Civil War soldier’s small leather wallet, dug years ago at the Dalton, Georgia battlefield

This is a nice piece being offered which I had for quite some time. It is an excavated soldier’s wallet with a pen nib and piece of ribbon, which I acquired directly from the digger. As expected for being dug, it is a little fragile – that is why it is in a 12” x 8 ½” display case. It was recovered from the Dalton, Georgia Battlefield many years ago.

Union General George H. Thomas decided to probe General Joseph E. Johnston's strength to determine if the loss of two full divisions to reinforce Confederate forces elsewhere had made the Confederate Army of Tennessee vulnerable to Union attack.

On February 22, Thomas began the reconnaissance movement, which consisted of three columns of Union troops. After several days of intense skirmishing, Thomas's army retreated, since it was obvious that Johnston was still capable of repelling a major Union assault. Thomas's force had lost 300 officers and men killed or wounded, against 140 men for the Confederates.

No doubt this wallet belonged to one of those soldiers who fought there. Recovering anything from a battlefield that isn’t metal, or glass is very rare. The digger I got this wallet from said the area was moist – maybe it helped with the survival.