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Estimate: $ 12,000 - $ 18,000
(MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) Badge issued to a private in the "Glory" regiment, the 54th Massachusetts, who was wounded at Fort Wagner. Silver pinback badge, about 1¼ x 1¼ inches, with stamped central pattern and engraved text; minimal wear. [New York]: [S.M. Ward & Co.], circa 1864
This badge was issued to a soldier in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the most renowned Black regiment of the Civil War. The 1989 film Glory was based upon their exploits, including the Battle of Fort Wagner. The central image of the badge appears to depict South Carolina's Fort Sumter with an American flag flying overhead. The regiment's four most notable battles--Darien, James Island, Wagner, and Olustee--are engraved at the ends of the cross, and above the central image is engraved "J.H. Jackson, 54th Ms. Vol., Co. A."
The recipient of this badge was Private James Henry Jackson (circa 1845-1904) of Company A. He had been a waiter in Great Barrington, MA when he enlisted at age 18, and was wounded at the Battle of Fort Wagner. His two brothers Francis and Levi also served in the 54th Massachusetts; they did not survive the war. James returned to Great Barrington after the war, where he worked as a cook and laborer. Through his mother Lucinda Sophia Burghardt, he was a much older first cousin of W.E.B. Du Bois, who was born in Great Barrington in 1868.
S.M. Ward & Co. advertised these badges in newspapers across the nation. For example, a very similar sample is illustrated in Harper's Weekly of 2 July 1864, page 431; and in Wilkes' Spirit of the Times, 15 October 1864, page 110. Most likely, a camp sutler collected orders from individual soldiers in the regiment, and had the personalized engraving done in a consistent fashion. A handful of other badges from the 54th Massachusetts have survived in institutional collections, all with the same embellishments: the four battles at the ends of the cross, Fort Sumter at center, and even identical lettering of the "Co." Only the names and company letter are changed. Examples include Miles Moore of Co. H at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and Washington Perkins and E.A. Hill of Co. A at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Hill's badge is illustrated in "Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection," item 89, page 224.
