A beautiful example of the headgear worn up to the outbreak of the American Civil War. The body is paste board covered in a very high quality dark blue wool and measures approx. 7” tall. The crown is black painted leather in very good condition with some minor finish loss. The interior of the crown is covered with a large maker’s label, “From / JOHN A. BAKER / Manufacturer and Dealer in / Military Goods / 63 Walker Street, / NEW-YORK”.  In ink in the center of the label is “H. K. White / Co. G 71 Regt.” The original leather, scalloped edged sweat band is perfect!

Affixed to the front is a large brass hat plate of an eight-pointed sunburst upon which is “AMERICAN GUARD” encircling a “71” against a black background. The black leather chinstrap with brass buckle is affixed to the sides with two shields with “AG” in fancy scroll letters. The painted black leather bill is also perfect. Near the crown is a white plume with a brass circular disk holder with an eagle/shield/wreath device in silver.

Henry Kirke White, born in 1837 in New York City, was 23 years old when he enlisted as a Private on 4/20/61; he mustered into Co. G, 71^st New York State Militia. By the time he mustered out on 7/30/61, he had been promoted to Corporal. During his short 3-month period of enlistment, his regiment took part in the occupation of Alexandria, VA; attack on the batteries at Acquia Creek, VA; attack on Matthias Point; and the First Battle of Bull Run, VA. Click here to read a history of the 71st New York, which became known as the "American Guard" in 1853.

After the war, White went to work for Schuyler, Hartley and Graham (his sister married Marceullus Hartley) and, though the exact nature of White’s association with the firm has not been determined, by 1868 he essentially was the firm's warehouse manager.  Meanwhile, White continued his involvement with the military; in 1870 he became First Lieutenant of the consolidated 37th and 71st Regiments, N. G., S. N. Y., and in 1871 he participated in the suppression of the Orange riots in New York City.  In 1885 he was elected Captain of the F Company in the Veteran Corps and in 1890 he was elected Colonel. He was also a member of Lafayette GAR Post #10, with his name and service information being listed in a Post descriptive book. He was also a member of New York Hose Company 5 of the New York (volunteer) Fire Department.

By 1905 White was in a position to purchase much of the M. Hartley Company’s stock and continue operating as H. K. White Military Goods, located at 3 Water Street, New York City.  With Henry's sons, Robert J. White (the original secretary and treasurer of the UMC Company) and Frederick R. White, and George Koerner, White’s company prospered in selling firearms and equipment, military supplies and other goods, and became known especially for its supply of surplus Civil War arms and goods.  Eventually White's other son, H. K. White, Jr. joined the firm as well, and when the elder White died in 1923, his sons continued to run the business.  H. K. White Military Goods continued to do business into the 1960s and became very well known among antique firearms collectors.  In 1963 the company’s stock was purchased by Turner Kirkland’s Dixie Gun Works Company of Union City, Tennessee.

From its beginning over a century earlier the Schuyler, Hartley and Graham business commanded respect around the world.  The goods the company sold supplied numerous armies and influenced the outcomes of many conflicts, including the American Civil War.  After the turn of the century the company, under the management of H. K. White and his sons, continued to thrive, supplying Boy Scout troops, boys' and girls' brigades, drill teams, and countless firearms collectors throughout the United States.  The history of the business begun by Schuyler, Hartley and Graham in many ways, then, is both an illuminator and a reflection of American history.

Henry Kirke White died on September 23, 1923 in Manhattan at the age of 86. He is buried in Hudson City Cemetery in Hudson, Columbia County, New York.  [ss/ld]

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