In January 2017, a worn Civil War battle cap was presented for auction on eBay. A side view of the cap is shown above. Identified as having been the propoerty of Don Williams of Montoursvile, PA, the cap originally belonged to Elgeroy Hill, who lived in Wheelerville, Sullivan County, PA after the war. The note which came with the hat says he was 13 years old when he acquired the hat, although the records actually indicate he was 15. It is also stated that Elgeroy lived to be 83 years old, which would mean he died about 1833. Although there is no formal record of his having been wounded, that is certainly a possibility. His unit, the 50th PA Infantry, saw a great deal of action on the Eastern front in the war, including the Battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. They were present at Appomatox for Lee's surrender aw well. Hill was in Company G, where he was listed as "Emery Hill".

Here are two more photos of the cap and another of the testimonial plaque that came with it. We are grateful to Scott W. Tilden for these photos.

Cap: Top View With Numeral One on Front

Eagle Clasp on Side of Cap

Cap History