American Historical Ephemera and Photography Featuring the Civil War and American Militaria Collection of Bruce B. Hermann

Approx. height 5 3/4 in. 1858 pattern blue wool forage cap with tarred leather visor and leather chinstrap with 14mm brass general service eagle buttons, leather sweatband, and brown polished cotton lining (scattered mothing, areas with of repairs using similar cloth stitched to interior); height 1/2 in. die-struck brass regimental number and letters "177 / PV" affixed to crown (some tarnishing/darkening). Illustrated on p. 87 of Langellier & Loane, U.S. Army Headgear, 1812-1872.  

Provenance: Museum of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), later Civil War Museum of Philadelphia (accession number 86.45.26 on tag, photocopy of curatorial worksheet); sold as Lot 170, Portion of the Collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia, Redding Auction Service Inc., 16-17 January 2021 (photocopy of catalogue listing). See also Lot 407, which was from the Collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia. 

The 177th Pennsylvania Infantry was a 9-month outfit recruited mostly from central Pennsylvania. It mustered into service at Camp Curtain in November 1862, was assigned to break up the contraband trade along the Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal at Deep Creek in March 1863, and served guard duty near Washington before mustering out at Harrisburg in August 1863.