Object Record
Metadata
Object Name |
Breastplate, Armor |
Catalog Number |
0985.09.00013a-b |
Date |
1861-1862 |
Description |
Left (a) and right (b) sections of body armor plate of sheet iron; shoulder hanger missing. No markings. |
Material |
Metal/Iron |
Dimensions |
H-18 W-9 D-5 inches |
Owned |
unidentified Union soldier |
Event |
Battle of Kinston |
Provenance |
These breast plates were taken from a Federal soldier who was killed, shot in the back, while fighting between Wilmington, NC. and Weldon Railroad near Kinston, NC. in December 1862. "Breast plates taken from a Federal soldier who was killed by being shot in the back at a fight near Kinston, North Carolina, 1862." (1905 catalog) Steel vests were not standard issue during the Civil War, but were sold by private sutlers that followed the armies on their campaigns. However, the armor was heavy, hot, ineffective at close range, and likely to elicit ridicule or charges of cowardice from fellow soldiers. |
People |
unidentified Union soldier |
Search Terms |
items captured by Confederate soldiers items captured from Union soldiers items taken by Confederate soldiers items taken from Union soldiers United States Army found on battlefield Battle of Kinston |
Subjects |
Armor Casualties, War Dead persons soldiers War casualties |