Box of relics from Gettysburg

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Object Details

recipient

Hancock, Winfield Scott

Description

This wooden box full of metal shrapnel and debris from Gettysburg was presented in 1885 to Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. A little more than two decades earlier, Hancock was leading Union troops on the battlefield in order to repel Pickett's Charge. On July 3, 1863 he was shot through the thigh. The box of relics stood as a reminder of the dangers of war and the courage it took to face those dangers head on.

If you look closely you can see the engraved names of where the relics were found on different areas of the battlefields of Gettysburg.

ID Number

AF.37245

accession number

115588

catalog number

37245

Object Name

relics

Physical Description

metal (overall material)

wood (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 14 1/4 in x 20 1/2 in x 2 in; 36.195 cm x 52.07 cm x 5.08 cm

place made

United States: Pennsylvania, Gettysburg

Related Publication

Kagan, Neil, editor. Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection

See more items in

Military and Society: Armed Forces History, General

Civil War

Military

Exhibition

Price of Freedom

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

Data Source