Dug Burnside Style Eagle Breast Plate

Dug Burnside Style Eagle Breast Plate – These diminutive, Model 1826 pattern eagle breast plates were named Burnside plates as they were often excavated in Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s 9^th Corps camps; the plates were predominantly issued to troops from the state of Maine. We obtained this plate from the family of the collector / digger who had amassed a large and significant collection, starting in the early 1970s; he hunted in the Fauquier County, Culpeper, Winchester, Brandy Station, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Fredericksburg areas, so unfortunately, we cannot pinpoint the site of the actual excavation of this plate. The plate remains in excellent dug condition, with a sharply defined face, exhibiting a dark, brown color with some minor ground action visible; the back’s lead solder filling remains in good condition, with both attachment loops still present; there is a small ding in the edge of the plate. The plate measures 2.25” in diameter.