Ref.: ROME-54051
Lieutenant of the Confederate Artillery, 1862 The American Civil war started on the 13th April, 1861 when at half past four the Confederate artillery started to bomb Fort Surnter a Union fortress in the territory of Charleston . The garrison surrendered after thirty hours of bombing. The welfare and survival of the South depended on agriculture and therefore on the work of black slaves. Slavery represented an obstacle to the progress of' the industrialized States of the North and the colonies of the West. When Abraham Lincoln was elected the South requested the separation from the free States of the North. In February 1861 in Alabama a Confederation of Southern States was formed and its President became Jefferson Davis. The fratricide war lasted until the 9th April 1865 when the South surrendered unconditionally. The figurine represents a lieutenant of' the Southern Artillery. He wears a uniform as per an ordinance of the 6th June 1861 according to which the officers had to wear a grey redingote with length between the hip and the knee. On both arms it shows golden braiding fastened in Austrian knots. The chepi is red French Model with golden braiding on the top in the shape of four leaves. The sash is red with golden fringed end and it is fastened below the belt. The trousers are light blue wide leg with red side stripe. The only defensive weapon assigned to the artillery foot‑soldier was a sword. The epaulettes were eliminated in 1862 for two reasons, firstly because they were typical of the Union Army, secondly because the enemy could easily identify Officers during battle. The buttons of which four were at the back of the jacket were gilt.