Confederate North Carolina Coat button, recovered 1970s at Fort Fisher (SOLD)

This is another nice piece being offered, it is an excavated Confederate North Carolina coat-size button. It is a convex two-piece measuring 22mm. The reverse is missing the shank (why it was lost). Although it can no longer be made out, these buttons were made by “Wildt & Klein, Columbus SC”. This is verified by the raised 5 pointed star in the depressed channel. Typically, they were all poorly stamped, as well as the crimping. This button was recovered in the early 1970s at the outer area of Fort Fisher, NC.

The Union attack started on December 24, 1864, with a naval bombardment. The firepower of Fort Fisher was temporarily silenced because some of its gun positions exploded. This allowed the Navy to land Union infantry. The landing force was intercepted by the arrival of General Hoke's troops.

The Union attack was effectively thwarted, and on December 27 Benjamin Butler ordered the withdrawal of his 1,000 soldiers who were still on the beach. This was in defiance of Grant's orders, which were to besiege the fort if the assault failed. Because Butler disobeyed his orders, he was relieved of command by Grant.

Overall, this is a nice looking Confederate button which was lost by a soldier from North Carolina. These buttons were used by most North Carolina troops. This would make a great addition to any Civil War collection.