Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Breastplate, Armor |
Catalog Number |
0985.10.00100 |
Description |
Body armor plate, made of metal, for left side of body. Circular raised area (probably a dent) on center front. Attached label reads, "Lt. Rives June 30, 1896". |
Material |
Metal |
Dimensions |
H-18 W-9 inches |
Owned |
W. H. Rives; unidentified Union soldier |
Owner Regiment |
12th South Carolina Infantry, Co. D, |
Event |
Battle of Bristoe Station |
Provenance |
"Breastplate worn by a Federal soldier (cavalry) and found on his person at Bristoe Station by Lt. W.H. Rives of Co. D, 12th South Carolina Infantry." 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 |
Rives, W. H. unidentified Union soldier |