These two steel breastplate halves come from collection of Civil War relics and family mementos retained by the Knox family of Fredericksburg, VA. The family was large,  prosperous, and prominent in the community. A large collection of family letters titled “The Circle Unbroken” dealing with letters from the Civil War years has been published and is widely available. At least four sons saw service in the Confederate army during the war: three in the 30^th Va, and one with the VMI battalion seeing action in the trenches of Petersburg. After the war two of them, Robert T. Knox and younger brother James S. Knox, opened a store, “R.T. Knox & Bro.” in Fredericksburg with war relics on display among their retail offerings. We have had at least one other piece from their display with one of their large display placards, written in black ink on a white card with red and blue border lines (giving the effect of a red, white and blue border.) We show an 1870 advertisement for the operation offering groceries, etc., and at some point they were also in business selling coal and describing themselves as “manufacturers of sumac & grinders of bones” according to one secondary source, with the operation, perhaps at a different location in town, was described as a “store and factory/processing plant.” (If horse and cattle bones were in demand, the numerous battlefields and army camps in the area may have been ready source of supply.)

This set is the two breastplate sections of body armor found by one of the Knox family or given to them by a customer/donor. One of these, the wearer’s right, still retains its shoulder strap. The left shows a small piece of wire indicating it was hung up for display. Both are brown and show surface rust and expected corrosion, but show no holes and likely were not in the ground all that long. The left shows somewhat more surface corrosion and some roughness along the lower edge. That, and the presence of the shoulder strap on the right half, indicates to us the left may have lain on top of the right, shielding it somewhat, but they are clearly a pair and match very well.

Use of body armor during the war is well attested, and occurred on both sides- a set worn by the  Colonel of the 2^nd Texas in the attack on battery Robinett at Corinth is well known. A Union artilleryman wearing a set gained some attention by being wounded in the buttocks while lying prone on the ground. These were marketed by several manufacturers and were usually covered by canvas and cloth giving the impression of a normal vest, often worn under a uniform coat. Reviews were mixed. Needless to say, they were an encumbrance on a march and more likely to be retained by an officer who could rely on baggage wagons or was mounted. Effectiveness was also debated. One group were unceremoniously dumped overboard from a troop transport by disappointed purchasers when a test-fired rifle bullet passed straight through a set and continued on downriver. On the other hand, a soldier or officer, or their loved ones might well think any precaution worthwhile. The armor itself, however, is very scarce. Even sets retained on hot marches and worn in battle were likely discarded as pointless at the war’s end, and unlikely to be brought home or preserved long by family or descendants who might not want to admit their veteran was so sensible.

Given the location of the Knox family in Fredericksburg, most of their recovered and donated relics likely came from the area, which could extend at least as far as the Spottsylvania battlefield, about 12 miles away, where a similar set in their in their collection was found.  [sr] [ph:L]

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