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Lot 25
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[Civil War]. 500+ piece collection.
[Civil War]. 500+ piece collection.
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25. [Civil War]. Extraordinary collection of Civil War era field hospital equipment, Soldier and Officer’s personally used artifacts, and battle-used weapons and equipment. One doesn’t have to be a Civil War collector to appreciate the historical artifacts that make up this rare 500+ piece collection, which are not military or weapon-dominated as most conventional auction offerings often are. Through these artifacts, in their totality, one gets an inside look at how men and women, civilians, soldiers, officers, doctors and nurses lived over 150 years ago. It is a visual banquet of examples of early American craftsmanship and ingenuity at their finest in so many handmade items. Parts of this collection were exhibited at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum for a 4-month period (June-Sept. 2013) as part of the Museum’s highly successful exhibit on Abraham Lincoln entitled, “A. Lincoln: From Railsplitter to Rushmore”, which enlightened over 183,000 visitors during its run. This collection represents an extensive and balanced visual, historic and educational offering.

Massive collection of (500+) Civil War era field hospital equipment, Soldier and Officer’s personally used artifacts, and battle-used weapons and equipment – displayed at the Reagan Library museum for the exhibit entitled “A. Lincoln: From Railsplitter to Rushmore”.

Field Hospital display items
The Civil War was a unique situation for both Northern and Southern doctors. Never before had they dealt with such catastrophic injuries upon their victims. The introduction of the “Minie ball”, which enlarged entry wounds and shattered bones on impact, created devastating results. Consequently, amputation of arms and legs was by far the number one surgical operation performed on soldiers during the war. There were very few hospitals accessible, so field hospitals were set up to treat incoming casualties from the field. A large barrel and two planks of wood often had to suffice as makeshift operating tables. Included in this collection is a very rare example of a collapsible surgical operating table from the Civil War, consisting of a wooden sawhorse with two planks of wood sitting atop crossed wooden legs. Also included is an IMP printed 1826 fabric sheet as well as 2 pillowcases; 1 heavily bloodstained. Also a man’s muslin tunic with his initials inside. The grouping includes 3 handmade wooden crutches, a complete doctor’s surgical kit containing an amputation bone saw, 7 various amputation knives and a tourniquet. There is also an extremely rare, doctor’s medical box containing 30 small medicinal bottles used to treat injured soldiers on the battlefield. There are 2 wooden amputation pegboards used by doctors to keep records of soldiers who’d had limbs amputated - one marked numerically and one bearing the letters “A” and “D” at the top. “A” stood for either “alive” or “amputated” and “D” for “dead”. There are more than 10 vintage, glass medical bottles with actual glass labels that were used to treat soldiers. Also included are small bottles of morphine, opium and laudanum that were used to treat pain. There are finely made, tortoiseshell-handled safety-locked bistouries as well as 5 amputation saws and 6 amputation knives that were used for battlefield surgery. There are 3 weight scales (1 brass and 2 wooden) for measuring and doling out medicine. There is a nurse’s bloodstained skirt, cape, shawl and bonnet and a bloodstained belt buckle cut off of a soldier’s trousers during amputation. There’s also a 2-piece grooved wooden pill maker, a suppository mold and various ceramic invalid feeders that were used in assisting injured soldiers. There are also 2 stethoscopes and syringes as well as fleams that were used in medicinal bloodletting. Also a beautiful white milk glass medicine feeder with ornate brass casing, used to administer drugs. There are several oversize porcelain plates that doctors used to hold their instruments. Also a fantastic leather, brass-studded doctor’s box that includes over 50 various surgical and personal accessories including his glasses and possibly a picture of his wife. Also includes a rare surgeon’s gutta-percha 10 in. bullet-probe instrument, “DAY” patent wooden arm splint, scarce surgeon’s surgical instrument grouping-folding and locking tenaculum, hatchet scalpel, locking bistouri, straight scalpel, surgical scissors, locking forceps, suturing needles, silk thread and wire, with sliding wooden box. Doctor or Nurse’s lamp (to warm medicine, hot water) or coffee pot-used to check on patients at night, surgeon’s eye glasses and hard case for over-the-nose wearing without stems to hook behind ears, 10 in. dental tooth extractor and dental elevator with gold band near tip, 11 in. surgical ribcage cutter, Enfield bayonet used with a candle to light the entrance to surgeon’s amputation area with a 25 in. tall large pewter candle stand for use next to the operating table for extra light, nurses purple velvet bag or purse and more. After viewing this medical grouping, one can’t help but imagine what it was like to survive this war with these types of catastrophic injuries. It helps to educate people today of the real life brutality of warfare.

Camp display of Soldier and Officer’s personally used artifacts
Highlights of the collection include a transportable 11-foot wooden camp table comprised of 2 slat ends and 7 interlocking wooden poles for quick and easy setup, breakdown and transport. The table was used at campsites as a surface to hold coffee pots, plates and silverware, etc. This grouping is amazing in its overall condition, patina and craftsmanship, which take us back to a time when ingenuity came in handy for soldiers on the run. Other highlights include a rare officer’s hot water footrest warmer, in a wooden frame, with heavy carpet surface to the top of the footrest. Inside is a tin container that would be filled with hot water. After a long day’s march, an officer would take his boots off in his tent and enjoy a few minutes of warm comfort. There are a wide assortment of coffee pots and brass and tin lamps, a multitude of pots and pans and everything used by soldiers in eating, drinking and preparing their meals. There are original officer’s wooden chairs with carpet seats, as well as an original officer’s “carpet bag”; a carrying bag made of actual carpet. There is a pair of leather boots - and it’s interesting to note that at this period there were no left or right boots, they were both shaped the same. There are 6 fantastic quilts and coverlets that were used as blankets for soldiers or invalids that are all hand sewn from individual looms of fabric. There is also a 10-foot rainbow rug that would have been used in an officer’s tent. These are all beautiful examples of American craftsmanship that were invariably donated by women of the North who participated in supplying their husbands and sons with many of the basic necessities of clothing and shelter that the army could not supply, particularly in the early part of the war. After a day of killing, soldiers came back to the camp and amazingly partook in diversionary things such as smoking and playing games with each other. There are various tobacco tins and handmade corn cob pipes as well as a handmade, complete Domino set in its original wooden box, a Cribbage board, several small dice with holders and various playing cards. There is a very interesting voting or polling piece, from which the term “blackball” was derived. Consisting of a wooden box with vintage original black and white marbles, when soldiers were asked their input on certain camp decisions, they voted with a white ball for “yes” or a black ball for “no”. Hence, when proposals were turned down, the term “blackballed’ came into being. There are also 2 wooden bellows, 1 heavily detailed with rich ornamentation, for use in fanning the campfires, as well as a beautiful brass ash container that would be used to transport embers to start other fires or, with holes on top, they could be brought back to an officer’s tent for heat. Also includes officer’s domed wood camp trunk with dovetail wood joint made from a single width wide boards-bottom made also from one plank-with key, officer’s porcelain shaving mug set, blacksmith-made razor and wood gutta-percha hair shaving brush ring with wooden handle, large camp whiskey barrel, soldier’s coin purse with “1857” and “1862” one cent coins, brass-weighted officer’s spittoon, officer’s day to day writing tablet with locking clip, officer’s “sharkskin” directional navigational set with instruments, 11 in. wood turned one-piece water container exhibiting rings from lathe, officer’s quality lap desk with mother of pearl inlay on top and inscription “1850 Stephenson” also around keyhole-inside one ink bottle, writing pen, blotter with overall beautiful wood grain and patina, officer’s fine black “basalt” tea set, wooden handled metal toaster to put bread near fire, rosewood fife, rare confederate brass-weighted drumsticks with cross belt plate, pewter frame Jew’s harp, and officers money purse with ornate Japanese mother of pearl carving inlay that opens up accordion style.

Battle-used Weapons and Equipment
Highlights of the military grouping include an original 34 star, pre-1863 fabric American flag (with 32 original stars and an additional 2 stars hand sewn into the flag at some point before the 35th state’s admission in June of 1863). Weapon highlights include an 1861 Enfield “Tower” rifle/musket (named for the Tower of London), untouched, with nipple protector and original ramrod. The 1861 Enfield rifle was used by both the North and the South and was a very reliable rifle up to 300 yards. There is also a .58-caliber original arsenal-issued, paper-wrapped cartridge bullet, which could have been used for this rifle. There is also a marked 1862 “Springfield”, U.S.” Musketoon; a sawed off Carbine rifle the Springfield was one of the most often used rifles by the North in the Civil War. There is also a model 1860 Colt Army .44-caliber pistol with original leather holster. This was an officer’s pistol and it has matching numbers in the various interlocking parts, in original and untouched condition. There are also 2 rare, .44-caliber original paper cartridge bullets and brass powder flask that would have been used for this pistol. There’s also an “1862” Cavalry sword “Mansfield and Lamb” “U.S.” with the initials of the officer’s name, “J.H.” on the sword. Also included is the original scabbard, the sword holder, which was used by officers to lead their men, on horse. There is also a rare marked 1858 sabre bayonet that was used by the infantry and recovered from the Antietam battlefield. There is also a rare wooden, brass-strapped powder keg that was used to arm artillery guns and a small wooden grease bucket that was used to lubricate the wheels on artillery guns. There are 2 pairs of battle-used, made in Paris binoculars with accompanying cases as well as a soldier’s brass camp bugle. There are several rare sniper sunglasses in tin carrying cases. The lenses blocked out the sun’s rays with just enough room for the sniper’s pupils to see his target. There are multiple brass and pewter powder flasks in which soldiers kept their gunpowder as they had to load and reload their rifles, as well as a rare 12 in. black powder canteen with its original tin top and cord sling, used to supply soldiers with gunpowder necessary for the type of rifles used during this period. There are also various bayonets and knives used by soldiers and officers in warfare.

This remarkable historical archive was acquired by noted collector Ronnie Paloger from a family in Maryland who originally purchased it in the 1960’s from an individual who had assembled the materials over the course of many years. The bulk of this collection was gathered from battle sites and personalities involved in the Civil War in and around the Maryland area. Comes with a signed letter from Andrew Wulf, Curator of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, thanking the consignor for participating in the Lincoln exhibit. Special shipping arrangements will apply. $40,000 - $60,000

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by Profiles in History
June 11, 2015 11:00 AM PDT
26662 Agoura Rd
Calabasas, CA, US 91302

Profiles in History

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $249,999 $10,000
$250,000 + $25,000