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CIVIL WAR BATTLE RATTLES – VERY NICE SPECIMENS:
These are two very nice specimens of the classic Civil
War era Alarm Rattles which were employed to alert
soldiers of an impending change or threat on the
battlefield or in their encampments, and to assemble the
troops to respond.
While bugles and drums were certainly still in use,
these rattles provided an easily carried percussion
device which an officer could use as the immediacy of
the situations on the battle field changed. It is worth
noting that these rattles were used in the Union and
Confederate Navies as well for ship board alarms.
Both of these very nice, functional specimens are
individually described below with accompanying
photographs.
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NO. 1
CIVIL WAR BATTLE RATTLE: This alarm
rattle, with a body measuring 11” long, 4” wide, and 2
¼” thick, is fitted with a double-cogged turned handle
measuring 9” long and 1 ¼” in diameter at the widest
point.
The alarm is fully functional with all of the cog teeth
intact and it produces a loud report when it is turned.
The rattle retains what appear to be the original double
sounding boards, presenting with the same age as the
rest of the rattle’s wood. The body of the rattle solid
with no cracks or separations, and it is stenciled on
one end with “10” in white paint on both frames, and
with “CO. H” in black paint on the other end – perhaps
unit identification marks. There is also the remnant of
a stenciled legend in black paint on the bottom frame,
but most of the paint is worn away and the legend is not
legible.
A very nice Civil War Battle Rattle in very good
condition. (0824) $350
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NO. 2
CIVIL WAR BATTLE RATTLE: This alarm
rattle, with a body measuring 14” long, 2” wide, and 1”
thick, is fitted with a single-cogged turned handle
measuring 6 ¾” long and 1 ¼” in diameter at the widest
point.
The alarm is fully functional with all of the cog teeth
intact and it produces a notable report when it is
turned. The rattle retains the original single sounding
board which is integral to the rattle’s body. The body
of the rattle solid with some aging cracks due to the
drying of the wood, but which do not affect the
integrity of the rattle’s body.
A very nice Civil War Battle Rattle in very good
condition. (0825) $295
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