Brown wood trunk with black metal strapping and reinforcements. 30 1/8 x 15 3/4 x 15 5/8 in. Stenciled tenciled inscription painted to right side panel: 'L[ieut.] [D. E.] Parson'. Right leather handle is broken off. 

Identified military trunk bearing the name of its owner, Lieutenant David E. Parsons, who served with the 19th Maine Infantry during the Civil War. Parsons enlisted on 25 August 1862 as a second lieutenant in Company A and rose steadily through the ranks, being promoted to first lieutenant in 1863. On 7 July 1863, he advanced to captain and was transferred to Company B, continuing in service through the regiment’s major campaigns. He was later promoted to major on 11 November 1864 and assigned to the Field and Staff, in which capacity he remained until he was mustered out in May 1865.

Without question the 19th Maine is best remembered for its actions at the Battle of Gettysburg, where the regiment was heavily engaged on July 2 in the brutal fighting around the Wheatfield, where it helped stem repeated Confederate assaults during one of the battle’s most chaotic and costly actions. The 19th Maine entered the fight with an effective strength of 405 officers and men and suffered severe losses, with 65 killed or mortally wounded, 137 wounded, and 4 missing. Those figures represent the ferocity of the regiment’s service there and place the 19th Maine among the Union units that paid dearly in helping hold the Federal line during the battle’s critical second day. Lt. David E. Parson is marked as being present during the battle, possibly with this trunk. 

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Relics, Militaria] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]