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IDENTIFIED ca. WAR OF 1812 – 1ST SEMINOLE WAR
OFFICER’S SILVER SPOON – HANDLE ENGRAVED w/ “US ARMY”
AND OFFICER’S NAME:
This silver service soup or serving spoon is of the
classic style in use in the United States from the
colonial period through the first quarter of the 1800’s
and is engraved on the base of the handle “U.S. ARMY”
and “W.T. WILLARD”. There is only one “W.T. Willard”
listed in Hietman’s Historical Register and
Dictionary of the U.S. Army which lists all of the
officers who served between 1789 and 1903 – William Tell
Willard.
Lieutenant
William Tell Willard was born in Vermont in 1796 and
received his commission in the US Army on April 21, 1814
as a "Third Lieutenant", a rank still in use at that
time. During
the War of 1812, Willard
served in the 26th
Infantry Regiment, was promoted to 2nd Lt. in 1814, and
was discharged in June of 1815. While he was with the
regiment, the 26TH Infantry was engaged at
the siege of Fort Erie in Upper Canada.
Willard
reentered the army in December of 1815 in the Corps of
Artillery, was promoted to 1st Lt. in 1818, and served
in the 1st and 4th Artillery from 1821 through 1827 when
he resigned his commission. This later period of
service coincides with the Creek Indian War in Alabama
and the First Seminole War in Florida. While I am not
certain where Willard was stationed during these years,
the Corps of Artillery was present in Florida as early
as the spring of 1818.
Willard led a very successful life after leaving the
army, settling in Troy, New York where he served as the
postmaster of Troy in 1852, was the Librarian of the
Lyceum of Natural History, the Secretary of the Arba
Read Steam Engine Company which manufactured fire
fighting apparatus, was an insurance agent, and owned
and operated a fleet of merchant schooners and barges.
By June of 1856, Willard had assumed the title of
"Colonel" as seen in an advertisement offering his
services to veterans of the Mexican War to assist them
in processing their Veteran Land Bounties. Other
than an older gentleman veteran assuming the mantle of a
senior officer rank which he had never held for the
purposes of business or social enhancement, I have no
explanation of how he came to use the title. It is
possible he served in some capacity with the local
militia and was elevated to that rank, but no evidence
was found of such service beyond his regular army
service which ended in 1827. Willard died in April
of 1870 in Troy. The copies of all of the research
which supports this biography, which includes period
newspaper articles, obituaries, US Census records, and
business journals are included with this offering and
will be provided with the spoon.
The spoon,
measuring 9” long overall with a 3” long bowl, is of the
classic early 19th Century style. The back
of the butt of the handle has the maker’s name “R.R.
SMITH” and three different hallmarks. The spoon is full
length with no significant wear or damage. The bowl
has a few minor, shallow dents, typical of the effect of
years of use on the soft silver. The engraved legend as
described above is complete and fully legible.
This is a
nice, early US Army identified piece from a period when
officers purchased their own personal equipment, and a
scarce relic related to the War of 1812. $275
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