Fresh to emerge in the collecting arena is this ensemble of cloth and gold bullion shoulder straps (boards) identified to one of Connecticut's Civil War veterans, Henry L. Pasco of the 16th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Pasco was a twenty-two year old resident of Hartford, CT when he enlisted as a Captain in the Union Army on August 1, 1862. Pasco received his commission into Company "A", 16th Connecticut on August 24, 1862 and he served until his muster out on June 24, 1865. His grouping consists of three distinct sets of his wartime officer's uniform shoulder straps plus an 1863 dated government document signed by Pasco regarding this very straps. During the war, Captain, later Major Pasco, participated with the 16th Connecticut on its engagements at the Battle of Antietam, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and at New Bern, NC. Pasco also served at the Siege of Plymouth, NC where the Major was taken prisoner, along with some unfortunate four hundred and thirty-six other members of the regiment, on April 17, 1864. Fortunately, Pasco made his escape from the prison camp near Charleston, SC on February 15, 1865 and made his way to Camp Parole in Maryland on March 17, 1865.

The government document referred to above is a signed statement by Captain Pasco regarding a number of his personal effects that were lost with his field chest during the Battle of Antietam in 1862. Paper document measures 12½" long x 8" high and is in good readable condition but has separated into four distinct sections at the fold creases. Also, a 2½" x 2½" section of the paper is completely missing at the upper left corner along with a 1" x 2" portion at the upper right corner.

Pasco's shoulder straps are all original and in fair condition. Construction is with wool cloth and gold and dead bullion. The larger set of straps, 4¾" long x 1½" wide, feature the twin bar devices of a Captain of Infantry. These straps retain their double edge border in gold and dead bullion with fields that are faded to a brownish hue. The knap on the fields of both of these straps is in good condition overall but one strap has some wear-through. The remaining two sets of straps exhibit the rank of Major of Infantry with gold leaf cluster rank devices. Each strap measures 4" long x 1 3/8" wide and has single ¼" wide bullion edge borders. One set of these straps retains all of its' original blue velvet field with the two dark bullion rank devices. The remaining pair of straps are the same size as the previous set but each strap has lost 95% of its blue field. Both rank devices are gold and dead bullion and are secured tightly to the field. All of the straps bear slightly frayed areas along their Jaceron border edges and all the gold bullion material has turned a dark coloring on all the rank devices.

Also included with the shoulder straps is a 4" x 5½" section of stiff pasteboard that bears a partial handwritten note that reads " Buttons & Shoulder ____ / the Jacket of H. L. Pasco ______ / he was captured & escaped from ______/ Rebels." Accompanying this Connecticut grouping is the officer's military records from the National Archives. A nice grouping of military three sets (six) shoulder straps from a Civil War veteran from Hartford, CT.

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