VERY RARE! Civil War Confederate “CS” Belt Buckle found in Knoxville, TN (SOLD)

This is a very rare and beautiful excavated Confederate belt buckle. It is the classic style known to collectors as the “Tennessee Style Round Corner Buckle”. It measures 2 7/8” x 1 7/8” and still retains a faint amount of the original black enamel paint in the recesses of the letters. The back has the three spun-style hooks remaining. It was recovered many years ago at Knoxville, Tennessee

The Knoxville campaign was a series of battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863, designed to secure control of the city of Knoxville. The railroad there linked the Confederacy east and west, and it was vital for the First Corps under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet for returning troops to the Army of Northern Virginia.

Union Army forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, and Confederate forces under Longstreet were detached from Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee at Chattanooga to prevent Burnside's reinforcement of the besieged Federal forces there.

Ultimately, Longstreet's Siege of Knoxville ended when Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led elements of the Army of the Tennessee and other troops to Burnside's relief after Union troops had broken the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. Although Longstreet was one of Gen. Robert E. Lee's best corps commanders in the East in the Army of Northern Virginia, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to penetrate the Knoxville defenses and take the city.

This buckle originally came from the award wining collection of Don Phillips. His Confederate Belt Buckle displays won numerous awards at the largest Civil War Shows across the country. This buckle is the pattern listed as figure #128 of the revised edition of Mullinax’ book on Confederate belt buckles. It comes in the wooden display case and a Certificate of Authenticity will accompany the buckle. Excellent examples such as this rarely become available for sale.