empireguns Posted September 25, 2015 Share #1 Posted September 25, 2015 I don't know Civil war items but found this at an estate sale. Family is from Florida but unkown how far back. It's Marked Geo. W. Davis age 16 civil war. Any civil war guys able to tell how i can research this? it's way out of my normal stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empireguns Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share #2 Posted September 25, 2015 a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268th C.A. Posted September 25, 2015 Share #3 Posted September 25, 2015 Union Calvary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted September 25, 2015 Share #4 Posted September 25, 2015 Cavalry or Artillery-- he is wearing a mounted shell jacket. I just checked on HDS and there are 852 "George Davis" listed! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted September 25, 2015 Share #5 Posted September 25, 2015 Thought the "W" might narrow it down, but 200+ listed (HDS). None are listed as 16 years old, but several listed as 17 years old. MANY do not have an age listed. One of the 17 year olds was listed in the 3 AR Cav. But that doesn't mean he can't be one of the others listed without an age or without an initial. Pretty tough research ahead if you want to ATTEMPT to ID. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empireguns Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted September 25, 2015 Many thanks, its more than i had whats HDS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted September 25, 2015 Share #7 Posted September 25, 2015 Historical Data Systems. It is an online data base of Civil War soldiers. Based on sheer numbers you will be hard pressed to pin down the guy. Also, just to clarify-- your guy is UNION. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empireguns Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted September 25, 2015 Thanks again this is the best forum for assisting others. I appreciate all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted September 26, 2015 Share #9 Posted September 26, 2015 Agree....Union....most likely cavalry; outside chance at artillery. Tough to firmly ID unless you can get more information.....where he was from, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavdoc83 Posted September 26, 2015 Share #10 Posted September 26, 2015 Two loops of lace on the collar makes him a regular, not state or volunteer, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted September 26, 2015 Share #11 Posted September 26, 2015 The jacket itself is a standard UNION enlisted Shell jacket for mounted troops. The SAME jacket was worn by both Artillery and Cavalry soldiers. The only difference in the jackets is the trim-- red for artillery and yellow for cavalry. In these era black and white images it is very hard to tell the trim color. Sometimes the images will be tinted making the determination much easier. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rogers Posted September 29, 2015 Share #12 Posted September 29, 2015 To address Cavdoc83's question, the distinction between regulars and volunteer units (or militia) based on the number of rows of piping on the collar seems to have made its way into some collector discussions, but is a false distinction. I think it came about because the mounted jacket as described in the regulations has two false button holes on either side of the collar- each consisting of one small button between two rows of piping (actually one that starts at the front edge of the collar, runs back around the button and goes back out to the collar edge.) Calling this the "regulation pattern" then got layered onto discussions of regular versus volunteer cavalry. The sheer number of volunteer cavalrymen will mean that the majority of variant jackets will show up on them, but it does not mean they did not wear "regulation" jackets as well and the regulars might not show up in variants. You could argue the variants only show up with the onset of the war and the recruitment of volunteer regiments, but the cause is more the increased number of manufacturers than than any intended distinction between regulars and volunteers. Some also argue the regulars would be under stricter discipline to adhere to regulation uniforms and gear, but there are also lots of references to how oddball even regular army troops appear when on campaign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now