Confederate Veterans

Included in the October 17, 1883, issue of The Norfolk Virginian newspaper was a small article announcing, “It is proposed to form a post of the Confederate veterans of this city.” Those interested were asked to send their names and rank to J.G. Hobday at the Portsmouth News Depot. The proposal soon became a reality, and on January 28 of the following year, Confederate veterans of the George E. Pickett Association met for the annual election of officers. All ex-Confederate veterans wishing to join were invited to attend.

The Namesakes 

By May, the new group had changed its name, adding “Buchanan” after “Pickett.” George Edward Pickett was born in Richmond on January 16, 1825, and was a career officer in the United States Army. After the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Confederate army, where he served as a major general. He died in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 30, 1875.

The other man, Franklin Buchanan, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 17, 1800. He was only 15 when he joined the United States Navy, where he served for 45 years and worked his way up the ranks. When he resigned on April 22, 1861, Buchanan held the rank of captain. Enlisting in the Confederate Navy, he became a full admiral and was the only officer to attain that rank. He died in Easton, Maryland, on May 11, 1874.

Beach Party

The year 1884 was eventful for the new group. In June, memorial services were held to honor Confederate soldiers killed in the war, and later that month, the organization’s president, James Barron Hope, announced that a Ladies’ Aid Memorial Association was being organized. The Norfolk Landmark newspaper reported on the biggest event of the year in an article headlined “Ex-Confederate Excursion to Virginia Beach a Grand Success,” published on September 3. It related that an estimated 3,000 people had attended the event “for the benefit of the distressed ex-Confederate Veterans” the previous day. The gathering was said to be “the largest number of people ever on the Beach at one time.” The group sponsored an open-air concert and fair in October to benefit the Ladies’ Aid Memorial Society.

Metal Badge

The organization issued an attractive medal. A monument is depicted in the center of the obverse, with the years (18)61 and (18)65 at the base. A soldier stands to the right, and a sailor stands to the left, with NORFOLK VIRGINIA above. The date, 1883, is below, and PICKETT–BUCHANAN CAMP/CONFEDERATE VETERANS is around the rim. The reverse features crossed Confederate flags, with MILITAVI NON SINE GLORIA (“the military was not without glory”) around the rim. The illustrated medal is struck in white metal, a tin alloy, and it is 38mm in diameter. I’ve also seen examples struck in bronze, some of which are looped at the top and suspended from a bronze pinback in the shape of crossed cannons, each with a sword on it and a Confederate flag above.

The dates on medals do not always indicate when they were actually struck. In this case, 1883 certainly isn’t when the Pickett–Buchanan Camp piece was issued; it merely refers to the year the organization was established. Having said that, it should be noted that by the early 1890s, most die-sinkers were using aluminum, which by that time had become economically practical for use in striking tokens and medals instead of white metal. While we might never be able to determine exactly when the medal was issued, thanks to a short announcement in the May 19, 1887, issue of The Norfolk Landmark, we can establish a time frame of no more than four years. The newspaper advised readers that “every member of Pickett-Buchanan Camp is requested to meet at the hall of the Camp today at 2:30 sharp, with both metal and ribbon badges.”

Proud Warriors

Many members were proud of their Civil War military service. The obituary of one member, Charles J. Calcutt,  was published on January 1, 1891, in the Weekly Virginian and Carolinian. It included the fact that “his features look natural, and robed in the uniform of Pickett-Buchanan Camp, with the badge of the organization pinned to his coat, even in death he resembled a true warrior.” Calcutt, who was born in England, also served his adopted country in the Mexican-American War. He later worked as a police officer in Norfolk. 

Veteran Sons

The group was active for many years, but by 1929, only nine surviving members were left. By this time, a new organization, the Pickett-Buchanan Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, had been formed. This group was still alive and well in the 1950s, but I did not find the group mentioned later, so I imagine no members were still living after that time.

Medals such as this are usually collected by subject matter and location. If offered at auction, this one would probably attract quite a few bids from Civil War buffs, in addition to those interested in numismatic items from Virginia. Although it is a scarce medal, it would probably only fetch a modest price, and certainly just a small fraction of what an American coin of similar rarity would bring. 

I welcome readers’ comments. Write to me at P.O. Box 2866, La Plata, MD 20646. If a reply is desired, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.  

A version of this article appears in the June 2025 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)