Beschreibung:

Folk art pipe, nicely grained wood, possibly laurel root. 3.25 inches overall width; bowl height 2.25 inches. Bowl is octagon-shaped, approx. 1.75 inch dia. Entire decoration consists of five very deep, wide carved fluted channels, with the center two deeply carved with incised letters: BATTLE OF BETHEL / JUNE 10, 1861. The Battle of Bethel Church, also known as the Battle of Big Bethel, was one of the earliest land battles of the Civil War and the first fought in Virginia. Occurring just eight weeks after the firing of shots on Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bethel Church saw Union forces repulsed and defeated by the Confederates. Though dwarfed in scale and significance by later battles, the Battle of Bethel Church was attributed considerable importance at the time because of the newness of the conflict and the sense that the war would be short in duration. Provenance: Property of N. Flayderman & Co. Condition: Crack extending from rim of bowl through "BAT" in "Battle." Some dirt built up in carved details. Pipe was certainly used.