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  • Texas Civil War Artifacts

    My copy of _Texas Civil War Artifacts: A Photographic Guide to the Physical Culture of Texas Civil War Soldiers_, by Richard Mather Ahlstrom, University of North Texas Press, 2008, has just been shipped. All Texans, or sometimes Texans, should probably have a copy. It's a tad expensive--$60.00, but that's hardbound, 560 pages, 610 black and white photos. Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781574412512. I'm looking forward to the Tyler Rifles. Put it on your Christmas list--university presses don't keep titles in print as long as they once did, and when this goes o/p, I anticipate the price will jump.

    From the UNT Press website (note Danny Sessums' comment at the end, for those who have been around for quite a while):

    One of the most popular literary subjects worldwide is the American Civil War. In addition to an enormous number of history buffs, there are tens of thousands of collectors of Civil War artifacts. In the last fifty years, several books have been written concerning the equipment associated with soldiers of specific Confederate states, but no book until now has ever chronicled the military equipment used by Texas soldiers. Texas Civil War Artifacts is the first comprehensive guide to the physical culture of Texas Civil War soldiers.

    Texas military equipment differs in a number of ways from the equipment produced for the eastern Confederate states. Most of the Texas-produced equipment was blacksmithed, or local-artisan made, and in many cases featured the Lone Star as a symbol of Texas. Contemporary Civil War literature frequently mentions that most soldiers of Texas displayed the Lone Star somewhere on their uniform or equipment.

    In this groundbreaking volume, Richard Mather Ahlstrom has photographed and described more than five hundred Texas-related artifacts. He shows the diverse use of the Lone Star on hat pins, waist-belt plates, buckles, horse equipment, side knives, buttons, and canteens. In addition, the weapons that Texans used in the Civil War are featured in chapters on the Tucker Sherrard and Colt pistols; shotguns, rifles, and muskets; and swords. Rounding out the volume are chapters on leather accouterments, uniforms and headgear, and a gallery of Texas soldiers in photographs.

    This book will prove to be a valuable reference guide for Civil War collectors, historians, museum curators, re-enactors, and federal and state agencies.

    “While there are similar volumes that have examined ‘dug’ artifacts on the national level, so little has been done on Texas that Ahlstrom’s volume constitutes a groundbreaking product. The book offers the viewer an opportunity to see many objects that are so ‘locked-away’ in private hands as to not be available outside the close community of collectors. The chapter on pistols is worth the price of the book by itself!”–Danny Sessums, Director of the University Museums, Houston Baptist University.

    Vicki Betts
    Texas

  • #2
    Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

    I wonder if this might be available via dealers in the near future. Or, do you think mail order will be the main way to obtain it? I would supose Danny will have a few copies to sell at his museum- your thoughts?

    Joe Walker

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    • #3
      Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

      Joe, I think it will be pretty widely available, at least for a couple of years. You could probably check your local Barnes & Noble pretty soon. It's a pretty hefty investment for sutlers to resell, though. I had my copy on pre-pub order with Amazon to get it as quickly as possible. Same with _Fate of Texas_ which came out two weeks ago from University of Arkansas Press. It's a set of essays on Texas in the War or Texas memory of the War by some pretty notable historians, including Richard Lowe, Angela Boswell, Alex Mendoza, Julie Holcomb, among others. BTW, keep your eye out next February/March for _Seventh Star_, to be published by UNT Press. Another set of essays, only that one will have one of mine on private and public assistance to Texas families during the War.

      Vicki Betts
      Texas

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      • #4
        Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

        Hello,
        Though "there are no dumb questions" I'm sure this is probably a dumb question. Does the book talk about Houston Depot made clothing and other goods?
        Yours, etc.,
        Matt White
        http://www.libertyrifles.org/
        http://www.cwurmuseum.org/
        http://www.military-historians.org/

        "One of the liveliest rows I had while in the service was with the quartermaster for filling a requisition that I made for shoes for my company, on the theory that no shoe was too large for a Negro, and he gave me all 10's and upwards. When I returned the shoes, informing him that my soldiers did not wear pontoons, he insisted that I should take them and issue them to my company anyway. Well, I didn't do it: consequently the row."
        -Robert Beecham 2nd Wisconsin/23rd USCT

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        • #5
          Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

          _Fate of Texas_ does not. I should have _Texas Civil War Artifacts_ in hand by the middle of next week, if not sooner. I'll report back on that.

          Vicki Betts
          Texas

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

            I ordered one through Amazon and you can get free shipping due to the cost. I would imagine that the surviving Houston Depot accouterments will be in there and I am hoping that somehow the purported "possible Houston Depot jacket in a private collection" somehow made it in. ;)
            Last edited by DougCooper; 11-14-2008, 01:55 PM.
            Soli Deo Gloria
            Doug Cooper

            "The past is never dead. It's not even past." William Faulkner

            Please support the CWT at www.civilwar.org

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            • #7
              Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

              Put mine on order today. Thanks Vicki for call attention to the publication.
              [FONT=Book Antiqua][/FONT][COLOR=Navy]Barb McCreary (also known as Bertie)
              Herbal Folk Healer, Weaver and Maker of Fine Lye Soap[/COLOR]
              [url]www.winstontown.com[/url]

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                I browsed through a copy last weekend and have added it to my Christmas wish list. It is a great book for us Texans. Not only is there a plethora of Lone Stars, but there is a LONGHORN hat pin dug in Virginia at a Texas cavalry unit's encampment. My favorite bit is an image of a captain in one of the regiments in Hood's Texas Brigade (either the 1st, 4th, or 5th TX, I can't remember which) who is wearing an ornate battle shirt complete with three stripes sewn on the stand up collar of the overshirt. The book's a keeper for sure.

                Phil McBride
                The Alamo Rifles
                Phil McBride
                Author:
                Whittled Away-A Civil War Novel of the Alamo Rifles
                Tangled Honor 1862: A Novel of the 5th Texas Infantry
                Redeeming Honor 1863: The 5th Texas Gettysburg and Chickamauga
                Defiant Honor 1864: The 5th Texas at the Wilderness and the 22nd USCT at New Market Heights
                Link to My Blog and My Books on Amazon:
                Blog: http://mcbridenovels.blogspot.com/http://www.amazon.com/Philip-McBride...ne_cont_book_1

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                  Got mine on order, sounds like nice buy. Phil- the "Longhorn" motif has also been dug in Western Theater.

                  Joe Walker

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                  • #10
                    Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                    My copy has arrived. Chapters include: profile of Texas troops; insignia: the Lone Star; Star belt buckles and plates; horse furniture; Texas-Made Pistols: Sherrard, and J. H. Dance Bros.; Pistols: Colt and others; shotguns, rifles, and muskets; swords; side knives; buttons; leather accouterments; canteens; uniforms and headgear; and the Texas soldier in photographs.

                    Uniforms cover pages 440-454. Included are:
                    Uniform of Capt. Edward C. Wharton, CS quartermaster, Houston
                    Uniform of Pvt. Burton Marchbanks, Co. E, 30th Texas Cavalry
                    Hat of John G. Walker, 8th Texas Cavalry (Terry's Texas Rangers)
                    Private purchase Confederate kepi; sweatband stamped Dance the Hatter, San Antonio
                    Military shako and rosette
                    Artillery shako with five-pointed star
                    Top hat of palmetto
                    Beehive hat
                    (I thought there might be more...)

                    Photographs include:
                    Ben McCulloch
                    Unnamed member of 5th Texas Cavalry
                    Pvt. J. Lew Compton, Co. B, 8th Texas Cavalry
                    Pvt. Burton Marchbanks, Co. E, 30th Texas Cavalry
                    Corp. John B. Henderson, Co. D, 1st Texas Infantry
                    Co. C 8th Texas Cavalry (the famous "hide your horses and your daughters" photo, as some have called it)
                    Lt. William D. Rounsavall, Co. K, 4th Texas Infantry
                    Pvt. John H. Roberts, co. E, 5th Texas Infantry
                    Sgt. Henry D. Boozer, Co. G, 4th Texas Infantry
                    Pvt. John G. Green, Co. K, 12th Texas Infantry
                    Capt. Edward Currie, Co. I, 1st Texas Infantry
                    Co. D, 1st Texas Infantry (Wigfall Mess)
                    Pvt. James A. Westmoreland, Co. E, 17th Texas Cavalry
                    Pvs. Rufus K. Felder and Corp. Meiers E. Felder, Co. E, 5th Texas Infantry
                    William Quayle, 9th Texas Cavalry
                    2nd Lt., William Henry Sharp, Co. B, 8th Texas Cavalry

                    Vicki Betts
                    Texas

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Houston Depot

                      Forgot to mention--the index has Houston Quartermaster Depot, and five pages listed. It looks like they relied heavily on Adolphus' work for that, both his article in Military Collector and Historian Magazine, and a manuscript on Trans-Mississippi Confederate buttons. This book doesn't go into great detail on the depot. BTW, the bibliography is great!

                      Vicki Betts

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                        A copy of this fine reference book was wrapped for me under the tree and has certainly provided some fine study time. Since our reenacting group's Civil War namesake is the 6th Texas Infantry, I was delighted to find large clear photos of a knife and a star pin with 6th Texas provenance. The images of the Texas soldiers are also mostly new to me, and great to see. the number and variety of Texas buttons was also quite an eye-opener.

                        Anybody else get a copy for Christmas and have comments?

                        Phil McBride
                        Lockhart, TX
                        Phil McBride
                        Author:
                        Whittled Away-A Civil War Novel of the Alamo Rifles
                        Tangled Honor 1862: A Novel of the 5th Texas Infantry
                        Redeeming Honor 1863: The 5th Texas Gettysburg and Chickamauga
                        Defiant Honor 1864: The 5th Texas at the Wilderness and the 22nd USCT at New Market Heights
                        Link to My Blog and My Books on Amazon:
                        Blog: http://mcbridenovels.blogspot.com/http://www.amazon.com/Philip-McBride...ne_cont_book_1

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                          I had one under the tree as well, what a book!! Tons of good info, wish there was more on the Houston Depot though.


                          Regards,
                          Garrett Glover
                          1st Texas Light Art. Bat. K
                          5th Texas Inf. Company K
                          Garrett Glover

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                            I have the book, but have not read most of it yet. The Texas Brigade was well represented in the knife section.
                            Fergus Bell

                            "Give a man fire & he will be warm for a day, but set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life."
                            Terry Pratchett

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Texas Civil War Artifacts

                              Originally posted by Phil McBride View Post
                              Not only is there a plethora of Lone Stars, but there is a LONGHORN hat pin dug in Virginia at a Texas cavalry unit's encampment.

                              Phil McBride
                              The Alamo Rifles
                              What Texas Cavalry unit served in Virginia? I may be wrong but I had always believed that the only Texas Regiments to serve in the ANV were the 1st, 4th & 5th Infantry regiments and no Texas Cavalry Regiments served with the ANV.
                              Lee Ragan

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