Civil War Company Letter “E”, recovered at Fredericksburg during 1960s – 1970s

This is another nice piece being offered from the Fredericksburg Battlefield relic collection I recently acquired, it is a Hat insignia, Regulation 1851, Company “E”, large size, approximately 1”. Lettered hatpins were used to designate companies, this one would have had a die struck brass pin wire loop fastener for sewing onto the hat (long gone). It was recovered during the 1960s - 1970s from the Fredericksburg, Virginia Battlefield.

On November 14, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind the town. On December 13, after pontoon bridges were laid, Union forces crossed the Rappahannock River under fire.

Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye's Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the failed campaign.

Today when these insignias are recovered, they are usually in pieces because they were made from very thin brass (see period hat). In “Excavated Artifacts from the Civil War”, by Stanley Phillips, there is a very similar example shown (see pictures). On this one the digger either repaired or reinforced the letter on the back, as seen in the pictures. This served the purpose very well, and still fragile, it is in one piece and hardly visible from the front. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.