Soldier-carved bone ring from Union III Corps, 1st Division (SOLD,GW)

This is another great piece being offered, it is a Civil War soldier’s hand-carved bone ring. It has an intricately carved diamond in the center highlighted in red. The lozenge (diamond) would be indicative of the Union Army’s III Corps, 1^st Division, Army of the Potomac.

The III Corps included in its organization the famous Kearny Division: also, Hooker's Division, the Excelsior Brigade, the Second Jersey Brigade, and other well-known commands. Its brilliant record is closely interwoven with the history of the Virginia campaigns of 1862–1863, in which it fought during two eventful years.

Carvings such as this were very popular with soldiers during the war. In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items”, I go into more detail on this favorite pastime. Many of these type rings were made by POWs, and even sold to the guards. There is a similar example of this ring in the Minnesota Historical Society collection, which was recovered at Andersonville (see pictures).

Needless to say, this artifact is a rare and highly sought after. The ring comes in the glass top display case pictured. It would be a great piece for any Civil War collection.