Sold: Civil War Bandanna

Woodblock-printed handkerchief stenciled with the name and rank of a Civil War soldier / cotton / c. mid-19th century

This mid-19th century woodblock-printed cotton handkerchief belonged to a Civil War soldier, Private Norman Hastings of Franklin, Massachusetts. Hastings was a 29-yeard-old married farmer from Franklin, MA when he volunteered for service in the 45th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The 45th was a 9-month regiment organized, fitted out, and brought to strength at Camp Meigs in Readville, MA. Hastings enlisted on September 15, 1862 in Company C. On November 5, his regiment departed from Boston on the steam “Mississippi” headed for Morehead City, North Carolina, to reinforce the Union occupation of North Carolina.

Over the course of his tour of duty in the South, his regiment engaged the enemy on several occassions and suffered casualties. However, the Confederates weren’t the chief threat to the life of a Union soldier.

On June 24, 1863 the 45th Regiment embarked home for Boston on the steamer “S.R. Spaulding”. Hastings died at sea on June 27 from disease, likely dysentery. He probably contracted the illness in the swamps of North Carolina as a result of poor sanitary conditions, and a soldier’s irregular nutrition and the limited medical treatment available to him surely worsened his condition.

Over its nine-month term of service, the 45th lost 19 enlisted men who were killed or mortally wounded in battle, but 32 who died of disease.  Sixty percent of Union casualties — some 225,000 men — would die not in battle, but from dysentery and other common conditions.

Hastings was three days from setting foot on his home state soil when he died. He was thirty years old. Norman Hastings is buried in Bellingham, MA.

The bandanna would have been among Hasting’s belongings which were returned to relatives after his death. In perfect condition, it was likely kept by the family in remembrance.

Please note: The photograph of Hastings is a digital image I found in my research.

Measurements

27 inches long

22 inches wide

Condition

Excellent antique condition, with minor discolorations from many years of storage.

Shipping

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