Battle of Shiloh – Hornets Nest - Civil War Relics

Description: Original lead bullets excavated from the Spotsylvania and Wilderness Battlefields near Fredericksburg, Virginia. The battles were the start of General Grant’s 1864 “Overland Campaign” to take Richmond, Virginia. They are the same type ammunition that would have been carried at the Battle of Shiloh. The lead ammunition at left are all Federal issue; a .44 round for the Colt or Remington revolver, a .52 Sharps carbine generally used by the cavalry branch of service and a .58 round for the Springfield rifle or other imported arms of that caliber. In 1862 the diameter of the .58 was decreased by a fraction to accommodate the .577 Enfield Rifle also. The lead ammunition at right are all Confederate issue; a .69 caliber round ball for the smooth bore musket, a .54 Richmond Sharps carbine and a .54 Gardner for a rifle. The .54 Sharps and the .54 Gardner were both made at the Richmond Arsenal in Virginia. The .54 Gardner was for the Mississippi rifle or the Austrian Lorenz rifle. The Lorenz rifle was the third most widely used rifle during the Civil War. The Union recorded purchases of 226,924 and the Confederacy bought as many as 100,000. The Sharps carbines were used by the cavalry. They all used a paper cartridge which has not survived in the ground. The white color or patina is due to oxidation in the ground. Shiloh’s Hornet’s Nest lies in the center of the battlefield and was the scene of heavy combat on both days of the battle. On the first day, elements of three Union divisions manned the line along a little-used farm road that ran through the J.R. Duncan land. Duncan and his family worked a small cotton field that bordered the road to the south. With its open fields of fire and road cover, there is little wonder that the Duncan plot became one of the most important localities on the battlefield. Heavy fighting raged in the area of the Hornet’s Nest on the first day, with no less that eight distinct Confederate attacks turned back by the determined defenders of the Sunken Road. Attesting to the fury in the area, Confederates so named the location because, they said, the enemy’s bullets sounded like swarms of angry hornets. The battle scene “Hornet’s Nest” at Shiloh was reprinted from a lithograph done by Prang. Louis Prang, from Boston, was the most prolific and influential publisher of American chromolithographs. Born in Germany, Prang learned to print in color from his father, a calico printer. In 1850, the younger Prang immigrated to the United States for political reasons. He set up his own firm of L. Prang & Co. in 1860. The series of Civil War scenes were done in the 1886-88 period. The artifacts come as shown in an 8” x 12” “Riker” style glass top case which can be opened by taking the pins out. The artifacts are just pressed in, not glued. Riker cases can be hung on a wall, but are best used on a stand. All of the artifacts are guaranteed to be original as stated. A hand signed and dated “Certificate of Authenticity” will be issued by Collectors Frame with a photograph and description of the items purchased. Please see our "About” for more information on the framing and artifacts.

Price: 58 USD

Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-24T22:00:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD