🥇 BANNER REVOLUTIONARY WAR 9TH REGIMENT CARTRIDGE BOX PLATE!!!

[paleomaxx]

Yup, just sitting pretty wedged between some rocks in an old foundation:



Didn't even need the shovel, I just pulled two of the huge slate slabs apart and it fell out of the crack. Based on the signal I was expecting some iron sheet, and when I first picked it up I thought it was instead brass flashing, but then the light hit the engravings and I saw the 1775!



I don't have all the details on this yet as information seems to be tough to come by on these pieces and odds are this was custom made. The top says Captain and I presume the "ID" underneath are initials. 1775 may be the date of enlistment/commissioning and the Latin motto is partial but what's there reads "Vel Mors Vel Glo-" Vel Mors Vel Gloria was my first guess as to the whole motto which (while not proper Latin) could be translated to "death or glory." The wreath clearly shows "9th Reg" for 9th Regiment. Based on the motto and where this was recovered (Massachusetts) I'm leaning towards this being an American as opposed to British plate. I'm open to discussion though...



This is without a doubt a find of a lifetime for me! I've been hoping to find even a Rev War era military button this year, and I skipped right over that and then kept on skipping far past what my wildest expectations. Not just that, but being kept out of the dirt all these years it's in nearly immaculate condition and all of those detailed engravings are still as sharp as the day the were cut 245 years ago!

It seems almost silly to mention, but there were a handful of other associated finds around the foundation.



I'm positive I wasn't the first to detect this homestead as there were iron bits on rocks and around trees. Very few signals in the ground, but the tombacs and coppers at least confirm that this homesite was likely late 18th century and thus the plate was probably lost by the original owner or a close relative. The 1815 halfpenny token was a first for me and the 1857 flying eagle is in decent shape. The site being 18th century also means the missing piece may be around somewhere, but I didn't have any luck finding it today.

I'd be very interested to hear what people think on the plate, and if anyone can dig up roster information from the 9th regiment. There couldn't have been that many captains and if the initials really are "ID" it would be amazing to attribute this to a specific individual. There don't seem to be many examples of box plates from this time period out there so I'm not even sure if this is a typical layout and if having the motto in there is an unusual addition or a common practice.

Obviously time for more research, but talk about holding a piece of history in your hands...

UPDATE, CONCLUSIVELY ATTRIBUTED!!!

Well this took some serious research and some significant guidance in the right direction from some members of the facebook group suggested by Steve in PA, but I got it! The first break came from a small excerpt in the Twentieth Report of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (1916-1917). That had a little blurb:

Bowen, Jabesh. He was a corporal in Capt. Jonathan Danforth’s company, Col. Daniel Brewer’s Ninth regiment.

Captain Jonathan Danforth would match the initials and was in a 9th regiment so I dug a little deeper. The big break was in the book A History of the Town of Pittsfield in Berkshire County Mass (1844). That had an extensive biography of Colonel Joshua Danforth who had an incredible career during the revolutionary war starting as a clerk and was eventually made a colonel, but most importantly it mentioned that he served with his father's company starting in 1775:

Col. Joshua Danforth, to use the language of the Rev. Dr. Brinsmade, in the sermon preached at his funeral, “was born in Western, [now Warren,] Massachusetts, November 26th, 1759. He was the son of Jonathan Danforth, an officer in the Revolutionary War, who acted a conspicuous part as commander of a battalion in the Battle of Bennington. It was the intention of his father, in early life, to give this son a liberal education and he was qualifying himself to enter College when the Revolutionary struggle commenced. It was then, when the note of war was sounded and the veteran troops of England were pouring in upon our territories, that, at the age of fifteen years, he entered the army in the capacity of clerk in his father’s company. After having served several months in this office, at the same time discharging the duties of Surgeon’s mate, he received, at the age of sixteen, an Ensign’s commission. From this post he was promoted, and in 1778 raised to the rank of first Lieutenant, in which office he continued until 1781, when he was appointed Paymaster, with the rank of Captain.

His first active services were performed at Roxbury, in June, 1775, at the time the British were throwing bombs into that place. When General Washington had ordered the army to remove from that place, and the last regiment had left the encampment, it was ascertained that a part of the baggage had been left behind, and a detachment of men, under the command of Mr. Danforth, was ordered to go and secure it, which was done at great hazard. He remained in that vicinity until March 17, 1776, when, with the main body of the American army under Washington, he marched into Boston, as the rear of the British army left that town. He was in Boston until the following summer, and there in July heard for the first time the Declaration of Independence read to the army, which was called out for that purpose. Soon after this he went to Ticonderoga, and was at the surrender of Burgoyne in 1777. Immediately after this event, the Brigade to which he belonged was ordered to New Jersey, and thence to White Marsh; and on the 19th of December the army took up their winter quarters at Valley Forge, about twenty miles from Philadelphia, which was then in the possession of the British. It was on this march, the historian tell us that “through want of shoes and stockings, over the hard frozen ground, the army might be tracked from White Marsh to Valley Forge, by the blood from their feet.” Colonel Danforth has been heard to say that the suffering of the army from want of food and shelter that winter were incredible.

In 1778 he was in the battle of Monmouth, and the August of the following he went to Rhode Island. He spent the principle part of the year 1780 at West Point and its vicinity. In 1781 he had command, for some months, of a post a few miles from the Hudson near Tappan’s Bay, and was engaged in several skirmishes with the enemy. The army was disbanded in 1783, but Colonel Danforth was continued in the service as Paymaster, to assist in the settlement of the accounts with the soldiers, and was not discharged until the year following.

Pretty amazing, and the mentions of his father's service gave me enough to go on that I finally found a short biography of Jonathan Danforth:

Jonathan Danforth (1736-1802) was a minute man at Bunker Hill and with him were his two sons, Joshua and Jonathan, Jr. He commanded a battalion at the battle of Bennington.

And there you have it! This piece belonged to Captain Jonathan Danforth who was not only at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but had a significant role in the Battle of Bennington and this may very well have been with him at both! Talk about a one-of-a-kind piece of history folks!!!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Megalodon]

It is such a privilege to set eyes to such a relic of the Revolution. While it would be incredible to find a portrait of this Patriot with this plate attached to something in the background, that is so remote a possibility as to be unbelievably unlikely. Unlike Gary and others here like Smokey, I am no expert in such relics. It was obviously attached to something, and hopefully some day, we will know. Even without knowing exactly what this piece was attached to, it is worthy of honor by placing it on the banner. But at the same time, the research together with the piece transcends banner status.
Thank you for posting this museum piece and adding the history. And reading the story about its recovery, I felt like I had those rocks in my hands. Well done!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[paleomaxx]

No luck yet on a portrait of Captain Danforth wearing his plate, but the research has been ongoing and fascinating. Based on his military records he was there for the entirety of the Siege of Boston from the Battle of Bunker Hill through the better part of 1776 and was definitely there when Knox finally arrived with the cannons from Ticonderoga. What I'm trying to find now is any personal correspondence he made during that time. Based on the unit numbering information this plate had to have been made between July and December in 1775 and so any record of what his specific role was during that time would be of particular interest. I did stumble on a letter to General George Washington in the Library of Congress archives that was signed by Captain Jonathan Danforth:



Sadly it's not a personal letter, but rather one recommending another officer for promotion to major and it was signed by a number of the officers in the unit which is more or less everyday business. Still incredible to see. Jonathan's signature is second down on the left.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Yup it's time to put this great piece of history on the Banner please. Some times I think the Revolutionary War takes a back seat to shiny objects. . Maybe just me. Will keep this post alive until it gets the respect it deserves I suppose just the old soldier in me and throw in a little patriotism . Gary

I completely agree with you Gary, relics like this aren't found everyday and the research Max has recently provided below only reinforces the historical importance of this piece.
Max's find is an important part of the settlement history in the US and deserves to be recognized as such. Let's keep this thread going until it gets the recognition it deserves by the good members here on Tnet!
Dave

No luck yet on a portrait of Captain Danforth wearing his plate, but the research has been ongoing and fascinating. Based on his military records he was there for the entirety of the Siege of Boston from the Battle of Bunker Hill through the better part of 1776 and was definitely there when Knox finally arrived with the cannons from Ticonderoga. What I'm trying to find now is any personal correspondence he made during that time. Based on the unit numbering information this plate had to have been made between July and December in 1775 and so any record of what his specific role was during that time would be of particular interest. I did stumble on a letter to General George Washington in the Library of Congress archives that was signed by Captain Jonathan Danforth:

Sadly it's not a personal letter, but rather one recommending another officer for promotion to major and it was signed by a number of the officers in the unit which is more or less everyday business. Still incredible to see. Jonathan's signature is second down on the left.

 

[hogge]

From the little I've read, Capt. Danforth was from Williamstown. About 20 miles North of Pittsfield (where I live). He did participate, in some capacity, in the Battle of Bennington.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Your find was great timing considering our upcoming celebration!........

 

[paleomaxx]

Your find was great timing considering our upcoming celebration!........

I know, right! What's really crazy is I found it 245 years almost to the day after the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was Jonathan Danforth's first battle of the war.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Was going to say congratulations, but I figured I didn’t want to jinx it.

Congratulations. Thanks for sharing.

 

[paleomaxx]

From the little I've read, Capt. Danforth was from Williamstown. About 20 miles North of Pittsfield (where I live). He did participate, in some capacity, in the Battle of Bennington.

Actually I think you'd be interested in the biography of Jonathan Danforth's son, Joshua Danforth. He settled in Pittsfield after the Revolutionary War and was appointed a Justice of the Peace by John Hancock. He later became the postmaster general of Pittsfield, and at various times the town clerk, treasurer, selectman, and assessor. There's a bunch more positions he was appointed to and from what I've seen he was a central and well respected resident of Pittsfield for many decades until his death in 1837.

 

[Aureus]

Congratulations on the banner! Well deserved.

 

[NJKLAGT]

Can standing hair walk away?

Beautiful piece of history, great post. Wow.

Congratulations!


NJ

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Congrats Paleomaxx! Such an interesting and historic piece!

 

[cheffer]

Not sure what I could say that all of the others haven't already on this thread, stunning piece of history and with a provenance that is very close to home for all of us in the Berkshires. Would love to know where near Pittsfield you were when you found it or maybe you can PM me and I'll join you on your next Western Mass hunt ! Congratulations on one of the coolest relics I've seen up on the banner!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Congrats on your find finally making the BANNER Max, I knew it was only a matter of time.

Dave

 

[Castineman1779]

I also echo a congrats on the great relic making Banner. I still hope u can I'd exactly what it is. RxNow find the other piece please . Was getting ready to do a post again but did look at the Bannner row first and pleased to see it where it belongs. Gary

 

[sandchip]

A big congratulations on what should've happened same day, but at least it's up there now where it belonged all along. One of the most historically significant banners ever. Me 'n' my wheaties be in awe!

 

[paleomaxx]

Thank you so much to everyone who voted banner for this relic!!! This is hands-down my favorite dig of everything I've uncovered to date, and I'm having a really hard time imagining what I could possibly find that would dethrone it.

The research is definitely not finished on this piece and I'm still working to try and track down personal papers or journals from either Captain or Colonel Danforth. If they do still exist, I can't imagine that there wouldn't be mention of this piece in there so fingers crossed. I'll post updates on any new info that turns up and thank you all again for your comments and votes!

 

[Guest 1551]

That’s amazing!! I didn’t read all the comments, so it might have been said. But it translates “either death or glory” because of the vel...vel grammatical construction.

 

[recondigger]

Such a great find! Thanks for sharing it that will be something that you will never forget. And what a cool banner pair! Banner buddies lol

 

[Megalodon]

Thank you so much to everyone who voted banner for this relic!!! This is hands-down my favorite dig of everything I've uncovered to date, and I'm having a really hard time imagining what I could possibly find that would dethrone it.

The research is definitely not finished on this piece and I'm still working to try and track down personal papers or journals from either Captain or Colonel Danforth. If they do still exist, I can't imagine that there wouldn't be mention of this piece in there so fingers crossed. I'll post updates on any new info that turns up and thank you all again for your comments and votes!

This is very good news. Usually, a find makes the banner and that's it - the end of the story. And let's face it - there is not much story behind most old lost coins or buttons. Their rarity, age, condition or context (as with shipwreck coins) merit banner. But this is one of those rarest of finds that is so historically significant and interesting, your continued research may be a very enjoyable additional pastime. It also will provide some educational value to the rest of us who are happy for you. You are on the right track. So please don't forget us - keep this thread alive and I thank you in advance for posting news. I look forward to reading it!

You may also consider posting if you reach a dead end and perhaps somebody here might suggest some other ways to proceed.

 

[fever87]

Flingin' flangin' AWESOME! Congrats on such an incredible find!!!!