On the day preceding the surrender at Appomattox, the last cavalry engagement of the Eastern Theater took place at Appomattox Station. Identifying an opportunity to neutralize and capture an entire Confederate artillery brigade with mixed stragglers, Custer’s Cavalry Brigade launched a daring attack.  The first US units captured unguarded supply trains, and more units were fed into the station to contend with organized enemy resistance.  By night, after 4-5 hours of combat, Custer troopers broke the Confederate defenses – comprised most of artillery, dismounted artillerymen armed with muskets and rifle muskets, dismounted cavalry, and a large contingent of exhausted infantry stragglers who were pressed into the fight by Confederate general Lindsay Walker.  A running fight ensued, and Custer’s men stopped to establish a new line along the Lynchburg Road in the darkness.  Tragically, up to 32 of Custer’s men lost their lives outright and a further 18 died of wounds during the final full day of fighting in Virginia.  They did, however, capture over 1,000 prisoners, prevent supplies from reaching Lee’s army, destroyed the railroad tracks that drew Lee to the area initially, and provided more motivation for him to surrender on the 9^th.

This grouping of relics was on display at a private museum near Appomattox Station and was acquired by the Horse Soldier in 1995 as part of an extensive surrender-related dug artifact grouping.  This truly remarkable lot includes some very uniquely identifiable items including: a Confederate Braun percussion fuse with its wire ignitor, 2 fire/used artillery friction primers, 6 Confederate Hotchkiss shell fragments, 3 crudely cast Confederate iron case shot, a rare Marston 1850 breechloading rifle cartridge in .36 caliber, 7 Minié Balls (3 ring), and a crudely cast Confederate artillery chain.

This grouping has broad appeal to Custer enthusiasts, artillery collectors, cavalry aficionados, and students of the final days of the war.  Seldom do relics with such tracible provenance to such a pivotal event find their way to the collector market.[cm] [ph:cm]

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