The Appreciation and Authentication of Civil War Timepieces

by Clint Geller

Overview

Clint B. Geller (FNAWCC) examines the intersection of the American Civil War and American watch-making.

Beginning with a definition of a "Civil War watch" and a positioning of the Civil War in American history, Geller proceeds by examining the impact of the Civil War on American perceptions of time, the impact of the Civil War on American watch-making, and in turn the impact of American watch-making on the conduct and course of the war.

The middle section of the book examines the general characteristics of Civil War watches, both domestic and foreign, including movements, dials and hands, watchcases, and the numerous technical features differentiating the most popular models. Geller offers advice for authenticating the provenance of Civil War timepieces and assessing their desirability.

The final section of the book showcases several outstanding Civil War watches, the lives of the men who carried them, their units, and the battles in which they fought and in some cases died.

With 162 images, including many original photos of timepieces, along with tables and extensive references, this book makes an excellent addition to the collection of any horologist, historian, or Civil War enthusiast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944018061
Publisher:	Nawcc
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	238
Sales rank:	1,015,904
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. Geller is a research physicist at a United States government laboratory and lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife of thirty-two years. He has collected, researched and written about early American pocket watches since the mid-1980s. This publication is his second full-length book in the horological field, and his first book to focus on aspects of horology relating specifically to the American Civil War. In 2002, Dr. Geller chaired the "Boston: Cradle of Industrial Watchmaking" NAWCC National Seminar in Boxboro, Massachusetts. In 2006, he chaired the "American Watchmaking II" Ward Francillon National NAWCC Seminar in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Geller was made an NAWCC Fellow in 2003, and he received the NAWCC's James W. Gibbs Award for literary achievement in horology in 2009. Dr. Geller has published in numerous physics and engineering journals and he holds two United States patents for technical inventions. He is also a science fiction/fantasy novelist, the author of the Gennebar Rising trilogy. Dr. Geller can be contacted through the NAWCC and through his blog, ClintGeller.com.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

What is a “Civil War watch?”

Placing the American Civil War in American History: Cause and Consequences

2. Impact of the Civil War on American Perceptions of Time

3. Impact of the Civil War on American Watch-Making

Evidence of Widespread Use of Watches among Civil War Soldiers

4. Impact of American Watch-Making on the Civil War

How Watches Were Used in the Field

Noteworthy Examples of Watches Affecting Civil War Operations

5. General Characteristics of Civil War Watches

Domestic versus Foreign Timepieces

Winding and Setting

Watch Movement Finishing and Details

Watch Dials and Hands

Watchcases

6. American-Made Civil War Watches: General Considerations

7. Foreign-Made Watches Used in the Civil War

English Watches

Swiss and Other Foreign Watches

8. Assessing Desirability and Authenticity of Civil War Timepieces

9. Outstanding Examples of Civil War Watches: The Men, Their Units and Their Battles

Lt. Col. John Hodges, Jr. (December 8, 1841–July 30, 1864), Salem Zouaves, 19th, 50th, and 59th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

1st Lt. James A. Sage (1836–1913), 25th Michigan Volunteer Infantry

Brigadier General Joseph Tarr Copeland, Michigan Cavalry Brigade and CO of Camp Copeland (near Pittsburgh)

Brevet Brigadier General George Washington Gallup, previously Colonel of the 14th Kentucky (Mounted) Infantry

Brevet Major General John Wallace Fuller, C.O. of “Fuller’s Ohio Brigade,” previously Colonel of the 27th Ohio Infantry

Final Thoughts

Acknowledgements

Appendix

The Background to the War

Fighting to Defend Slavery—In the Secessionists’ Own Words!

The Tragic Choice for Southern Federal Soldiers

Notes and References

Bibliography

Author and Subject Index