G.A.R. UNION VETERAN’S CANTEEN OF ROBERT ELLIOTT 23RD PENNSYLVANIA

$795.00

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Item Code: 480-334

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The canteen had great significance for the G.A.R. in symbolizing service (as an essential piece of army gear,) comradery and, later, reconciliation, as the slogan “we drank from the same canteen” became popular and associated with pictures of wounded enemies helping one another on the battlefield. Many veterans decorated their own canteens to make them acceptable ornaments on the wall to commemorate their service and commercial firms were not slow to follow suit. This is a very good example of the white porcelain version with the GAR badge embossed on one side, colored with red, blue and gold to imitate the badge, flat ribbon, and pin, with additional accents and lettering in gold for the individual soldier: in this case, “Robt. C Elliott” at top, “Co. C” on either side of the badge, and “23rd Regt. Pa. Vol.” at bottom, all in Old English letters. The condition of the canteen is very good, with excellent color, just a couple of small thin stains, the spout and brackets in place, and no cracks, chips or missing pieces.

Elliott enlisted at Philadelphia, mustering into Co. C of the 23rd PA Vols. as a private on 9/1/1861 and served three years, mustering out 9/8/64. The regiment organized at Philadelphia in 8/14/61 under Colonel, later General, David B. Birney, and served in the Army of the Potomac through July 1864, then joining the Army of the Shenandoah as part of the 6th Corps in August and mustering out in September. They were a fighting regiment, losing 5 officers and 110 enlisted men in just killed or mortally wounded, taking casualties early at Fair Oaks on 5/31/62 (losing 7 officers and 136 enlisted men in killed and wounded) and others in the Seven Days Battles, as part of the 4th Corps, and at Fredericksburg and Maryes Heights in the Chancellorsville Campaign as part of the 6th Corps, losing 71 in killed and wounded. They were present at Gettysburg, losing 2 officers and 29 men killed or wounded, took part in the active Fall campaign, and then took serious losses again at Cold Harbor, with 9 officers and 188 men killed or wounded, a high proportion of which, 4 officers and 71 men, were among the killed, with additional losses in the fighting around Petersburg. It was sent to the Shenandoah under Wright to confront Early and again under Sheridan, mustering out shortly thereafter, on 9/8/64 at Philadelphia.

The 1890 veteran census picks him as living on Polar Street in Philadelphia and notes his presence at Chancellorsville. He was a member of William L. Curry Post No. 18 G.A.R. and the Survivors of Co. C Twenty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, as well as Survivors of the Good Will Hose Company No. 25, Volunteer Firemen, and the International Order of Red Men.  [sr] [ph:L]

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