General service buttons used as poker chips or checkers

[GopherDaGold]

These smashed general service cuff buttons were dug in the same section of a field on different outings. Both were crushed with the same tool in exactly the same spot. Most likely used as poker chips or checkers. Illuminated from above and below to show detail.

 

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[smokeythecat]

I am sure you are correct. They did that a lot it seems, and from the dark green glass beer bottles found in some of the camps, drinking was popular too.

 

[GopherDaGold]

I am sure you are correct. They did that a lot it seems, and from the dark green glass beer bottles found in some of the camps, drinking was popular too.

I have a theory that cuff buttons were the low denomination, coat buttons were higher and officer buttons were highest. I also have this flattened cavalry officer button.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice finds!

 

[Tedyoh]

Yeah my opinion is the game pieces is a stretch....reason being the last thing I would do is destroy the only warm cloths I have sleeping out in tents in fields in the 1860's......using rocks vs acorns for checkers makes more sense to me.

 

[devldog]

Yeah my opinion is the game pieces is a stretch....reason being the last thing I would do is destroy the only warm cloths I have sleeping out in tents in fields in the 1860's......using rocks vs acorns for checkers makes more sense to me.

A lot of these flattened buttons could have possibly been captured. The only flattened general service Eagle Button I have was found years ago about 8 inches down in the very end of a Confederate Trench line. That's my take on it anyway. I agree with you that the soldiers most likely wouldn't use parts of their own uniforms, although these could have been removed from old uniform jackets that were deemed unserviceable and no longer suited for wear.

 

[Tedyoh]

A lot of these flattened buttons could have possibly been captured. The only flattened general service Eagle Button I have was found years ago about 8 inches down in the very end of a Confederate Trench line. That's my take on it anyway. I agree with you that the soldiers most likely wouldn't use parts of their own uniforms, although these could have been removed from old uniform jackets that were deemed unserviceable and no longer suited for wear.

Playing Devil's Advocate.....even if they did remove them off of unusable jackets, i would think they'd save them for lost buttons during battle.....its not like after a skirmish or battle Private John Doe can run to the 7-11 and grab 3 new buttons....im going to stick with the buttons falling off and being flattened by foot, horses, human or deer, wagon or artillery wheels.

 

[GopherDaGold]

Yeah my opinion is the game pieces is a stretch....reason being the last thing I would do is destroy the only warm cloths I have sleeping out in tents in fields in the 1860's......using rocks vs acorns for checkers makes more sense to me.

The area I'm detecting is not a known skirmish site and all my finds are pre-civil war. It was probably a training area or small fort that saw little or no action.
I believe boredom was a factor at many of these sites and that some buttons were turned into game pieces.
These two buttons were flattened intentionally using the same tool/method.
Do you, (or anyone) have an explanation as to why they were flattened if not for use as game pieces?
Admittedly I'm not an expert so I welcome any theories.

 

[Tedyoh]

The area I'm detecting is not a known skirmish site and all my finds are pre-civil war. It was probably a training area or small fort that saw little or no action.
I believe boredom was a factor at many of these sites and that some buttons were turned into game pieces.
These two buttons were flattened intentionally using the same tool/method.
Do you, (or anyone) have an explanation as to why they were flattened if not for use as game pieces?
Admittedly I'm not an expert so I welcome any theories.

In your pictures i do not see general service buttons that were smashed...the two pieces that have the indentations look like generic flat buttons? Pictures of the backs would help. Who knows why they are bent..could be one of a million reasons they look like that. Who knows....nice finds for sure!

 

[OreElse]

Very interesting finds!

 

[GopherDaGold]

In your pictures i do not see general service buttons that were smashed...the two pieces that have the indentations look like generic flat buttons? Pictures of the backs would help. Who knows why they are bent..could be one of a million reasons they look like that. Who knows....nice finds for sure!

They are definitely 2-piece buttons that were flattened. I will try to get pictures of the back after work today.
Until then, take a close look at the button on the left. You can see a part of the rounded section that curled over the button back.

 

[smokeythecat]

I have seen others dig them, if memory serves, none of my Union buttons were deliberately flattened. A few weeks ago I dug my first block "I" Confederate button from an actual battlefield and it was perfectly flattened.

 

[Tedyoh]

I have seen others dig them, if memory serves, none of my Union buttons were deliberately flattened. A few weeks ago I dug my first block "I" Confederate button from an actual battlefield and it was perfectly flattened.

Nice.....Devils Advocate again.....so it was perfectly smashed by a soldier that had 2 pieces of flat steel and a hammer or smashed by wagon or artillery wheel rolling over it during battle or marching? Who knows.....could be from boredom....could be gaming chips....i just believe a soldier wouldn't ruin a somewhat important piece of clothing purposely.

 

[devldog]

Playing Devil's Advocate.....even if they did remove them off of unusable jackets, i would think they'd save them for lost buttons during battle.....its not like after a skirmish or battle Private John Doe can run to the 7-11 and grab 3 new buttons....im going to stick with the buttons falling off and being flattened by foot, horses, human or deer, wagon or artillery wheels.

The Confederate Army did not have the luxury of receiving new uniform issue such as the Union army. They simply did not have the resources as that of the Union and it got even worse once the Union battled up our southern ports. Case in point, there was an account in Virginia during the war when the ANVA was on the March and they were trailing a Union brigade. It was now spring and the Confederates were marching down this road literally littered on both sides of the road with blue Union great coats. The Infantrymen were tossing them to lighten their weight load while on the March. With warmer weather upon them, the Federal soldiers knew that they wouldn't be needed and that they would receive a new winter clothing issue as cold weather approached once more. The Johnnie's fell out of line of March and was grabbing these coats up, glad to have them. They knew that this would be their winter issue.

 

[creskol]

For what it's worth, I saw a fellow digger pull out 7 perfectly flatted buttons and 9 perfectly flattened bullets out of one winter hut. We concluded that they were checkers or game pieces of some sort.