Confederate Rectangular Belt Plate - Plain Sheet Brass
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Item: Confederate Rectangular "Clipped Corner" Waist Belt Plate
Construction: Rectangular sheet brass.
Condition: Good, excavated, attachment tongue and belt loop bar missing. The brass has aged into a brown-green patina. It appears that when the plate was recovered it had a couple of major bends which, at some point, an attempt to straighten the bends was made. The rear shows three areas of solder where the attachment tongue and belt loop bar were once attached. The plate still has some minor bends but no cracks or breaks.
Recovered: Brandy Station, VA
Approximate size: 57 x 80 mm.
Comments: According to "Confederate General Service Accoutrement Plates" by Lon W. Keim, M.D. on page 104, regarding Clipped Corner Plates, the author writes: "As war clouds gathered, the southern state militias recruited new members rapidly. Unfortunately, the resources were not available to outfit everyone with attractive die stamped accoutrement plates. Consequently the authorities turned to local contractors to provide simple plates with a military bearing. The result was a thin sheet brass buckle with clipped corners. Some were die stamped, others hand cut following a pattern. Nearly all depended upon a tongue and a belt loop bar for attachment. This was an imitation of a style that was popular between 1830 and 1850. However, strenuous field duty snapped off the soldered tongues and belt loop bars at an alarming rate. Clipped corner buckles became obsolete and were replaced by sheet brass plates with a single strand of brazed iron wire soldered to the reverse for belt attachment." Another example of this type plate, recovered from Dumfries, VA., can be found in the above mentioned reference book on page 109 as figure 151 and also in the additional images in this listing. This plate will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War plate or general relic collection.
- Product Code:
- PC7401
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