Gold-plated brass Battle Honor Pin commemorating the service of Maj. Gen. John Geary. New York: Louis Philip, 1863 - 1864. Approx. 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 in. 

The badge, like other Battle Honor pins produced by Louis Philip of New York, celebrates the career of a famous Union officer, in this case Major General John William Geary (1819 - 1873). The border is embossed with the following battles in which he participated in 1861, 1862, and 1863, ordered chronologically clockwise from upper left: "Belmont Nov. 6 / Ft Donelson Feby 16 / PTTSBC Land April 6 & 7 / Fort Gibson May 1 / Clinton May 6 / Raymond May 12 / Jackson May 14 / Big Black May 17 / Haines Bluff May 18 / Vicksburg July 4". 

This finely-engraved National Battle Pin features small icons of, clockwise from top, a scale, a seated Lady Liberty with flag and shield in hand, a closed book, a pair of crossed sabers, a scroll, and an open book. The diminutive portrait at center is bordered by 13 stars. 

Provenance: From the collection of author, historian, and extensive collector, Howard “Howie” Madaus (1943-2007). Accompanied by a small envelope with a description of the badge handwritten by Madaus.

The ambition of Madaus’ badge collection was to assemble representative examples of every major type of Civil War corps badge worn by the various branches of the Union Army, including specimens from each division of every army corps, along with numerous rare and previously undocumented varieties. In both its breadth and depth, his private holdings likely surpassed those of many public institutions, and a portion of the collection is now offered here for the first time at public auction. 

Howard Madaus was a distinguished scholar and curator whose expertise in American military history and flags earned him national recognition. An active member of the Company of Military Historians, the American Society of Arms Collectors, the North-South Skirmish Association, and the Maryland Arms Collectors Association, he built his reputation through decades of dedicated scholarship. From 1968 to 2003, he served as assistant curator of history at the Milwaukee Public Museum, later becoming curator of the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, and finally Chief Curator of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his museum work, Madaus authored numerous influential books and articles on firearms, the Civil War, and American flags. His groundbreaking Battle Flags of the Confederate Army of Tennessee (1976) established him as a national authority, followed by major studies such as The Flags of the Iron Brigade (1997) and The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord & Conflict (2006). His expertise reached broad audiences through appearances on the History Channel, A&E, and PBS, and over the course of his career he emerged as one of the foremost authorities on United States Civil War flags.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Relics, Militaria] [Medals, Corps Badges, Badges]