Civil War Pyramid “Umbrella” Inkwell, recovered at Harrison’s Landing, VA

This is another nice piece being offered, it is a Civil War Pyramid/Umbrella inkwell. It is aqua colored and measures 2 ½” x 2 3/4" and the bottom has the open pontil – there is a chip on the lip, which is typical for these inkwells. It was recovered at Berkley Plantation by Harrison’s Landing, VA.

This area was occupied by General George McClellan's Union troops in July and August of 1862. The Seven Days Battles ended with McClellan's army in relative safety next to the James River, having suffered almost 16,000 casualties during the retreat. Lee's army, which had been on the offensive during the Seven Days, lost over 20,000. As Lee became convinced that McClellan would not resume his threat against Richmond, he moved north for the Northern Virginia Campaign and the Maryland Campaign. Movements along the James River continued throughout the rest of the war.

There was a rapid increase in the consumption of ink during the Civil War, accompanied by the required bottles and inkwells to store the ink. The "umbrella" is the type most commonly found at Civil War period sites. There are examples in the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum (see pictures).

In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items”, I show an example of one from the same Civil War site (see pictures). These inkwells go great with a display of a soldiers personal effects, (particularly nice alongside a letter).