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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ksparrow, post: 2947447, member: 7638&quot;]Very interesting thread.&nbsp; My grandfather&#039;s great uncle , I believe, was in this regiment and was wounded in Pickett&#039;s charge (where Armistead was killed).&nbsp; Unfortunately my grandfather did not record any of the conversations they had.&nbsp; </p><p>I think he was in the Galveston Tigers (company D) named for the tiny community of Galveston, on Whitethorn Creek,in Pittsylvania County.&nbsp;&nbsp; My family still owns the property where the community stood, the only remaining structures being an early 19th century gristmill and the miller&#039;s cottage.&nbsp; My cousin, who has done a lot of research, says that before the Tigers went off to war, they roasted a cow in a pit on the property and had a feast (he has not been able to locate the pit, unfortunately). </p><p>Another relative was a Captain in the home guard, which always seemed quaint to me (until I read &quot;Cold Mountain.&quot;)&nbsp; So, this relative of mine may well have known the soldier whose name is on the coin.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp; As to the authenticity of the piece, who can say?&nbsp; I believe that a private from Botetourt County would have been a poor farmer, and 50c worth of silver would have been a substantial sum for him to wear around his neck for several years.&nbsp; Also, most of the Confederate dead at Gettysburg were buried in shallow graves and left until 1871 when the process of removing them began.&nbsp;&nbsp; So, unless the tag was removed &quot;on the field&quot; I think it would likely have been pilfered from the body at some point and used for cash.&nbsp;&nbsp; If there is no solid family provenance to the piece I think its status will remain in doubt.&nbsp; Still, a great conversation starter and link to our shared past.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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