Jump to content

Seber I.D. Disc K.I.A. Gettysburg


 Share

Recommended Posts

skypilot6670

J.W.Seber Co A 76 th N.Y.V.I. Cutlers Brigade one of the first , if not the first infantry enguaged at Gettysburg ( still questioned as to who was first them or 56 th Penn.) Heavily enguaged with Davis Brigade and forced to retreat after loosing half of their men. Seber was wounded in the leg and the leg was amputated. His medical records show him in one of the hospitals at Gettysburg. He survives for two weeks but suffers terribly with infection. The attending surgeon tries several times to give laudanum but it makes him vomit and he cant keep it down. It is a very sad report to read ,the surgeon is distraught at not being able to help him. The descriptions the surgeon records are very sad. This piece is my most treasured I.D. Disc.as it reminds me of the sacrifice these men made.post-137056-0-82934700-1554308363_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A nice disc with a tragic story to tell. The 76th NY was a hard fought unit. Thank you for sharing the images of the disc and J.W. Sebers story.

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would somebody kindly educate me on this, as my area is WWII to Vietnam.

 

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a Civil War dogtag - if indeed that is what it is called.

 

It looks like this disc was drilled after it was stamped.

 

Were they designed to be worn on a cord, or just carried?

 

Fascinating, thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

skypilot6670

Hi Blacksmith hope this helps . This is an I.D. Disc or in my day (Viet Nam ) a dog tag. This is a small size , about the same as a dime. They varied in size from dime to half dollar. Also materials varied ,brass mostly a few copper (rare) and some very few silver, the mass produced were stamped like a coin with a general or Patriotic motif or Lincoln then labeled by a sutler (salesman who traveled with the army ) he would stamp name ,regiment home town or County and sometimes battles. They were on worn lanyards, or pinned to their chest using a broach or sewn on the Brest. Their were jeweler I.D. Disc and corps badges that were typically silver or gold or German silver. Also the Christian commission gave out paper I.D. Cards to be worn around the neck ( very rare ). All were intended for I.D. Or Unit pride or both. Hope this helps to understand what they are. There are two good books on corps badges. Civil War Corps Badges and other related awards by Stanley Philips and Identification Disc of Union Soldiers in the civil war. Philips book is a collector piece in it self so its pricey. The I.D. Disc book can be gotten on eBay fair 40 or so dollars. Fraternally. Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Mike, that is super helpful. I really appreciate your explanation.

 

Hi Blacksmith hope this helps . This is an I.D. Disc or in my day (Viet Nam ) a dog tag. This is a small size , about the same as a dime. They varied in size from dime to half dollar. Also materials varied ,brass mostly a few copper (rare) and some very few silver, the mass produced were stamped like a coin with a general or Patriotic motif or Lincoln then labeled by a sutler (salesman who traveled with the army ) he would stamp name ,regiment home town or County and sometimes battles. They were on worn lanyards, or pinned to their chest using a broach or sewn on the Brest. Their were jeweler I.D. Disc and corps badges that were typically silver or gold or German silver. Also the Christian commission gave out paper I.D. Cards to be worn around the neck ( very rare ). All were intended for I.D. Or Unit pride or both. Hope this helps to understand what they are. There are two good books on corps badges. Civil War Corps Badges and other related awards by Stanley Philips and Identification Disc of Union Soldiers in the civil war. Philips book is a collector piece in it self so its pricey. The I.D. Disc book can be gotten on eBay fair 40 or so dollars. Fraternally. Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

M24 Chaffee

That’s a rare and special CW piece to have! It’s sad to read about his suffering. Thanks for posting this.

 

 

Frank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

It has always been my understanding that the only units that had the right to be called "Veteran Volunteers"--as shown on the I.D. disc--were those three-year men who re-enlisted when their original terms had ended. If that is the case, it doesn't seem possible that there would be any "Veteran Volunteers" in existence until perhaps a year after Gettysburg. What am I missing here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi jim46

You raise a valid point. Either Seber thought of his unit in this context “Veteran Volunteers” and had his disc made to reflect this attitude (which is what I think happened) prior to the government offering it as an incentive for mass re-enlistment. Or someone had the disc made after he was killed.

Bounty men were a real problem. Units were looked down on if perceived as such. The Iron Brigades 24th Mich. at the Winter camp in Falmouth Va. comes to mind. This great unit was was rumored to be a bounty unit and as such was ostracized until after Gettysburg

Being a Veteran Volunteer was a point of honor and I believe used by the soldiers to describe themselves or their unit (unofficially) prior to the government picking up on it as an official designation and inducement for mass re-enlistment.

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
skypilot6670

Today marks the 157th anniversary of the first days battle at Gettysburg. I wanted to bump this post as it’s my favorite Gettysburg disc and a reminder of the price paid by soldiers. I’ll bump a couple more of my Gettysburg pieces that coincide with a specific day of the battle.    Fraternally yours Mike 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...