Item No. 4216414

SALE PENDING

An original and rare Civil War field desk perfectly sized for desk or shelf-top display of small relics, tintypes, or other collectibles. The desk was used in 1864 and 1865 by Lieutenant Samuel D. Hays, regimental quartermaster for the 110th Pennsylvania Volunteers, a unit that served in the 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac through the Overland, Petersburg, and Appomattox campaigns. The desk is of sturdy construction and measures about 18” x 18” x 12”. The door has original latch and swings out to the desk’s right side, although other examples of this desk have the door swinging down from the bottom edge, creating a writing surface. Evidence of the door’s original hinge locations are visible along the bottom edge, as well as along the matching edge of the door. Several tallies and notes are scribbled in pencil on the interior of the door, as one would expect to see on a quartermaster’s desk. The rear panel has an original ink stamp that is difficult to make out. A similar example produced in the same shop has an identical stamp that was easier to read, and so we know from this that the stamp reads Back side showing maker’s ink stamp. While the stamp is difficult to read, an identical desk built at the same workshop has a more complete stamp that reads "Manufactured at Govt. / WORK SHOPS / 19 St. and N-Y Avenue,” which was the address of the Quartermaster Department’s carpentry shop in Washington, DC.

For comparison, here is an identical desk that belonged to the 20th Maine.

(Listing is for desk only. Tintype, documents, and other items are shown for informational purposes only.)