parsonwalker
Bronze Member
Huntin' in the trenches - Need I.D. on Civil War Telegraph wire insulator
VERY difficult and slow day in the Virginia trenches. Super humid. It about wrecked me. Came out with just a dropped 3-ringer and another fired, two enfields (One with a little paper still there), percussion caps and a small iron buckle.
Digging for a bullet, and out popped this telegraph wire insulator. I was told it's called a "top hat" or "Puritan's hat" and could be Richmond made. Found one example like mine online, going to auction with an "estimated sale value" of $1800 - $2200. Said it was a rare CW "Puritan's hat" style, but no info on whether Southern or Northern Manufacture.
The auction example is complete, while mine is obviously VERY broken. I would assume it has virtually no value, but if anybody can tell me anything about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't figure out how it got into a trench, but a small fort was about 100 yards away. Wonder if the fort had telegraph communication with Richmond? (Less than 10 miles away) I plan to post in "What Is It?" as well.
VERY difficult and slow day in the Virginia trenches. Super humid. It about wrecked me. Came out with just a dropped 3-ringer and another fired, two enfields (One with a little paper still there), percussion caps and a small iron buckle.
Digging for a bullet, and out popped this telegraph wire insulator. I was told it's called a "top hat" or "Puritan's hat" and could be Richmond made. Found one example like mine online, going to auction with an "estimated sale value" of $1800 - $2200. Said it was a rare CW "Puritan's hat" style, but no info on whether Southern or Northern Manufacture.
The auction example is complete, while mine is obviously VERY broken. I would assume it has virtually no value, but if anybody can tell me anything about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't figure out how it got into a trench, but a small fort was about 100 yards away. Wonder if the fort had telegraph communication with Richmond? (Less than 10 miles away) I plan to post in "What Is It?" as well.
Amazon Forum Fav 👍
Upvote
8
