Boyle, Gamble & MacFee Belt and Plate
By Shannon Pritchard · Originally published May 2020 · p. 45
There are no maker marked Confederate made belt buckles, but there are a rare few buckles whose makers are known. So how are the few whose maker is known, identified? It comes back to the sword. Whenever a sword was purchased, whether by government contract for cavalry swords, or an officer’s private purchase, the sword came with a belt. The belt was absolutely necessary, so collectors have identified various Leech and Rigdon buckles by their association with Leech and Rigdon swords. The College Hill two piece sword belt buckle, the Thomas, Griswold & Company patterns, the Boyle and Gamble oval two piece sword belt buckle, the Firman & Sons navy buckle, and the Haiman two piece buckle were all identified by the swords associated with them. Considering that the many various patterns of Confederate buckles exist, these few that are identified are a painfully small group. Due to a recent discovery one more can be added to this small list of maker identified buckles and plates. Virtually nothing was known of the rarity 10 plate identified as 118 in Steve Mullinax’s Confederate Belt Buckles and Plates, Expanded Edition. It was described simply as “CSA” mounted on a raised oval and all solid cast. It was noted that the illustrated example was dug in Chesterfield, Va. In 2015, the sword and belt of Lieutenant Edward R. Cryer was purchased from a family in Texas. The sword was a Boyle, Gamble & Macfee foot officer’s pattern with the earliest style Boyle & Gamble mounts on the leather scabbard. This dates it to 1861 which fits right in with Cryer’s history. Edward R. Cryer entered service in what would become Company D, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, at Hartsville, Tenn., April 25, 1861, as a 2nd lieutenant. The Second was heading to Virginia, and May 14 found Lieutenant Cryer in Lynchburg, Va. A newly minted lieutenant, Cryer was no doubt anxious to get a sword. Whether he acquired the Richmond-made sword in Lynchburg or in Richmond is unknown, but I would guess the latter. The regiment received its baptism of fire at Aquia Creek, Va., on June 1, 1861, and was present at the Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861. On Feb. 9, 1862, Cryer’s regiment was transferred to the Western Theatre’s Army of Tennessee. Lieutenant Cryer was killed during the first day’s fighting at Shiloh. There are precious few of these rare Boyle, Gamble & Macfee CSA plates known; this is the only one still retaining its numbered, matched, original keeper; both plate and keeper are numbered 27. It is the only known example still on its original patent leather over cotton webbing belt. Shannon Pritchard has authored numerous articles relating to the authentication, care and conservation of Confederate antiques, including several cover articles and is the author of the definitive work on Confederate collectibles, the widely acclaimed Collecting the Confederacy, Artifacts and Antiques from the War Between the States, and is co-author of Confederate Faces in Color.
