. Cobb survived the war and returned to Goshen, where he served as mayor in 1864 and as an Elkhart Cy. commissioner around 1900. He owned property outside of town, on which he built a race track, and where he raised and raced horses - a fitting occupation for a former cavalryman. Sadly, I have been unable to locate a picture of Major Cobb, despite having contacted the Goshen Historical Society.
There is a website www. civilwarindiana.com that has identified pics of officers and enlisted men from all of Indiana's Cav, infantry and artillery units. There is apparently something wrong with the sight as I was unable to access it. You might give it a shot, though.
 
There is a website www. civilwarindiana.com that has identified pics of officers and enlisted men from all of Indiana's Cav, infantry and artillery units. There is apparently something wrong with the sight as I was unable to access it. You might give it a shot, though.

I had difficulties with that site too, and kept losing the connection. Perhaps it will get fixed. However, the US Army War College Archives catalog does list a picture of Major Cobb! (They list Maj. Josiah B. Cobb, incorrectly, as having served with the 19th IN Cav.) I have sent them an inquiry. Thanks again.
 
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And here is the one Johnny Reb watch I have managed to collect so far. It was first carried by a not quite 16-year-old Private William Wilson Sloan of the 33rd Texas Cavalry (a.k.a. "Duff's Partisan Rangers," "Duff's Raiders," and later, the "Benavides Regiment"). (Alas, I have no picture of the young man.) I assume that the watch was likely a gift from his father. Interestingly. the date inscribed on the dust cover below Sloan's name, January 28, 1861, is the date on which the Texas state legislature convened to vote on secession. The Waltham factory production records indicate that the movement was manufactured in March of 1860.

From the information I have been able to find, the 33rd TX Cav had a very checkered history. The regiment was formed in 1863, using the pre-existing Duff's 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion as its nucleus, to which several tejano companies were then added. The regimental commander, Colonel Santos Benavides, was the highest ranking Spanish speaking Texan (tejano) in the confederate army.

The 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion was recruited by a wealthy slaveholder from San Antonio named James Duff. The battalion, and later the regiment, seemed to have terrorized local Union sympathizers along the Rio Grande, sometimes even crossing the border into Mexico to pursue fled refugees. On August 10, 1862, the 14'th TX Cavalry Battalion intercepted a group of fleeing pro-Union German immigrants on the west bank of the Nueces River before they could escape to Mexico. Most of the immigrants perished at, or soon after the "Battle of the Nueces," in what was likely more of a massacre than a battle:

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/texas-unionists.25410/#post-315448

The 33rd TX Cav performed a more honorable service for the Confederacy by enabling the sale of some cotton in Mexico, raising badly needed foreign exchange. They fought at the battles of Zacate Creek, Laredo, and Palmito Ranch, they were never defeated in battle, and were one of the last rebel units to surrender.
I wonder if he had a relations named James Blanding Sloan or Alexander Colvin Sloan
 
As promised, here are some pictures of my watches. The excerpt from the Harvard Memorial Biographies documents that Lt. Colonel John Hodges Jr.'s watch was in his pocket when he was killed in action during the Battle of the Crater on July 31, 1864.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Why are the screws blue?
04421.jpg

A different photo of Joseph T. Copeland from the Library of Congress.
 
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Why are the screws blue?
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A different photo of Joseph T. Copeland from the Library of Congress.
Thanks for the pic, Mike. I had that one already, but the CWT site limits the # of pix you can attach to a single post.

Steel watch screws often are "blued" in order to put a dense, hard scratch and corrosion resistant oxide layer on their surfaces. Bluing is a process wherein a metal part, such as a watch screw, is held in a flame, causing an oxide film to grow on its surface. A thin film will reflect light from both its front and back surfaces, and when the thickness of the film is an integer multiple of a specific wavelength of light, then the partial waves of that wavelength that are reflected from the front and back surfaces interfere constructively. That means that that specific wavelength of light, which means that color of light, gets strongly reflected. As one holds a polished steel screw in a flame, one can watch it run through the colors of the rainbow as the film thickens, until the film finally becomes opaque. At that point the screw goes gray. Heat tints on screws aren't always blue, but that particular "interference color" often is chosen for its pleasing appearance.

Sorry if I got a little long winded there. I'm a physicist in my day job.
 
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