If you have been following our recent offerings, you will be familiar with the collection of Tom Bohon, a longtime customer and friend. He was also a regular visitor to the Shields Museum, which opened here in town in 1925 and was in business until 1985, when the Park Service purchased the land and the contents were auctioned. In 1974, however, the museum was being run by Ellen Shields, who literally just wanted more floor space and offered Tom the chance to buy a display case full of artifacts entirely recovered on the first day’s battlefield. The deal was a one-time, all or nothing offer, and he took it, keeping the collection intact. We were only able to purchase it after his death in 2019.

This is a regulation issue cavalryman’s spur, with rounded profile to the sides, and neck and strap slots intact. The surface is dark and crusty, and the iron rowel rusted away, with some debris still visible in the slot of the neck. It obviously lay in or on the ground for a long time before being spotted and added to the Shields collection. As we mentioned in connection with another spur from the first day’s field,the find-spot is particularly appropriate since Union cavalry there fought a long delaying action against advancing Confederates to buy time for their own infantry to come up.

This is a nice relic from the battlefield and has an air-tight provenance. We valued Tom as a customer and friend and are proud to pass on some of his great material. [sr] [ph:L]

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