This is the regulation 1839 pattern oval US belt plate used throughout the war by enlisted infantrymen. This one was excavated at Antietam and shows a broad dishing to the face indicating an impact of some sort, with a light ding to the edge at upper left and short cracks to the rim at upper right. The lead-solder fill is in place on the reverse, showing a slight loss at the edge near the hook and a fracture line, but no losses, near one of the fastening studs. The studs are the snake-heard or arrowback style that some makers used starting in 1862. The lettering on the face remains distinct. The color is a lighter green mixed with light and dark brown, with some gray around the edge.

No one will need a reminder of the significance of Antietam in thwarting Lee’s advance north, blunting McClellan’s career, enabling Lincoln to publish the Emancipation Proclamation, or its high casualty rate in the largely one-day’s fighting. This is an interesting relic from one of the war’s great battlefields.  [sr] [ph:L]

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