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NO, 1
MODEL 1851 THREE
PIECE BELT PLATE AND BELT – ONE OF THE FAMOUS “JAMES
RIVER PLATES” – A RELIC OF THE 1864 CITY POINT WHARF
EXPLOSION:
Many years ago a finite quantity of these Model 1851
Three Piece Wreath Waist and Sabre Belt Plates were
recovered from the James River in Virginia. This plate,
and a few others like it, were only some of the relics
recovered from the site of the infamous City Point Wharf
Explosion which occurred on August 9, 1864. The City
Point was a forward positioned Headquarters and Ordnance
Depot serving the Federal armies then in the field in
Virginia. The wharf was a terminus for the barges
ferrying soldiers, equipment, munitions large and small,
and supplies which were brought up from deep water ports
downstream.
It is
believed that agents of the Confederate Secret Service
Bureau placed a “torpedo” or bomb on a barge loaded with
artillery ammunition which was berthed at the wharf. At
approximately 11:30 a.m. the device was exploded with
great effect, leading to subsequent sympathetic
explosions on neighboring barges also loaded with shells
and small arms ammunition. The explosions caused a
substantial loss of life and rained “shot, shell,
timbers and saddles” over the immediate area. There are
several first person descriptions of the resulting
damage which were written at the time, and are now
available on line, but some of the more notable
descriptions include such passages as:
“…five
minutes ago an ordnance boat exploded, carrying lumber,
grape, canister, and all kinds of shot over this point.
Every part of the yard used as my headquarters is filled
with splinters and fragments of shell. I do not know yet
what the casualties are beyond my own headquarters…”,
“…the
resulting explosion was terrific– there was a
total wreckage of the extended line of wharves and
storehouses; the property destroyed being estimated at
$4,000,000….the Union loss of life at 184….”,
and most applicable to this belt plate,
“Between [the
barge] on …which the torpedo was placed, and the wharf
was a canal boat filled with cavalry saddles and
equipments turned in by Sheridan's cavalry a few days
before on embarking for Washington… The explosion sent
those old cavalry saddles flying in every direction like
so many big-winged bats. One of them struck and killed
the lemonade man [who]
was doing a thriving
business under a tent-fly, surrounded by mule drivers,
white and black, soldiers, civilians, and swarms of
flies, when the saddle dashed through the crowd and hit
him in the stomach.”
While the depot would have
carried items such as belt plates to supply the troops
in the field, it is entirely possible that Sheridan’s
troops packed all of their equipment – belts included –
aboard the canal boat with their saddles.
Much of the supplies and
materiel being held on those barges which was not
destroyed in the blast was lost to the river and those
relics were not recovered until sometime in the
1960-1970’s. This belt plate was one of those
recovered. Apparently, the mineral content of the water
and soil of that area of Virginia is prone to be kind to
relics. I have seen some fine pieces found in that
area through the years which, like this belt plate,
showed little effect of having been buried or
submerged.
This belt plate is such a
piece, showing no damage or erosion and with all three
pieces of the silver wreath intact. As I recall, these
plates were almost black in color when retrieved from
the river and traces of that black finish remain on the
reverse and in crevices in the face of the plate.
Otherwise, the plate features a nice even patina.
The plate is mounted on a
modern made black leather belt made in the same fashion
as the original bridle leather waist and sabre belts,
with the captive catch on one end and the brass
adjusting hook on the other end. While the belt has
been worn, it is still in excellent condition with no
heavy wear to the surface. The belt is 1 ¾” wide and
will adjust up to 46” long, so you can determine your
fit from there.
This is a very nice set
which you can wear with pride, with the added value of
the plate having been recovered from the site of a very
historical Civil War event. (0819) $425
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