This plate was recovered on the battlefield of Deep Bottom by Syd Kerksis, one of the legendary early relic hunters and collectors, author of books on military belt plates and Civil War projectiles. The plate comes with Kerksis’ original paper storage envelope bearing his ink notation that he found it in July 1955 in a trench along the New Market Road in an area occupied by the US 10^th Corps.

The plate is the regulation 1839 pattern oval U.S. belt plate used throughout the Civil War and is in very good excavated condition. The belt hook is missing, likely the reason it was lost, but the plate still has its two oval studs and a portion of the original leather waist belt. The face has a nice, even grayish brown patina and good edges with no dings or dents. The lead solder filled back has a good surface showing just light, even corrosion.

Deep Bottom refers to the area near Richmond also known as Jones Neck, formed by a loop of the James River, and was the scene of Union thrusts toward Richmond in July and again is August 1864. In the July the move was meant as a diversion from attacks at Petersburg. A division of the 10^th Corps, Army of the James, secured a bridgehead on the north side of the river, leading to attacks by elements of the 2^nd and 19^th Corps and Sheridan’s cavalry. The corps played a larger part, however, in the fighting from August 14 to August 20, known not only as the Battle of Deep Bottom, but also New Market Road. As with the first battle, Federal forces eventually pulled back over the river, but the attacks had served the purpose of both pulling Confederate forces away from Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred and preventing reinforcements joining Early’s army in the Shenandoah.

This is a nice plate, with a legitimate find location and provenance to one of the great early collectors. [sr] [ph:L]

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