Civil War Riker Case Brigadier General Lewis Armistead
Item #: WR170
Click on an image to enlarge
This is a riker case with four Civil War bullets and a depiction of Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg, an image of Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, his cause of death and a summary of his military career. Armistead came from an esteemed military family of English descent that had been in Virginia since the 1600's. He was born on 18 February, 1817 in New Bern, North Carolina. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, but resigned after an altercation with a fellow student, Jubal Early. Armistead's family influence gained him a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry and he was assigned to the 6th US Infantry on 10 July, 1839. Lieutenant Armistead served in remote assignments out west until the start of the Mexican American war. During the war he received two brevet promotions for bravery and was wounded at the Battle of Chapultepec. He continued to serve after the war, again serving in outposts in the west. He was promoted to Captain on 3 March, 1855. When the Civil War began, Captain Armistead was in command of a small garrison at the New San Diego Depot, California. Armistead resigned his commission in the United States Army and began the journey back east. He received a commission as a Major in the Confederate Army, but soon was given command of the 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He spent his entire Confederate career in the Army of Northern Virginia, serving as a regimental and brigade commander. He saw action at the Battle of Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Gettysburg. On 3 July, 1863, Brigadier General Armistead's brigade, made up of the 9th, 14th, 38th, 53rd and 57th Virginia Infantry Regiments, took part in Pickett's Charge. This brigade is credited with making the deepest penetration of the Union position, referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy". While leading his men from the front, Armistead was shot three times just after crossing the stone wall. He was captured by Union soldiers and treated at a Union hospital set up at the Spangler farm. His wounds were not considered serious, yet two days later he died from complications of his wounds. The four bullets, one a .58 caliber Minie bullet recovered at Malvern Hill, Virginia, one a .58 caliber Gardner bullet recovered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, one a shot bullet recovered at Malvern Hill, Virginia and the other a .69 caliber round ball recovered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The parchment style paper has been labeled "Brigadier General Lewis Armistead", along with the identification of each bullet, the dates of Armistead's birth and death and the battles he fought in. The case measures 12 1/4" wide and 8 1/4" high. It has been provisioned on the back to hang from two nails or screws. This will make an inexpensive birthday or Christmas present for the Civil War collector in the family.
Your Price $50.00 USD
Sorry we are not accepting on line orders at this time. If you are interested in an item please contact me at 615 717 7792 or email me at mwkiser07@gmail.com.
If you have ordered or are considering ordering an antique weapon or artifact from our website please be advised that these artifacts and antique weapons are sold strictly as collectible antiques.
We strongly recommends that these artifacts be enjoyed and appreciated for their historical significance and not ever fired. By ordering you are acknowledging these facts, warnings and assume full responsibility for your personal actions with regard to them.
We DO NOT sell modern firearms , all our inventory is pre 1898 and are classified by the ATF as antiques and require no government paperwork to own.