Confederate Engineer Officers Button

[JAWhite]

I found this button yesterday detecting an old house site in Northern Mecklenburg County, NC. I googled it and found that it was a Confederate Engineers Officers button. A few sites have rated it as a rare button. The back mark is W. Dowler, Superior Quality. Any comments and information about this button would be appreciated.

 

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[K1DDO1979]

Very nice find! (:

 

[Ifoundit69]

Awesome find !

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Because you asked for info: Your button is indeed an EXTREMELY rare Confederate Army Engineer Officer button. Yours manufactured by the button-making firm of William H. Dowler in Birmingham England, sometime between 1861 and 1865. It was run through the yankee navy's blockade of Southern seaports... and because you dug it in North Carolina, it probably arrived there on a blockade-runner at Wilmington NC.

A caution-note for diggers & collectors:
I should mention, it's very important that yours has the exactly-correct form of W. Dowler backmark ("W. Dowler Superior Quality") for being from the civil war time-period. In 1903, the Dowler company manufactured a number of what are called "restrikes" of their civil war Confederate buttons, using the very same stamping dies they used for making the civil war ones. But by 1903 the company's name had changed to "Wm. Dowler & Sons Ltd. - Birmingham." So, if a Dowler button's backmark says "Sons" or "Birmingham" it is from several decades after the civil war ended.

You say you dug it at an old house-site in NC... so I recommend researching old County maps and tax-records to find the name of the owner of that house from 1850 to 1900. Perhaps he served in the Confederate Army as an Engineer Officer.

 

[JAWhite]

That is awesome. Excellent information. I appreciate it so much.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Because you asked for info: Your button is indeed an EXTREMELY rare Confederate Army Engineer Officer button. Yours manufactured by the button-making firm of William H. Dowler in Birmingham England, sometime between 1861 and 1865. It was run through the yankee navy's blockade of Southern seaports... and because you dug it in North Carolina, it provide arrived there on a blockade-runner at Wilmington NC. A caution-note for diggers & collectors: I should mention, it's very important that yours has the exactly-correct form of W. Dowler backmark ("W. Dowler Superior Quality") for being from the civil war time-period. In 1903, the Dowler company manufactured a number of what are called "restrikes" of their civil war Confederate buttons, using the very same stamping dies they used for making the civil war ones. But by 1903 the company's name had changed to "Wm. Dowler & Sons Ltd. - Birmingham." So, if a Dowler button's backmark says "Sons" or "Birmingham" it is from several decades after the civil war ended. You say you dug it at an old house-site in NC... so I recommend researching old County maps and tax-records to find the name of the owner of that house from 1850 to 1900. Perhaps he served in the Confederate Army as an Engineer Officer.

Pete - my father was on the bad end of the restrike - he dug a Staff in the water around Wilmington years back - looked beautiful until the back was shown.

 

[BARKER]

Hi JAWhite; Awesome Find. I Vote BANNER. It is the very first bone I've ever seen on the Forums. Great Find. Go back andv see if you can find more. !!! PEACE:RONB

 

[Steve in PA]

Rare and beautiful! Love the patina on that one

 

[Dug]

Another banner find! You guys are killing me!

 

[markp]

Awesome find, hope one of those comes my way.

 

[Citiboy289]

If you find the property history this site might be helpful in getting some info on the person Soldiers and Sailors Database - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[Tnmountains]

I think Lee served with the corp of engineers early in his career. The largest engineering feat was the rail road bridge in Whiteside Tn we hunt it often. Nice button and welcome to T-net. Good first post glad you joined to share.

 

[Jpro]

Banner!!!

 

[Gary1963]

Extremely rare good find. WTO has my vote

 

[diggervet]

Absolutely gorgeous! congratulations and go back to that site!!!

 

[BuckleBoy]

That's one of the rarest buttons I've seen on here in a while. The only thing that would beat that--would be an "M"!!

 

[mirage83]

Fantastic find you got there, never seen one of them on the forum before.

 

[jewelerguy]

most awesome!

 

[Citiboy289]

I think Lee served with the corp of engineers early in his career. The largest engineering feat was the rail road bridge in Whiteside Tn we hunt it often. Nice button and welcome to T-net. Good first post glad you joined to share.

If I recall my West Point History both Robert E and Uncle Billy were engineer graduates

 

[silversweeper]

um WOW!