Actual Civil War Water Barrel from Horsedrawn Ambulance Talk about a rare and unusual find. This old oak barrel, held together by iron straps is actually a Civil War Water Barrel which was part of the standard equipment carried inside a Horsedrawn Military Ambulance. I would never have guessed this handmade barrel's original purpose and I admit to being doubtful when told by the seller that it had come from an ambulance used during the Civil War, but after seeing this exact same oddly shaped wooden barrel depicted on page 81 of the book, "Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment Volume III" and described as A CIVIL WAR AMBULANCE WATER KEG by the book's author, Dr. Gordon Dammann, I was finally and totally convinced the seller had been right after all.
These strangely shaped wooden barrels were carried in pairs upon the horsedrawn ambulance. The barrels had handles which allowed them to be detached from the ambulance so they could be easily carried and used to rehydrate both ambulatory and non-ambulatory soldiers.
The dimensions varied depending on where the barrels were procured, but most were very close to this one which measures 20" long x 10" at its maximum diameter and then tapered to about 8 inches in order to keep it from rolling around inside the ambulance. All were of wooden (mainly of oak) construction, and had iron or sometimes galvanized metal barrel rings, wooden handles, metal feet, and brass spigots. Many were originally painted gray, but as more and more ambulances were called for to serve the front lines, most were left unfinished or coated with a varnish or thick wax. This one is missing most of the two bands that would have ended in angles that formed their feet, but even with these two bands missing, after filling this old barrel each evening for three nights in a row, i was pleased to find that after the third night it was stillover 85% full the next day and barely even lost a drop for two more days until I emptied it out. This old keg's ability to hold water is quite amazing since it has a cracked board on the bottom and a smaller crack on either side of the filling hole. The original leaded plug is also here, but has lost bits and pieces of the threading to time and unkind handling. This is one of those absolutely outstanding Civil War display items many of us have long hoped to find. Now is the time for someone to own this wonderful, rare piece of Civil War history.

Circa: 1860's
Condition: used. Good. as found
Color: Natural aged oak
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Union Army Req.
Author: Unknown US Crafted  

Confederate Marked. US 1842 Musket - Harper's Ferry WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE NOTE: WE CAN NOT ACCEPT PAYMENTS THROUGH PAYPAL FOR ANY OF OUR ANTIQUE FIREARMS. PLEASE PAY BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY. THANK YOU. JM

Through the years, I have become extremely attached to my gun collection, but I simply cannot keep every gun I buy, so after many, many years serving as one of the highlights of my collection, I am offering this very special piece of Civil War History for sale. I will miss this fine old rifle. It is a US model 1842 which was made, as marked, at Harpers Ferry in 1850. The date and maker marks are very good; it is the Union marking of an eagle and heavy use and the effects of time have worn the U.S. stamped beneath it that away. The eagle is still visible as is the US mark, but that is where this gun becomes unique. It takes a high-powered magnifier and a sharp eye to see the changes that were made by someone long ago, but they are there. I have no way of photographing an actual magnified close up, but I think if you look closely at the lock photos below, you will see how the top of the U. was carefully scraped and scratched into the shape of a C. I truly believe a Confederate Infantry Soldier carried this musket during the Civil War. The gun has all the correct markings and although it is worn down, the stock still bears the US Inspector's Cartouches that were stamped there in 1850 at Harpers Ferry Armory. Perhaps the soldier was originally with the Federal Army, but chose to join his southern brothers when the war began. The other telltale sign that this gun was used by someone other than a Union soldier is the fact that the stock bears the hand carved initials JHB. It is unlikely a union infantryman would have been allowed to deface his weapon in such a way. Doing so was frowned upon by the commanding officers of the North and would have earned the young man a rather harsh punishment in most cases. As you can see in the pictures, the rest of this rifle is in very good shape for its age and other than the ramrod, which I added because the original was missing, everything you see is original to this old infantry musket. If you want to own a piece of Civil War History that will be an absolute eye opening thrill to those fortunate enough to see it, this my friend is just what you are looking for. Please ask any questions you may have before placing an order for this rifle. I want to make certain the buyer is certain about everything before making their purchase. This gun should not have to travel more than need be. Even with the best packaging, risking something so rare and unique is not something I like to do. JM
Circa: 1842
Condition: antique. used.
Color: Natural aged wood and iron
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: US Gov.
Author: Harper's Ferry Arsenal
Edition: 1  

Officer's Civil War Cavalry Insignia. brass bugle This old Civil War insignia is about as rare as lips on a chicken. Mostly worn by high-ranking officers, the false embroider brass cavalry bugle is as finely made as a piece of expensive jewelry. This one has a wonderful plumb brown age patina and looks like it was kept in a relatively safe environment for most of the last 150 + years. There is a small amount of verdigris on the front of the bugle, but that just adds to the beauty of the patina. If you’re after a Civil War piece that not many people can say they have in their collections, you may want to consider adding this fine old insignia from the Civil War to your collection.
Circa: 1860
Condition: used .
Color: old brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown
Author: Union Army  

Original Civil War - US - oval belt buckle - Union Excellent condition. Beautiful original Civil War oval "US" waist belt plate with two-arrow type hooks and brass tongue set into a poured lead back. This antique was purchased many years ago as part of a large collection of Civil War artifacts that belonged to a Frederick Maryland man with a livelong passion for finding and collecting historic items from the Civil War. We have listed several pieces from this collection in the past and will from time to time add more to our offering s in antique militaria, but few can equal the quality of this gorgeous old belt plate. It measures approximately 3 7/16 inches across and 2.25 inches wide and other than a few bumps and bruises, is in very good condition with an undisturbed natural patina that gives the brass plate tremendous character. Please see the photos and if you have any questions, feel free to contact Picker’s . Thank you, JM

Circa: 1860
Condition: very good. antique. used
Color: aged brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: US Made
Author: unknown  

Civil War Union Eagle Breast Plate - Dug Relic Here we have a relic found near Taneytown, Maryland, just south of Gettysburg, many years ago by a local Civil War enthusiast. The plate was found while tearing down an old out-building on a farm north of town and has not been cleaned any more than to remove some surface dirt. The plate would have been worn pinned to the shoulder strap of a Union Infantryman's cartridge box and was called a breastplate. The piece was so named because of its being worn in a location near the soldier's heart, or on his chest. This piece has lost the lead backing, which also would have held the loops, or hooks by which it was attached to the leather shoulder strap. A nice, as found piece of Civil War history.
Circa: 1860's
Condition: as found - relic. used
Color: dug brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown
Author: unknown  

CS - Dug Confederate Oval Buckle or Box Plate Here is a battlefield dug remnant from our Civil War. We have absolutely no doubt in the authenticity of this piece. The style and composition of the plate closely matches various handmade Confederate plates and buckles in the Kerksis book on civil war plates of the American Military. There are so many known variations of this type belt or box plate, it is impossible to exactly identify the maker, but our research, along with testimony by a relative of the man who originally found this piece, we have concluded this plate is an actual confederate relic. The piece was purchased from the relative of a private collector, now deceased. As you can see in the photos, the plate has neither lead filler or hooks filling the back and has been otherwise flattened and abused by time and other causes that will remain unknown. None the less, this is a rare find and still a worthwhile piece of civil war history. The man who found it lived in the country not far from Hagerstown Maryland and claimed to have found this plate, as well as several other related items, while exploring along the banks of the Antietam Creek. The general location he described is close to the place where fighting took place. For years this plate remained glued to a plaque covered in red felt and displayed by its owner. You can still see a few tiny bits of that felt if you look closely at the plate's back. At some point after the collector's death, the display fell apart and pieces were left behind when the property was abandoned.




Circa: 1860
Condition: dug - as found. used
Color: dug brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Unknown
Author: unknown  

Civil War Era Dominoes - brass, bone & ebony - by hand Here are four hand made dominoes that date back to the time of the Civil War. Dominoes was one of the favorite games played by soldiers of both armies, on the rare occasions the men had time to play games. Hand made using bone for the tops, ebony for the dark bottoms and a brass pin through the center to hold to two halves together. I've placed four dominoes in a small display case, which I think makes a real nice and very unusual gift.
Condition: very good
Manufacturer: unknown - hand made  

Civil War Era Pig Skin Eye Patch - Hand Made Well here's a piece you don't see every day. My best assessment of this odd looking item is that it was once worn as an eye patch by someone who had either made it or had it made for them, out of what seems to be a piece of tanned pig skin. I fully believe this patch once was worn by a veteran of the Civil War. I have reached this conclusion because the patch was amoung a great many old medals and other souveniers that date to a 1915 reunion of Civil War veterans and their families at Gettysburg. Judge for yourself. I think its pretty cool.
Condition: antique - as found
Manufacturer: hand made  

Anthem Dulcimer . Music Teacher. Songs 1856 What an interesting piece of pre Civil War history this is. The book is called The Anthem Dulcimer and was published by F.J. Huntington, Broome Street in the year 1856. The book is a collection of tunes, anthems, chants, etc. from the best foreign and American composers. Plus it contains an elementary music teacher’s course of instruction along with choice anthems and 'The Most Complete Collection of Sacred Music ever published.' To even still exist 153 years after it was printed is amazing enough, but the signatures and notations made by the books owners may provide a link to someone's family history. The owners were Adam and Jacob Krebs. and I am pretty sure the word Pensilvany would indicate they were from the state of Pennsylvania. Yes there are torn pages, even missing pages. Yes the book is beaten and worn, but wouldn't any of us be in worse shape if we were as old as this great old book and the collection of amazing and rare music contained within.
Circa: 1856
Condition: used. as found . antique
Color: aged tan
Country of Origin: US
Publisher: FJ Huntington & Co.
Author: I.B. Woodbury
Edition: 1  

Old Fork with a Bone Handle and brass pins - Civil War Well I wouldn't be in a hurry to eat with it, but this sure is an interesting old fork. It is of the type associated with the time period surrounding our Civil War and came to us along with enough other Civil War period artifacts to lend weight to this assessment. The fork measures 6 and 1/2 inches long and has a hand carved handle covering made of bone and held in place by three brass pins. Nice addition to a Civil War display.
Condition: antique - as found
Manufacturer: unknown  

Original Ames Model 1860 Cavalry Sabre. Civil War Sword

From Mr. Picker’s own collection, here is a Model 1860 Civil War Cavalry saber made by and marked Ames mfg. Co. Chicopee, Mass. This Cavalry sword is in very good, as found condition.
I have heard Mr. Picker say, many times,
‘Some folks make the mistake of cleaning and polishing some of these great and rare old pieces of our history. I think by doing so, they are cleaning away a part of history itself and that is a terrible shame.’
He may have told me this last part about this sword, or perhaps one of the many other’s he’s collected, but what is true for one, is true for all, so I’d rather see the dirt and the pitting left on the sword, where it belongs. The fact is, tat old grime - ‘IS’ - what connects this sword, to its history.
Submitted here for you to examine is a real sword that bears the scars of real history on its back. The maker’s stamping mark is etched on the blade at the hilt. Although the engravings are all very clear, someone carved an X over top of the maker’s name. The same X, only lighter is carved over the military marks on the opposite side of the blade. Stamped US with GKC the inspector’s initials, stamped next in line and finally the date of 1864. Perhaps the X’s are the work of an angry confederate soldier who had been fighting the Union Army throughout the long and bloody war. Perhaps he had taken the sword in battle and then simply crossed out the Yankee marks is a gesture of defiance and anger, in order to claim it for his own. We will likely never know the truth of it all.
The saber grip are made of leather and wrapped in copper or brass wire. Other than a few cracks, the grips are in good condition for the sword's age. Tight and very much intact, the blade itself is pitted here and there, but mostly smooth. The curved blade measures 35 inches to the hilt and the entire sword measures 41 ½ inches tip to butt. The scabbard is 37 inches and is coated in rust and missing the throat, but otherwise is in good shape and fits the sword well.
A fine example of a Civil War Cavalry sword; Dated and maker marked as proof of it being part of Civil War History.
More Photos available, so please ask.


Circa: 1864
Condition: used . as found
Color: steel and brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Ames
Author: US  

Great March. 1865 1st Ed. Civil War. Nichols, Sherman Original. Authentic. 1865 1st Edition novel ‘The Story of the Great March’ by George Ward Nichols, was essentially a journal kept by Nichol’s while serving under famed Civil War Union General William Sherman as Sherman cut through the Confederate heartland on his legendary March to the Sea. The book was published by Harper & Brothers and became an immediate Best Seller.
Within the pages of this rare 1865 first edition of The Great March, Nichols describes his experiences during the arduous campaign in a way that could only be written by someone who was there to witness the events as they took place. The green cloth cover is in remarkably good condition for its age and the gold likeness of the Forty Rounds medallion is in fine shape. The book has the original fold out map still attached and other than two edge tears, the map is beautiful. There is a rice paper insert between the book’s first two lithographs, which has kept both pages in fantastic, crisp, clear condition. You can see on some of the photos how the old ink bled slightly from page to page and I have also included photos of those pages having to do with copyright, or lack there of, and publishing dates and acknowledgements. This wonderful 1865 novel of Sherman’s Historic Civil War March to the Sea is itself a piece of rare history that deserves a place of honor for decades to come.

Circa: 1865
Condition: Good. Used. As found
Color: Green and Gold
Country of Origin: US
Publisher: Harper & Brothers
Author: George Ward Nichols
Edition: 1