Soldiers Chess Board

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Rectangular folding paper chess set, with small oval shaped paper pieces and a cloth case hardcover. Board is off white, with blue and white squares surrounded by a red border with blue stripes along the sides. Written along the top left hand corner is "; Johannes LeFevre 126. Reg. N.Y.R. 1862."; . Along the bottom left hand corner is written "; Chess."; . The paper is folded to allow the chess pieces to be placed in between the folds. The pieces are made from a heavier paper and are stamped with the piece symbols in either blue or red on both sides, which vary on each side. Two pieces, were most likely cut later and are not stamped. The front cover is brown fabric, which has been glued to a piece of cardboard, most likely for better support. Written on the cover in pencil is "; Chess."; .

Possibly manufactured by D. Appleton & Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, New York: 1858. A similar chess-board was sold, which box cover read: "The Pocket Chess Board, Being a Chess and Checker-Board Provided with a Complete Set of Men, Adapted for Playing Games in Rail-Cars/And for Folding Up Without Disturbing the Game, Price 50 cents." D. Appleton & Company's pocket chess set, was manufactured in 1858, several years after the first pocket chess set was invented by Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869). Surname spellings and their variants: Lefevre, Lefever; Johannes Lefevre, was born on May 26, 1837, and attended the academies at New Paltz Academy and Claverack, and Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., where he graduated in the Scientific field in 1860 and Civil Engineering in 1861. During the Civil War, Johannes helped to organize, and later joined the Company E. of the 156th Regiment of N.Y. Volunteers for whom he served as Second and later First Lieutenant in 1862, and First Lieutenant of the 156th N. Y. Regiment of Infantry in October, 1863. He also held the positions of Regimental Quartermaster, Quartermaster of the Pioneer Corps under Gen. Banks and served as Civil Engineer at Camp Bisland, Port Hudson joined Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah, and fought in the battle of Winchester. On October 18, 1864, Johannes received the commission of Captain of the N. Y. 156th Regiment and the next day commanded his troops in the battle of Cedar Creek, where he was fatally wounded. Captain Johannes LeFevre died three weeks later at Tidball Hospital in Winchester, Virginia. His body is buried in the New Paltz Rural Cemetery.

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Re: Soldiers Chess Board

Do you know where this is housed today? Are the variant sides the back sides of the pawns?

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Re: Soldiers Chess Board

This is in the collection of Historic Hugeonot Street in New Paltz, NY. I'm not sure about the variant side. I plan on making a trip over there in a few weeks to take measurements. Will keep the forum posted!