Original cast ‘Army of Tennessee’ type belt plate measuring 2.8″ x 1.8″ and averaging about .12″ thick. The copper alloy plate has developed a dull brown-ochre patina with a darker shade on the stippled background. The plate has the small visible casting flaws characteristic of this type and the rounded prongs on the back have visible joins to the rough casting. The plate is attached to an original leather waist belt that measures 34″ long and 1 13/16″ in width. The dark brown bridle leather has a heavily flaked and crazed exterior with numerous scuffs and blemishes, but is still intact and quite supple for its age. The interior of the belt has a large “31” stencil in black ink near the tag end with a smaller “31” about midway down. The irregularity of the holes would indicate that the belt was probably salvaged from some other leather item and repurposed. Provenance: Rebel Relics. In his definitive study, Sydney Kerksis identifies three variants of these cast CS plates and notes that they were only associated with areas occupied by the Army of Tennessee [Ref. Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795–1874 by Sydney C. Kerksis; 4th ed. 1991]. This example is of the first type (Kerksis #293) and is a fantastic piece of Confederate militaria.
