Clarke Cavalry Survivors Association, Co. D, 6th Virginia Cavalry

[SCF-Collector]

An identified Confederate regimental badge is a rare thing - so I just had to acquire this one for my Virginia collection. Below are pictures of the badge of the Clarke Cavalry Survivor's Association identified to Charles H. Smith, Co. D. 6th Virginia Cavalry.

 

 

I've never seen one these before - and in all my digging and trolling on the Internet, I have only been able to find one reference to another example (newspaper article, 2013 - picture of the same medal).

 

There were 170 men in the Company and an article I found that was published in 1896 indicated that only 52 of the original company were still living at that time. Charles H. Smith was among those 52 - he lived until December 1904.

 

Charles Horace Smith

 

Enlisted 4/18/1861 at Berryville, Virginia - as a 1st Sergeant. On 4/18/1861 he mustered into Co. D, 1st Virginia Cavalry.

 

On September 12, 1861 he transferred (as did the entire company, by vote) to Co. D, 6th Virginia Cavalry. He was discharge on 5/15/1862 (declined to re-enlist). On October 15, 1862 he mustered back into Co. D, 6th Virginia Cavalry

 

Detailed 12/13/1861 on special duty per General Stuart.

POW 5/8/1864, Spotsylvania Court House, paroled 9/23/1863 at Point Lookout, Maryland

POW April 1, 1865, Dinwiddie Court House, Virginia. Confined Point Lookout 4/15/1865

Oath of Allegiance May 29, 1865, Point Lookout - released

 

Born March 14, 1833, died December 20, 1904. Buried: Green Hill Cemetery, Berryville, VA

 

Married Eliza Blackburn in 1866. Postwar, Farmer and Warehouse business.

 

 

It's interesting to note that this Company surrendered only three men at Appomattox. The rest broke through the Federal lines and later disbanded.

 

More pictures and information to follow.

[SCF-Collector]

This badge/medal is NOT engraved - so how is it identified? Well, it came in its original box (picture below) and on it, in period ink, is a reference to his son, Richmond Scott Blackburn Smith, with a reference to the Spanish-American War. He served in Co. C, 2nd Virginia Volunteers, and later later transferred to the 7th Corps Headquarters staff where he became a mounted messenger for General Fitzhugh Lee.

 

Short of the thing being engraved - I'm not sure there's a stronger provenance for the ID on this piece. It's certainly good enough for me!

 

[SCF-Collector]

Thought you might like to see close-ups of the detail on this medal. It really is well-made.

 

 

 

[SCF-Collector]

I've got lots more research to do on this piece. For starters I want to know when it was issued. Was it made before or after Smith's death in 1904? The ink ID to his son and the Spanish American War reference makes me wonder if it was issued to the son after his father's death? Was this issued only to living survivors of the Company - or could family members be issued it in remembrance of their ancestor? Many questions.....

 

I've discovered that the Clarke County Virginia Historical Society has the original meeting minutes notebook for this group - dated 1884-1917. I think I need to make a trip there to review that one-of-a-kind record to see if the issuance of this medal is documented in the minutes!