Grizzly Relic

[tenfed1861]

(Mods,if this is in the wrong folder,please move it to the right one).
Folks,
I was just on Hertiage Auctions when I found possibly the most grizzly relic I have seen.Just read the inscription on the medallion and you will see why I say this.I am really curious as to what others think of this.I think that this guy was a little,just a bit,on the far side.
(June 15th,1862 is the date).

[Gallinipper]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Wow, pretty interesting. You can tell he probably wasn't an amputee, from the decent shape of the bullet. Dressed that up nicely, didn't he?

I always thought the Ellsworth coat was a pretty gruesome relic. Has anybody ever seen Gen. Sickles' leg?

[Jimmayo]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Nothing wrong with that.

One of my friends has a piece of schrapnel that came out of his buttocks in a little glass case on his mantle. Quite the conversation piece.

[chesnutmor]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Hmmm. I will admit it is a little morbid in terms of wardrobe. However, it is intersting item to have.

[unclefrank]

Re: Grizzly Relic

That is too cool!

[stri volunteer]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Must've been a soft tissue hit that missed bones as well as other important internal organs. The bullet looks pristine, almost undamaged.

[Gallinipper]

Re: Grizzly Relic

You folks might be onto something. Wonder if this could have dinged him in the buttocks as he was "advancing to the rear"? :D

[mslaird]

Re: Grizzly Relic

That is rather interesting. Anything you can walk away from in one piece and still functioning is always worthy of rememberance though. A friend of mine was shot in the line of duty by an extremely disturbed man with a 30-06. He was hit just above the hip in the front, the bullet went through his vest, through his body and exited through his buttocks in a fairly strait, through and through manner. He tried his best to get the rifle that the guy shot him with. Unfortunately they would not allow him to purchase it because of state laws here in Arkansas. As the weapon was used in a violent crime it was to be destroyed. I always thought they should have let him have it and told everyone they destroyed it.

[PanzerJager]

Re: Grizzly Relic

While i don't think this relic is all that "grizzly" I do think its mighty interesting remembrance from a soldier. Over the years I've seen quite a few bullets soldiers saved as a souvenir when they where wounded. I've also seen bullets that where sent home to the family of the soldier killed in action and read accounts of this as well. If you really want to see some morbid relics look at some of the stuff GI's brought home from the pacific during world war two, everything from skulls to gold teeth. A friend of mine even had a Japanese rifle covered in shrapnel damage he got from a marine vet with a piece of the Japanese soldier ID disc embedded in the stock.

Regards,

[lojafan]

Re: Grizzly Relic

I can agree with Seth on the heads of Japanese. My friends great grandpa always told his dad when he was young he had heads of Japanese soldiers in his refridgerator... probably to keep him out of his beer.

[JordanRicketts]

Re: Grizzly Relic

I don't know if you can call it morbid, I would have to classify this under LUCKY!

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Couple quick stories...this type of 'relic' is probably more common than you think...

At the Battle of New Market, May 15th 1864; Cadet Francis L. Smith had an enemy .58 cal bullet pierce through his jaw and lodge into his right collar bone...following the battle Smith had the bullet fashioned into a watch fop shaped like an acorn...this piece is now on display at New Market Battlefield State Historic Park, Hall of Valor.

George Smith Patton (grandfather WWII Gen. George Patton) was killed at the 3rd Battle of Winchester, September 19 1864, when a Federal Shell fragment pieced his lower right back. Naturally Patton's men, knew they would have to send something home to his now widowed wife....so when the surgeon removed the shell fragment, they cleaned and set this aside...then cutting off the shirt tail of the shirt Patton was wearing when killed, wrapped the shell fragment and sent this home to Patton's wife...these pieces are now on display at the VMI Museum, Lexington VA.

Paul B.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Grizzliest souvenir I've run across in an antique store was a German helmet (it's been several years, but I believe WWI) that had a wee little hole in the front of the helmet and very, very large opening in a straight line to the rear of the helmet. Call it a one owner model, and it didn't do him any good.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Grizzly Relic

Hallo!

WWI helmets are tricky.

There are those that may be battle damaged, and there are more that were used as targets after the surrender either out of boredom or Allied curiosity as to whether they could punch a hole in and out and at what distance.
But, there are collectors that collect just "shot up" helmets.

(Remember helmets were ultimately designed to prevent shrapnel, stone, and maybe wood injuries to the head, not necessarily stop small arms fire ;) )

When I think of "grizzly..." while we do not know when the bayonet was put through it, but there used to be or still is the skeletal foot in the shoe in the Fredericksburg visitor center.

Curt

(Who has a WWI cigarette tin with a grenade fragment that a note from a WWI German soldier about the specifics of where he "got it" and where and when it was removed form his behind.)

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Grizzly Relic

I've seen a human skull on display at a creepy junk store in Ohio. It had the words "Old Hun" painted on it and the owner of the shop said his grand father sent it home as a joke during WWI. Could have been a fake but it looked legit; still had bits of dry flesh and hair on it. Now THIS is a morbid relic.

I haven't seen many bullets or shrapnel that Civil War soldiers retained, except for maybe two examples. A Michigan sharpshooter in the 1st U.S.S.S. was struck in the leg at 2nd Bull Run and kept the shell fuse around his neck for years; this same man lost his arm in Nov. 1863 and kept the bullet. The other example I believe is in Troiani's collection; I think it's a bullet that struck a zouave at Antietam. This latter example is part an impressive larger grouping including the man's uniform, etc..