Lost by Civil War Federal soldier....whatisit?

[RonO]

I found this Sunday at a Civil War skirmish site. This came from the area where the Union line was along with many other relics. Is it a clothes fastener of some sort? It is brass and 1 1/16th inches long. I need your help.
Thanks for looking.
Ron in Georgia

 

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[Montana Jim]

Conferderate tongue ring

Or... shirt collar stud, for behind neckties?

 

[coolbeans]

tounge studs arent curved, its a belly button ring!

 

[FlatCat]

Cuff link??

 

[RonO]

Hi Nick and all of you others who have replied. The link that you referred me to is where I posted all of my Sunday finds which included this bar bell whatsit.. This battle site has yielded a lot of items for me lately including a 1836 large cent. I will not return to the area until after deer season is over next January. The area is leased to a hunting club and Georgia's turkey season begins this weekend.

Thanks for your interest and your replies. If I ever get a definitive answer I'll post it.

Happy Hunting!

Ron in Georgia

 

[Pimp Lenin]

Maybe it is from a soldier's poncho? You know...connect the the neck...

 

[DCMatt]

It's a collar bar. One of the balls should unscrew. It would then be slipped through holes in the collar of a man's shirt. No sure if they had them in Civil War times. They were popular in the early 1900's and again in the 60's.

This one says it's from the 1930's. I have a picture of my grandfather wearing one from around 1918 - 20.

DCMatt

 

[RonO]

Thanks, DC. Actually, I could not imagine it being anything but a collar bar, however I know that it was lost in 1864 and I have not been able to find a photo of one in any of my CW reference books. I really appreciate the interest shown by other forum members.
Best regards to all.
Ron in Georgia

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If you don't know what it is how can you know when it was lost? Was it in the folds of a newspaper?

Most Civil War sites were not sealed before or after the war. The soil "percolates" and is plowed and objects can be tumbled in the strata in spite of the Law of Superposition. Most CW sites are highly contaminated with anachronisms. (Oooo. That sounds official).

 

[RonO]

Charles, that is a great argument, but probably does not hold water in this case. This site is still heavily forrested, it has never been in cultivation, and probably is "uncontaminated". I found the whatisit in an area of about 10 feet square that gave up two uniform buttons, two bullets, many square nails and other trash normally associated with Civil War camps, battlefields, etc. I know exactly the date in February 1864 when the battle took place and there is not now, nor was there then, a dwelling on the site or nearby. It is off the beaten path and it not visited by tourist.
Thanks for your interest.
Ron

 

[mojjax]

I have 2 - I always thought they were cufflinks .

 

[CRUSADER]

Weight trainers for mice

 

[DCMatt]

I found a reference in a book called Uniforms of the Civil War By Ron Field, Robin Smith

Page 216 mentions a collar bar worn by a lieutenant in 9th Texas cavalry - not on his shirt, but on his frock coat. It was standard issue. There is a picture (pg 218) but it's really hard to see the collar bar in it.

Another reference found in American Civil War Marines, 1861-65 By Ron Field on pg 49. Again it is a Confederate officer and the picture is too grainy to see any detail.

The point is... If these two officers had them, so did others.

I stand by my ID - collar bar.

DCMatt

Charlie P. - Anachronisms - those are spiders, right?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Big, nasty ones.

 

[Montana Jim]

Conferderate tongue ring

Or... shirt collar stud, for behind neckties?

uh huh.

 

[stoneseeker2003]

Ummmm, actually they look like my someone's Ni**le rings.
Hope the balls unscrew, coz,otherwise, that's just plain torture!!

 

[RonO]

DCMatt you have convinced me. I agree that one of the balls should screw off, but I am afraid to exert too much pressure, so I will just assume that one of the balls "used" to unscrew.

Thank you all for your input and happy hunting!

Ron