Stamped brass tag with a patriotic shield on the front with a riband that reads “UNION” and surrounded by “AGAINST REBELLION 1861.” Face still retains some gilt.

Reverse is stamped “JOSEPH FAGAN CO. G 1^ST MD. VOL US.”

Joseph Fagan was a 20 year old cabinet maker and Baltimore native when he enlisted as a Private in Company G, 1^st Maryland Infantry on May 27, 1861. At the time he was described as being 5’ 6 ½” tall with a light complexion, blue eyes and light hair.

The regiment saw its first heavy action at Front Royal during Stonewall Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley campaign. In the fighting on May 23, 1862 the 1^st Maryland lost 8 killed, 58 wounded and 461 captured. Among the captured was Private Fagan. He was paroled at Aiken’s Landing on September 13, 1862 and was back with his regiment by November.

Fagan was present throughout 1863 while the regiment was serving in the Middle Department and took part in the pursuit of Lee after Gettysburg.

The regiment was assigned to the 1^st Corps of the Army of the Potomac just after Gettysburg and when that Corps was dissolved the regiment was assigned to the 5^th Corps.

In February of 1864 Fagan became a reenlisted veteran and marched into the Wilderness with his Company at the start of Grants Overland Campaign in May of 1864. He took part in the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania coming through without a scratch but his luck ran out at Bethesda Church on May 30^th when he was shot through the left shoulder.

Taken to a General Hospital in in Washington Fagan recovered to the point where in October he was assigned to the 78^th Company of the 2^nd Battalion Veteran Reserve Corps where he remained till the end of the war. Fagan was discharged on April 19, 1865.

Fagan returned to Baltimore after the war, married and raised a family. His old war wound never healed properly and in his old age he obtained a soldier’s pension. Fagan died in Baltimore on May 10, 1901.

Items relating to Maryland soldiers from either side are quite rare. With this item are Fagan’s military and pension records from the National Archives.  [ad]

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