This day in Civil War history.Post a Civil War coin.

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 6:23AM

12 April 1861-Beginning of Civil War.Confederate shore batteries under General Pierre G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Bay. During 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort, and on April 13 U.S. Major Robert Anderson, commander of the Union garrison, surrendered. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to help quell the Southern “insurrection.”

2 June 1865-In an event that is generally regarded as marking the end of the Civil War, Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signs the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. With Smith’s surrender, the last Confederate army ceased to exist, bringing a formal end to the bloodiest four years in U.S. history.

Post a coin from one of the Civil War Years 1861,1862,1863,1864,or 1865.If you know particulars of Civil War history marked by a month and day within the year feel free to include with your post.I can look up month and day too if you want to post a coin from one of the years only...

1 July 1863.The largest military conflict in North America begins this day when Union and Confederate forces collide at Gettysburg. The epic battle lasted three days and resulted in a retreat to Virginia by Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Boosibri · May 23, 2015 6:28AM

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 6:36AM

Boosibri
29 March 1865.Engagement at Lewis Farm,Virginia.Appomattox Campaign begins.

LanLord · May 23, 2015 6:53AM

Lots of good ones to choose from:

oops missed it by one year

oih82w8 · May 23, 2015 6:56AM

I don't visit the forum as much as would like to, so pardon me if I post all of my Civil War Era coins at once, which are all "small change".

mvs7 · May 23, 2015 6:59AM

November 19, 1863: Lincoln delivers a two-minute speech, that he deems "a flat failure" immediately after finishing, at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Way to get that one wrong, Abe.

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 7:04AM

that's okay Lanlord.nice piece.
21 December 1866. Determined to challenge the growing American military presence in their territory, Indians in northern Wyoming lure Lieutenant Colonel William Fetterman and his soldiers into a deadly ambush on this day in 1866.

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 7:11AM

oih82w8.half dime,1861.sweet.Two 1861's for ya.

5 January 1861. U.S. Senators from seven southern states meet in Washington D.C. to discuss secession.
19 April 1861. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) taken.Lincoln declares blockade of ports from SC to TX.

BillJones · May 23, 2015 7:44AM

Okay, it's not coin or token, but here is a Jefferson Davis / P.G.T. Beauregard ferrotype. This piece is set up like a Union political ferrotype which showed the presidential candidate on one side and the vice presidential candidate on the other, but that's not the case here. This was probably issued in 1862 as a display of Confederate heroes.

There was talk of holding a Confederate presidential election in the spring of 1862, but it never came off. If had there was a good chance that one of the Jefferson Davis' opponents would have been Beauregard. The two did not hit it off very well, and Beauregard did aspire to the CSA presidency.

I have some other items that have dates attached to them, but they are tokens, not coins.

mrearlygold · May 23, 2015 8:02AM

DUIGUY · May 23, 2015 8:09AM

yosclimber · May 23, 2015 8:46AM

May 22 and 23, 1863 - Entries from the civil war diary of one of my ancestors (Herbert Mills - camped in Missouri, south of St. Louis at the time):
-----
22. Went out to graze my horse in the forenoon. Received a letter from
home in the forenoon and answered it in the afternoon. Weather cloudy in
the forenoon, rainy in the afternoon.
23. Lay around all day not doing much of anything. Weather warm and pleasant.
-----

keyman64 · May 23, 2015 9:35AM

CharlotteDude · May 23, 2015 10:00AM

'dude

JJSingleton · May 23, 2015 10:15AM

ldhair · May 23, 2015 10:16AM

razorblaydesjr · May 23, 2015 10:42AM

One of my favorite IHC's

SDSportsFan · May 23, 2015 11:17AM

16 May 1863 - the Battle of Champion Hill was the largest, bloodiest, and most significant action of Maj Gen U.S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. 32,000 Union soldiers met 22,000 Confederates in a fierce struggle for a vital crossroads roughly halfway between Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi. The field was dominated by Champion Hill, from which Confederate artillery opened fire on the Union army at 9:45 A.M. The first Union assault drove back the Confederates with bayonets and muskets. As the Union soldiers tried to reform and consolidate their gains, they were swept away by a counterattack led by John Bowen’s Missourians and Arkansans. Grant ordered more men toward the hill and Bowen’s Confederates were themselves driven off, forcing them to retreat. Confederate Brig Gen Lloyd Tilghman was killed while directing a desperate rearguard action that enabled most of the Confederate army to escape toward Vicksburg. The decisive Union victory at Champion Hill was instrumental in forcing the Confederates out of the open field and into a doomed position inside the walls of Vicksburg.

Also, since it is Memorial Day weekend, in honor of my great-great grandfather Wylie George Dawson, Company B, 24th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, who was killed during the battle.

Union casualties: 2,441.
Confederate casualties: 3,840.

Steve

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 12:56PM

have some other items that have dates attached to them, but they are tokens, not coins

Go ahead and post them here,Bill Jones.We would really enjoy seeing some of them.

17 September 1862.The Battle of Antietam,also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Union soil.It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of dead, wounded, and missing at 22,717.

Jefferson Davis / P.G.T. Beauregard ferrotype (1862).Wonderful pieces.

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was a Mexican War hero, U.S. senator from Mississippi, U.S. secretary of war and president of the Confederate States of America for the duration of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Prior to the start of the war, Davis had argued against secession, but when Mississippi seceded he resigned from the U.S. Senate. In February 1861 he was elected president of the Confederacy. Davis faced difficulties throughout the war as he struggled to manage the Southern war effort, maintain control the Confederate economy and keep a new nation united. Davis’ often contentious personality led to conflicts with other politicians as well as his own military officers. In May 1865, several weeks after the Confederate surrender, Davis was captured, imprisoned and charged with treason, but never tried.

TopographicOceans · May 23, 2015 1:08PM

DCW · May 23, 2015 1:09PM

Here's an iconic Civil War token from Joseph H. Merriam of Boston. One of the highlights of my collection. Struck in brass, it is incredibly well preserved and extremely eye appealing. Perhaps the finest known, ex. Wierzba (NER)

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 1:24PM

DUIGuy 1863 $1 PCGS PR64 & mrearlygold 1863 G1$ PCGS AU55....wowwww!

30 April-6 May 1863. Chancellorsville,Virginia-Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s well-executed crossing of the Rappahannock fords on April 30, 1863 placed his rejuvenated and reorganized Army of the Potomac on Lee’s vulnerable flank. Rather than retreat before this sizable Federal force, Lee opted to attack Hooker while he was still within the thick wilderness. Late on May 1, 1863, Lee and Jackson conceived one of the boldest plans of the war. Jackson, with 30,000 Confederates, would follow a circuitous route to the Union right and from there conduct an attack on that exposed flank. The May 2, 1863 flank attack stunned the Union XI corps and threatened Hooker’s position, but the victorious Confederate attack ended with the mortal wounding of Stonewall Jackson. On May 3, 1863, the Confederates resumed their offensive and drove Hooker’s larger army back to a new defensive line nearer the fords. Swinging east, Lee then defeated a separate Federal force near Salem Church that had threatened his rear. Lee's victory at Chancellorsville is widely considered to be his greatest of the entire war.

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 1:37PM

CharlotteDude 1861-C PCGS AU58 $5.Historically very important piece.1861-C $5 is the last coin issued by the Charlotte Mint.

May 1861. North Carolina seceded from the Union. The Confederacy took control of the Charlotte Mint. The Confederate government continued coining operations until October when it became clear it was a futile effort. The mint was then converted into a hospital and military office space for the remainder of the Civil War.

AnkurJ · May 23, 2015 2:00PM

Not a coin, but a historical piece in any case. Sadly this piece was just sold to fund a major coin.

Abraham Lincoln military document signed ''Abraham Lincoln'' on 19 July 1862, appointing Civil War hero William ''Bull'' Nelson as Major General during the Civil War. Nelson was one of only four soldiers from Kentucky to be appointed as Major General in the Civil War, and was famously murdered by Union Adjutant-General Jefferson C. Davis in an argument on 27 September 1862. Though beloved by his rank and file soldiers, Nelson was disliked by some of his fellow officers due to his high expectations of them. On the day of Nelson's death, after being dismissed by Nelson as a ''puppy'', Davis borrowed a pistol from a fellow officer and shot Nelson in the chest, who said as he lay dying, ''Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized. I have been basely murdered''. Document features blue stamped seal of the United States War Department to upper left, with Lincoln's unusually full signature of ''Abraham Lincoln'' to lower right. Countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 2:23PM

Keyman64 1864 2C Large Motto PCGS AU58.

22 April 1864. U.S. 2 Cent coin the first to bear the motto "In God We Trust."
15 November 1864. William T. Sherman departs Atlanta on the March to the Sea, leaving Atlanta in ruins.

Justacommeman · May 23, 2015 3:08PM

Mark

mr1931S · May 23, 2015 3:08PM

Conflict over issues of how much control the federal government should have over the states, industrialization, trade, and especially slavery had increased tension between Northern and Southern states. After Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, 11 Southern states seceded (or withdrew) from the Union and set up an independent government--the Confederate States of America. These events led to the outbreak of the Civil War--a brutal, bloody, four-year conflict that left the South defeated and ended slavery at the cost of more than half a million lives.

This thread is now open to include year 1860.I know you guys have got 'em,Dahlonega and New Orleans mint issues,if you please.

TwoSides2aCoin · May 23, 2015 3:27PM

JJSingleton · May 23, 2015 10:41PM

Here's a Confederate minted 61-D dollar. Based upon mint records we know that no dollars were minted at Dahlonega while the branch mint was under the direction of the Philadelphia Mint. They do exist so all dollars dated 1861 from Dahlonega had to have been minted while under the direction of the Confederacy.

stash · May 23, 2015 10:42PM

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Broadstruck · May 23, 2015 11:38PM

1863 Major General George B. McClellan, 32mm Diameter, Copper & Silver, Dewitt GMcC-1864-13 / Schenkman C-24, Struck by die sinker Joseph H. Merriam.

J. Doyle Dewitt in 1959 stated this medal was made and distributed during McClellan's 1864 Presidential Campaign which is not the case. Joseph H. Merriam struck a series of "Civil War Union General" medals in 1863 which also included Major General Philip Kearney and Major General Joseph Hooker featuring the similar obverse die design and the exact reverse die. David E. Schenkman considered it "Rare" in his 1980 article on Boston medalist Joseph H. Merriam which featured plated examples of all Merriam's works however even with all his connections was unable to locate an example to provide plated photographs of this McClellan.

coinsarefun · May 24, 2015 1:29AM

BillJones · May 24, 2015 2:22AM

Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862.

This piece is listed as a Civil War token in the back of the Fuld Store Card book as SNL 10b1. I have been unable to find it in the new Civil War Store Card book that was published this year.

The story behind the issuance of this piece is a mystery. Was it made during the Civil War? Was made after the Civil War, perhaps as some sort of a veteran memento at some sort of a reunion? The books don't provide an answer or even a speculation. My guess is that it is a post Civil War issue, but that is only a guess.

The piece was produced by H. Miller & Co. of Louisville, Kentucky who are best known for making salon tokens. They also made a political token for John Breckenridge during the 1860 presidential election.

This piece is rare with perhaps less than 20 known. This piece, which has some spots, is in a typical state of preservation from the other examples I have seen offered. I know of at least one example that was found with a metal detector because I exchanged emails with a non collector who found one. I present it here as a piece for discussion, speculation or perhaps a prompt for some additional information that has come to light.

mr1931S · May 24, 2015 3:56AM

JJSingleton 1861-D gold dollar.Last year issue of Dahlonega Mint. Exact mintage unknown.Redbook entry for mintage is in italics 1,250.That makes 1861-D dollars at least moderately scarce by any reasonable measure.

The Mint Act of 1835, established "one branch at the city of New Orleans for the coinage of gold and silver; one branch at the town of Charlotte...
for the coinage of gold only; and one branch at or near Dahlonega, in Lumpkin County, in the state of Georgia, also for the coinage of gold only"...On January 19, 1861, Georgia declared that it had seceded from the United States and joined the newly formed Confederacy the next month, during the prelude to the American Civil War.Thinking the state was immune from invasion, the Confederates built several small munitions factories in Georgia, and housed tens of thousands of Union prisoners. Their largest prisoner of war camp was at Andersonville....Georgia was relatively free from warfare until late 1863....

Still looking for New Orleans Mint to be represented here.I have some New Orleans coins (my "favorite" mint) but no 1860's or 1861's.For 1860,there's the half dime,dime (I need this one for my set of 'O' dimes),quarter dollar,half dollar,silver dollar (no 'O" mint gold dollars in 1860),eagle ($10),and double eagle ($20).For 1861 silver,half dollars only were produced at the New Orleans mint.For 1861 gold,a small number of double eagles only were produced by the New Orleans mint.

BillJones · May 24, 2015 4:06AM

Okay, here is an 1861-O half dollar. This is a "Union Made Coin" since it does not have the little die crack by the head, which was supposed to be made by the Confederacy. I bought this one years ago when I was a dealer from a "walk in" at a show and decided to keep it.

And here an a Confederate Restrike half dollar that was made from an 1861-O back in the mid 1970s. If you happen to decide that this is a "real" Confederate half dollar, would let me know?

And here is one of those Scott tokens that Scott made before they produced half dollars. They won't sure that the Confederate die would survive use in making the half dollars so they struck these on softer white metal so that they would have something.

BillJones · May 24, 2015 4:18AM

Great Central Sanitary Fair, Philadelphia, PA, June 7 to 28, 1864.

Here are the three major varieties of Philadelphia Sanitary Fair tokens. These copper pieces were struck on the exhibit floor at the fair and sold for 10 cents each. There are a number of subvarieties.

Silver. These sold for 50 cents each.

Gold Plated on bronze. I'm not sure how these were distributed. They are quite scarce. I bought this one 15 + years ago when there was what seemed to be a small hoard that appeared on the market.

Exterior of the Sanitary Fair

Interior shot of the Fair.

DUIGUY · May 24, 2015 4:34AM

BillJones · May 24, 2015 7:59AM

I have never owned one of those Lincoln / Native American "hair pulling" medals, DUIGUY, although I've the chance a couple of times. Here is the classic Lincoln medal that is on the flyleaf of the book on 19th century U.S. medals by Julian.

According to Julian 19th century collectors preferred this Lincoln medal to the "hair puller" and sent some sarcastic letters to the mint about it. The "hair puller" came first and was the Indian Peace Medal during Lincoln's presidency.

mr1931S · May 24, 2015 10:05AM

Alrighty then. All of the mints operating during at least part of the Civil War years have been represented here at least once by a coin poster;

Charlotte (NC),Dahlonega (GA),New Orleans (LA),Philadelphia (PA),and San Francisco (CA).

Here's a thread originated by our very own EagleEye in 2011 about the 1861 Confederate HALF DOL. Lots of good information to be seen here:

Confederate Half Dollar 150 years old

Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861. New Orleans, Louisiana, the largest city in the entire South, was strategically important as a port city due to its southernmost location on the Mississippi River and its access to the Gulf of Mexico. The United States War Department early on planned for its capture. The city was taken by Union forces on April 25, 1862.Because a large part of the population had Union sympathies (or compatible commercial interests), the U.S. government took the unusual step of designating the areas of Louisiana then under Federal control as a state within the Union, with its own elected representatives to the U.S. Congress. For the latter part of the war, both the Union and the Confederacy recognized their own distinct Louisiana governors

BIGAL2749 · May 24, 2015 12:22PM

Not really from 1861 (actually made in 1962 by a coin shop across the street from my junior high school) but certainly relates to 1861

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However this $20 was made in 1861

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mr1931S · May 25, 2015 4:18AM

BigAl2749However this $20 was made in 1861

Is this $20 an 1861-O,BigAl? In MS60 or higher, only 2 or 3 1861-O $20's are known to exist.The Official Red Book:A Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins written by Q. David Bowers,p.99.

IIRC,a Paquet Reverse 1861-S was found in the Saddle Ridge hoard.It was put in a PCGS holder,again,if IIRC.I don't collect double eagles but i am interested in them.Thanks for posting your 1861 $20,even if it's the common Philly issue.Nice piece.

Looks like I did a good thing by including 1860 as a Civil War year,

The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was the final straw for many southerners. In all 11 states seceded from the Union. Four of these (Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee) did not secede until after the Battle of Fort Sumter that occurred on April 12, 1861. Four additional states were Border Slave States that did not secede from the Union: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware.

20 Dec 1860 South Carolina secedes from the Union
09 Jan 1861 Mississippi secedes from the Union
10 Jan 1861 Florida secedes from the Union
11 Jan 1861 Alabama secedes from the Union
19 Jan 1861 Georgia secedes from the Union
26 Jan 1861 Louisiana secedes from the Union
01 Feb 1861 Texas secedes from the Union
17 Apr 1861 Virginia secedes from the Union
06 May 1861 Arkansa secedes from the Union
20 May 1861 North Carolina secedes from the Union
08 Jun 1861 Tennessee secedes from the Union

I do collect 'O' mint dimes.Anyone got an 1860-o dime to post?

JJSingleton · May 25, 2015 5:34AM

Nice thread mr1874. We could use more like these here on the forum.

mr1931S · May 25, 2015 11:27AM

You know JJ I just appreciate the tremendous spirit of sharing on this forum.If I can give something back,even in the smallest way (see my Panama Pill thread) then bully!bully! for me.Thank you,sir.You are welcome.

thisnamztaken · May 25, 2015 11:51AM

Cocoinut · May 25, 2015 12:20PM

1862-P quarter PCGS MS 64.

Jim

mr1931S · May 25, 2015 1:20PM

thisnamztaken your 1863 & 1864 half dollars are testament to the fact that the Liberty Seated coinage did what it was made to do.That is,to pass through many hands.Many hands,or wear, is indication of a thriving economy.And thrive it did. It's The Industrial Revolution after the Great War between the States.Vast fortunes were made by men like Carnegie (steel),Vanderbilt (railroad ),Rockefeller (oil).Those Ladies of Liberty are sayin',"Look at me! I been around the block a few times but don't I still look perty good?"

Lincoln did not issue his famous Emancipation Proclamation until January 1, 1863 after the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam. The Emancipation Proclamation, which was legally based on the President’s right to seize the property of those in rebellion against the State, only freed slaves in Southern states where Lincoln’s forces had no control. Nevertheless, it changed the tenor of the war, making it, from the Northern point of view, a fight both to preserve the Union and to end slavery.

In 1864, Lincoln ran again for President. After years of war, he feared he would not win. Only in the final months of the campaign did the exertions of Ulysses S. Grant, the quiet general now in command of all of the Union armies, begin to bear fruit. A string of heartening victories buoyed Lincoln's ticket and contributed significantly to his re-election. In his second inauguration speech, March 4, 1865, he set the tone he intended to take when the war finally ended. His one goal, he said, was “lasting peace among ourselves.” He called for “malice towards none” and “charity for all.” The war ended only a month later.

BIGAL2749 · May 25, 2015 3:07PM

<< <i>BigAl2749However this $20 was made in 1861

Is this $20 an 1861-O,BigAl?

I wish but no, Philadelphia 1861 use to be the most common TI twenty until the S S Central America.

The 1861-O found in CA. is multiple grades better than the second known. An amazing find !

BillJones · May 25, 2015 11:10PM

John Brown's raid on the Federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia.

This event did not occur during the Civil War, but it certainly poured gasoline on the flames. Brown's actions and martyrdom drew support and sympathy from the North and spread fears of slave revolts throughout the south. This piece was John Brown's "martyrdom medal" which was issued after he was executed in early December 1859. It is most often found in white metal. This piece in brass is quite scarce.

mr1931S · May 26, 2015 1:23AM

I would post an 1859 coin but I had sold my penny from that year awhile back.

It seems that an individual seen hanging by the neck for some reason or another found its way onto a number of medals and tokens in the 1850's and 1860's.Villains on medals makes for a very interesting theme for a collection.

16 Oct 1859 John Brown takes the armory at Harpers Ferry,Virginia.Note:John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was a white American abolitionist who believed armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States.

17 Oct 1859 Citizens discover John Brown, 19 men (including Brown's sons Oliver, Owen, and Watson) and several hostages including George Washington's great-grand-nephew in the armory. By the end of the day Brown, his men and 9 hostages occupied the fire engine house within the arsenal. Secretary of War John B. Floyd orders Col. Robert E. Lee and Lt. J. E. B. Stuart to the town.

18 Oct 1859 Robert E. Lee and JEB Stuart plan an attack against John Brown and his raiders at Harpers Ferry. At 6:30 am, Stuart signals Marine Lieutenant Israel Green who storms the firehouse holding the raiders and their hostages. Five of Brown's Raiders escape. The rest are caught or killed.

02 Dec 1859 John Brown is hung in Charleston, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) for the raid on Harper's Ferry.

Raid on Harper's Ferry certain qualifies as an event that shows the building hostilities that led up to the Confederates firing on Ft. Sumter April 12,1861 marking the beginning of the civil war.The Pikes Peak (Colorado) gold rush also was in 1859.

1859 gold anyone to represent a coin from year 1859?

bluelobster · May 26, 2015 3:45AM

I just got back from New Orleans and had a chance to visit the New Orleans mint and the Civil War Museum. Saw some original O mint coins which included some Confederate states seated coinage as well. There was an interesting story about a well to do local river boat gambler, William Mumford...

"Before he even arrived, Flag Officer David Farragut had captured the city, coaxed its informal surrender, and planted a United States flag above the Mint building. Some impassioned residents felt it their Confederate duty to tear down the flag in defiance. The next day, the local paper felt that it was their duty to publish the names of these brave men, bragging about how they tore down the flag, spat upon it and ripped it to shreds. Several of the party even wore the tatters as **ckades, proud of their mettle."

"At the top of the list was William Mumford, a tall, black-bearded, wealthy, forty-two year old gambler. Butler first heard of the man a few days after the incident. Rebel flags had replaced the torn down United States flag, and Farragut mentioned Mumford in passing.

“I will make an example of that fellow by hanging him,” exclaimed Butler."

The rest of the story

This day in Civil War history.Post a Civil War coin.

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