76

Hardee Hat eagle badge, said to be worn at the funeral of a Confederate officer killed by his enslaved people.

No place, circa 1855-1863
Embroidered cloth badge, 2¾ x 2 inches; lacking the stitching in the eagle's wings with resulting loose threads, otherwise minimal wear; in later envelope with circa 1929-1933 family inscription. 

  • Notes: The Hardee hat was widely used as the regulation dress hat by United States Army soldiers after 1858. It was also known as the Jeff Davis hat, after the 1858 Secretary of War. These badges were often stitched to the hat to raise the brim on one side. The hats remained in use by both Union and Confederate soldiers after the outbreak of war. 

    This example has notable provenance, according to a family inscription: "Used in the funeral service of Gen. Terisha Dillard, 1863."

    Terisha Washington Dillard (1817-1863) was a general in the Virginia militia before and during the Civil War. The story of his death was told in the 16 May 1863 issue of the Richmond Dispatch:

    "Gen. Terisha W. Dillard, of Amherst Co., was brutally murdered by some of his servants on Saturday last. He was superintending some work he was having done on an island in the James River, near his residence, in which six hands were employed--four women and two men--when the murder was executed. He was caught and held by the men, and the women inflicted the fatal blows. His body was horribly cut and mangled, presenting a shocking spectacle of mutilation. After the deed had been performed, the remains were covered up in the sand--but soon two of the women made confession of the crime, and with the two men, were arrested."

    This badge may have been worn by General Dillard's son William Terisha Dillard (1846-1898), then a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute; or another family member.

    Provenance: acquired with William Terisha Dillard's diary (sold at Swann, 13 April 2023, lot 46) and letters (see lot 87 in this sale), and papers of son-in-law William Wallace Larkin (lot 75). The envelope is initialed "S.D.L.," presumably Terisha Dillard's daughter Sallie Dillard Larkin (1853-1933), with the inscription in a different hand of similar vintage. The envelope is a business reply envelope of the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation using the 67 Broad Street address of its New York office built in 1929. 
  • Condition:
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    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
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