This grouping includes two New York commissions, one as First Lieutenant and one as Captain, for Oliver B. Hildreth in the 64^th New York. Both are in excellent condition, fully legible, with brown ink filling in the details, applied red seals at lower left, and the signatures of the Governor and state Adjutant General. The earlier is dated 30 November 1864 and signed by Governor Seymour and Adj. Gen. Sprague giving Hildreth rank as First Lieutenant from 19 October 1864. The second is signed by Gov. Fenton and Asst. Adj. Gen. Stonehouse, signed 31 May 1865, and giving him rank as Captain from 1 April 1865.

Nicely pairing with these are Hildreth’s shoulder straps for those ranks. Both are typical Civil War style straps with bullion embroidered borders and rank insignia with jaceron wire edges, a velvet ground, and open back construction. The First Lieutenant straps are single bordered and have black centers oxidizing slightly toward brown. These would date about a month after the commission, when Hildreth was additionally promoted to First Lieutenant and Quartermaster as of 1 January 1865, placing him on the regimental staff- hence the black centers. The captain straps are higher quality, with double bullion borders and rank bars, and mark his return to service as a line officer in the regiment. The centers are light blue, oxidizing toward a pale green. The lieutenant straps show a few lighter brown spots of wear or stain, and the captain straps show some wear to the nap and a few lighter stains, nothing untoward in straps that were actually worn.

Together with these is Hildreth’s sword, a regulation Model 1840 cavalry officer’s saber, appropriate for his service as Regimental Quartermaster from January through April 1865, when he would have been mounted as member of the regimental staff.  The saber is marked on the ricasso with the “P.D.L.” of Peter D. Luneschloss, the well-known Solingen maker. This follows his standard pattern, with nicely cast and chased hilt featuring laurel leaf border to the pommel leading to a rosette and leaves on the knucklebow, laurel leaves on the inside and outside of the branches at the guard, acanthus fan and Doric capital on the quillon. The grip has a nice, deep gray sharkskin wrap and gilt wire binding in place. The hilt shows strong gilt remaining and has the pad in place under the guard. The blade is smooth metal, with good edge and point, silver gray in tone, with central, visible etched panels on each side, one showing a fancy US flanked by floral scrolls and the other a broad American eagle with a US shield on its chest, E Pluribus Unum ribbon in its beak, with a broad burst of sun rays all around it. Thillmann praises P.D.L. cavalry officer’s sabers for their combination of strength and eye appeal, and mentions use by mounted officers of infantry as well as cavalry and artillery. The scabbard is missing, but Thillmann notes they tended to be plain.

Hildreth had enlisted at Randolph, NY, on 10/1/61 and mustered in as a corporal in Co. F 10/9/61. He was wounded in action at Fair Oaks 6/1/62 and promoted sergeant 1/29/64. He served as regimental Sergeant-Major from 6/25/64 until mustering in as Second Lieutenant of Company H 8/6/64, after which he was promoted to First Lieutenant and Captain as detailed in his commissions above, with an appointment in between as both First Lieutenant and Quartermaster. He was mustered out with his company 14 July 1865 near Washington and received a brevet to Major of New York Volunteers for his service.

The regiment had organized in Fall 1861, using the 64^th NYSM as a nucleus, and spent its service in the 2^nd Corps, Army of the Potomac, seeing heavy action at Fair Oaks, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns, and in Grant’s 1864 campaign with heavy action at Spotsylvania, and other battles right up to the end, taking its last casualties at Farmville. It served under officers such as Richardson and Barlow at Antietam, and Brooke at Gettysburg, losing 119 officers and men killed, another 53 mortally wounded, and 464 wounded who recovered to some degree.

This is a nice grouping belonging to a member of a fighting regiment who served as both an enlistedman and officer and was with it throughout the war.  [sr] [ph:m]

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