August 18 & 19, 2020 Edged Weapons, Armor, & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/18/2020
This relic of Lee's Invasion of the north during the Gettysburg campaign has been attractively and cleverly mounted in a double-sided frame. Matted at bottom is a Confederate 1 dollar bill. On the reverse, the mat is cut out to show the pencil inscription on the lined piece of paper on which the bill was mounted: "Rebels Entered York / June 28, '63 / Gen. Earley's / [[Brigade, Ewell's]] / Division / Gordon's Brigade / about 9,000 strong" (The writer corrected himself on the identity of the soldiers.) This is from the collection of Charles "Hap" Hazard, who transcribed the inscription and added an explanatory note: "During the Gettysburg campaign, many Pennsylvania shopkeepers were forced to open their stores to invading soldiers who paid for their purchases in Confederate money. To commemorate the event, a long forgotten witness penciled a brief message on paper flued to the back of the bill saying..." This is amusingly framed with a colored period wood cut captioned at bottom, "Virginians on a Shopping Spree in Southern Pennsylvania, 1863." Lee had published strict orders against looting, but official requisitions in exchange for receipts were permitted as well as payment in CS currency for privately purchased goods that most shopkeepers realized were going to go out the door one way or another. In this case, a rather nervous shopkeeper considers the bill preferred to him by a Confederate soldier with his purchase already under his arm, all the while smoking a cigar, as do many of his comrades, that someone else in the crowd had likely just found. At the bottom left men check out a crate of boots, while one fellow on the floor is trying on a pair. In the background trousers are being inspected, while several, others have made their way behind the counter to sample the selection of bitters. Hoops for ladies' skirts were on offer as well. One hangs from the ceiling, while another is being modeled by a grinning soldier whose friend holds an open box, perhaps the source of the cigars being enjoyed all around. This is a wonderful relic, cleverly presented. The troops portrayed and the man who spent his bill would be summoned to rendezvous with the main Confederate army shortly afterwards at Gettysburg. SR
Item Dimensions: 15" x 12".