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

Navy blue nine-button enlisted man's frock coat. General service coat buttons RMDC with Scovill and Waterbury Button Co. backmarks. Both non-functional cuffs with a pair of small general service eagle buttons. Two coat-size buttons at top of rear vent both marked with Waterbury backmark. Interior of coat lined at chest but not back with stitched green cotton lining. Sleeves with white cotton lining. Right sleeve with black stamp "U.S. Inspector / Jos. Jones. / N.Y."  Left sleeve with black stamp "John E. Hanford / New York." Pockets at the tails.
A few small pin-head sized remnants of the original blue taping still visible along collar. Coat with evidence of field repairs. Coat with scattered mothing and wear. Approx. 1 3/4 in. tear at back right. Scattered small holes including at right elbow, below third coat button, and bottom front left of skirt. Interior lining with wear, small tears, and some separation along seams.

Dark blue wool forage cap with painted leather visor. Visor to crown, approx. 4 1/4 in., and 6 in. rise at rear. Small brass buckle and staff eagle buttons on each side of intact leather strap, appear to be period replacements. No interior leather sweatband, polished cotton lining, or manufacturer's label. Approx. 3 in. strip of cotton handsewn into cap. Scattered mothing and heavy wear, particularly to interior of cap.

Union infantry belt rig including Model 1855 cartridge box retaining tins and bearing "US" box plate attached with leather thong, sling with eagle breast plate, leather waist belt with oval "US" belt plate with arrow hooks, percussion cap pouch, and bayonet with black leather scabbard and frog with riveted belt look. Bayonet for a .58 cal. rifle musket. Sling original to the box as both sling and box flap have impressed two-line edge. Wear to leather belt, plate is bright. Wear to scabbard, particularly at center length. Expected wear on all components but in overall good condition.

[With:] Two handwritten penciled notes, both post-war date, and original to this grouping. One note, 3 x 2 1/8 in., on back of a receipt, reads: "Grandpa Johnson / (Thomas W.) / carried this / in Civil War" [undetermined which specific piece the note identifies]. Second note, approx.  1/2 x 2 3/4 in., reads: "This pouch was carried / in the Civil War by Phillip / Curtis great Great Grand - / father Johnson / The shot & powder in battles / & powder horn [not included in the grouping] belonged to Phillip Great / Grandfather Holmes."

[Also with:] Shot and powder, and a decoratively cross-stitched housewife. When unrolled, the interior of the housewife features four pockets and patches pinned in at upper portion. Top pocket with a group of seven buttons. Lower pockets with remnants of a note identified in one place with the name "Catharine Reeve" and featuring ornate floral motifs in brown ink.

Consignor relates that the grouping was acquired from a private collector in California who indicated that the lot was originally passed down in a Delaware family. HDS lists 24 Union soldiers named "Thomas W. Johnson," one of which is from Delaware. This particular soldier had no residence listed. His estimated date of enlistment was 6/1/1862 at Wilmington, DE, where he mustered in as a private with Co. K, Delaware 4th Infantry. No date and method of discharge was given. The NPS Soldier & Sailor database notes for this same soldier's record that he had service in the VRC, or Veteran Reserve Corps, indicating he likely sustained a serious injury while serving. This corresponds to records from the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers that list an English-born Thomas W. Johnson (1834-1877) of the 4th Delaware, Co. K, as being admitted to the Soldier's Home in Dayton, Ohio, in 1874.