Page 54 - JOA 12-20

by John Sexton

Q: I found this rifle barrel whole while metal
detecting, and I don’t really care to sell it, but I’d
be interested in knowing what it may be worth. It’s
a smooth-bore rifle barrel from the Battle of
Ringgold Gap dug by myself. It has two bullets
(with missing pieces of the barrel) showing a bullet
in the barrel. It looks as if this barrel exploded.
Several pieces are missing from it as if it was blown An excavated barrel from a Civil War battlefield with two bullets lodged in it
apart from the inside.
There’s a second bullet in the barrel. This is man today and a giant in 1864—against C.S. General Patrick Cleburne,
where it gets interesting—it is in the tip of the who won the day.
barrel going the opposite direction. All you can see If indeed the one Minié ball was shot in anger and lodged in the
is the cone cavity of the second bullet. How’s that muzzle of an enemy’s musket, this relic would be so very rare. The
for a battlefield collision? perfection of such a shot would have been an astronomical chance, but
Thanks for your time and help; I look forward nose-to-nose Minié ball hits did occur and have been collected when
to whatever input you may have. found in the field after the battle. Nose-to nose fused Miniés sell for
about $1,000.
JS: What an unusual relic to find on a battle- Your musket may be as rare, but whether or not it could be
field. If only it could talk and tell us how those marketable as a “wounded relic” is hard to gauge. I would not be
projectiles came to be lodged in a loose barrel. surprised when, if put in an auction, it might bring in that range. It is
To Atlanta Campaign enthusiasts, the Battle rare, but just rusted iron and lead without a good story probably won’t
of Ringgold Gap is the well-known match-up of sell for more than $100-$200.
U.S. General John Geary who stood 6 feet 6 inch-
es tall and weighed in at over 250 pounds—a big Close-up of the barrel with one light gray bullet showing horizontal lines on the rear

Q: I found you on the internet! I’m hoping you can help me assess
if there’s any value to this letter. Perhaps more importantly,
should I store it in some special way, or donate it to a museum,
or if there’s value in selling it? Edward Briggs was my great-
great-grandfather. He was in the Iron Brigade from Wisconsin.
I also own a couple of Civil War veteran memorial ribbons he
wore to reunions, a Bible he carried during the war (plus a letter
describing how he got the Bible), his discharge certificate, and a
few other letters.
I’m sending you the handwritten letter, a typed version of it
(much easier to read), a copy of his obit and a newspaper article
about him from 1926, and his badges. As you can see, one
ribbon is hanging together by threads; the other one is in pretty
good shape for being over 140 years old!
Although I have a basic understanding of the Civil War,
it pretty much ends with a couple of tours here and there on
the east coast (Gettysburg, Antietam,
Chancellorsville) so I am in no position to
understand anything more than that.
Thank you for your help!
National Society of
JS: Your ancestor, based on the newspaper Andersonville
interview, really had a hard Civil War life, Survivors’ badge with
being captured and spending two years in newspaper articles
prison after Gettysburg and losing over half about Edward Briggs,
of his body weight. He was among the $300-$350
lucky ones to not die at Andersonville.
Anything on a brigade’s action always Woman’s Relief Corp
brings a premium. The letter he wrote badge, $10-$20
concerning the Battle of Antietam is much
better than an average letter, and it would have a price at a Civil War show of $200-$400.
The Andersonville Survivors’ badge, which is identified as Briggs’, would
bring $300-$350 with the newspaper articles. The woman’s Relief Corp is about a
Letter about the Battle of Antietam, $200-$400
$10-$20 badge.
Continued on page 54
52 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles