Item Description: US Civil War Bullet

Introduction: Battledetective.com visited the National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In the park's visitors center we purchased a bullet, used during the American Civil War.

The Story: The American Civil War between the Union and the Confederate States of America, lasted from 1861 to 1865. It cost the lives of 235,000 people. These were only battle deaths; another 400,000 died of disease. The Vicksburg National Military Park is one of the parks dedicated to the memory of this horrible war and this tremendous loss of life. The bullet we acquired in this park is a .577 calibre 3-ring Minie.

The bullet we acquired in this park is .577 calibre 3-ring Minie used by Union trooper (The Northern States).

(diagram of .577 3-ring Minie bullet)

The bullet came with a certificate of authenticity:

This is the bullet:

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While in the Vicksburg National Military Park, Battledetective.com took this picture of a monument, honoring the soldiers of the Union State of Wisconsin:

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Wisconsin is in fact the state where the roots of the 101st Airborne Division lie.

This is the official history of the 101st and its Divisional Shoulder Sleeve Insignia:

The 101st Division of World War I had been organized at Camp Shelby, MS, on July 23, 1918. The division was demobilized December 11, 1918 as a result of the Armistice ending the war. In 1921, the 101st Infantry Division was reconstituted and organized as a unit of the Organized Reserves with headquarters at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
An early 101st Division insignia with a white eagle over flames on a royal blue shield was apparently worn for a period prior to 1923. In that year, a new version was approved for the Organized Reserves unit in accordance with the following description from the Secretary of War:
“SHIELD: 2 ˝ inches in height, sable the head of a bald eagle erased proper.

The design is based on one of the Civil War traditions of the State of Wisconsin, this State being the territory of this division.

The black shield recalls the old “Iron Brigade” one of whose regiments possessed “Old Abe” the famous war eagle.” Civil War records do not show the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment as part of the “Iron Brigade,” originally known as the “Black Hat Brigade.”
With World War II already underway, the 101st Division, Organized Reserve, was disbanded August 15, 1942, and a new airborne unit constituted on the inactive list the same day. One day later, Augusts 16, the 101st Airborne Division was born, with Old Abe still on the insignia but now topped with the “Airborne” tab.

From: The History of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY, June 2006.

This is an overview of the various Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 101st Division:

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1 Patch of the 101st Infantry Division between 1921 to 1923
2 Patch of the 101st Airborne Division as issued in World War Two
3 Post-war reproduction of a velvet patch that was issued to all officers of the 101st when the division was stateside in 1942-1943. This patch was worn when the division was a US Army training unit in Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky the 1950's
4 Eagle patch of the 1960's and 1970's.
5 Dress Uniform patch as produced from the late 1970's until today
6 Subdued patch in woodland color scheme
7 Subdued patch in desert color scheme
8 Subdued patch in the Advanced Combat Uniform (ACU) color scheme with Velcro (tm) backing
9 Subdued patch for the ACU uniform in IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) material lighting up when seen through night vision equipment.
10 Post-war novelty patch in bullion with "Holland" in the tab.

 Campbell, Kentucky.

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