Civil War hand-carved bullet Nipple Protector, dug at New Bern, NC

This is another interesting piece being offered, it is a musket nipple protector carved from a lead bullet. It was recovered years ago from the New Bern, North Carolina Battlefield.

On March 14, 1862, following the Civil War’s Battle of New Bern, town officials surrendered the city to U. S. Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside. Accompanied by 11,000 soldiers, Burnside entered a town in flames: Confederate soldiers had burned warehouses and ammunition, in anticipation of the “Yankees” taking over New Bern.

Items such as this show the ingenuity of the common Civil War soldier. When they need something and can’t get it, they make it. In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items”, I discuss this subject and show other soldier carvings (see pictures).