Battle of Fredericksburg - hotsell Virginia Currency - Civil War Bullets

The original 1862 “Virginia Treasury Note” – “One Dollar” note was engraved by “Hoyer & Ludwig. Richmond, VA.” and hand signed in brown ink. The serial number “22473” was also inscribed by hand. The bust in left corner is of Virginia Governor John Letcher. The note was issued out of Richmond, Virginia, and has a plain back.

Original lead ammunition excavated from the Fredericksburg Battlefield in Virginia. The bullets at left are all Federal issue; a .58 Williams Cleaner used to clean the black powder fouling out of the rifle barrel. There were three to six packed with the regular rounds, .52 Sharps was a breech loading carbine used primarily by the cavalry and a .58 Springfield that was the standard round for all .58 rifles used by the Federal forces. In 1862 the diameter of the .58 was decreased by a fraction to accommodate the .577 Enfield rifle. From upper right they are Confederate issue; 1. A .69 caliber round ball for the Model 1842 smooth bore musket, a .54 caliber for the Mississippi rifle or the Austrian Lorenz rifle. The Lorenz rifle was the third most widely used rifle during the Civil War. The Union recorded purchases of 226,924 and the Confederacy bought as many as 100,000. The round was used by both sides. It was found in the Confederate lines. The .57 Enfield was imported from England through the blockade or made with imported molds. All of these rounds would have used a paper cartridge. The white patina is due to oxidation in the ground.

The scene was reproduced from a photograph taken in 1863 by Andrew Russell after the assault on Marye's Height on May 3, 1863. This action was hotsell part of the Chancellorsville Campaign a few months after the attack there in December of 1862. Sedgwick moved his forces into Fredericksburg during dawn on May 3, uniting with Gibbon's division which had crossed the river just before dawn. He decided to launch an attack on the Confederate center on Marye's Heights, which was manned by Barksdale's brigade, with John Newton's division; this attack was defeated. Colonel Thomas M. Griffin of the 18th Mississippi Infantry granted the Union forces a truce in order to gather in their wounded. During this truce, the Union commanders noticed that the flank of Barksdale's left regiment was unprotected. Sedgwick launched another attack against this flank and Barksdale's front using elements from all three VI Corps divisions, which pushed the Confederate forces off the ridge, capturing some artillery. The first men to mount the stone wall were from the 5th Wisconsin and the 6th Maine Infantry regiments. Barksdale retreated to Lee's Hill, where he attempted to make another stand but was again forced to retreat southward.

The hand made solid Poplar frame is 12” x 16” (glass) in size. The frame has a distressed milk paint finish; black over blue (the back edge, which can't be seen, has only the base coat; there are some brush strokes from the second coat). The matting is medium gray. All of the frame and display work was done in our cabinet shop here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The frame is ready to hang. The wire is recessed which allows the frame to rest flat back to the wall as in a museum mount. The “bumpons” on each back corner protect the wall and keep the frame level.

All of the artifacts are guaranteed to be original Civil War issue as stated. A hand signed and dated “Certificate of Authenticity” will be issued by Collectors Frame with a photograph of the item purchased. Please see our "About Collectors Frame”, below the reviews on the front page, for more information on the framing and artifacts.
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