Civil War soldier’s pocketknife, dug at the Antietam Battlefield (SOLD)

This is another nice piece being offered, it is a Civil War soldier’s pocket knife. Of course, the wood is long gone, but the blades appear to be intact in the closed position. It measures 5” x 1” and it no longer opens but appears to be complete, just as when it was dropped or lost by the soldier. It was recovered many years ago from the Antietam Battlefield.

The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, was fought on September 17, 1862. This was the first major battle in the Civil War to take place on Union soil. It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of dead, wounded, and missing at 22,717.

Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attacks failed to achieve force concentration, allowing General Lee to counter by shifting forces and moving interior lines to meet each challenge. Despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army.

McClellan had halted Lee's invasion of Maryland, but Lee was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, the Confederate troops had withdrawn first from the battlefield, making it, in military terms, a Union victory.

This is a nice piece and still remains solid, just as found when dug. It is solid and has a light coat of varnish for preservation. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.