South Carolina was an old and prosperous state prior to the War. As such, she was able to equip her volunteer army with the finest of accoutrements. There are more variations of the South Carolina waist belt, cartridge box and breastplate than there are of any other state in the Confederacy. These early plates from South Carolina were intended to be worn with a white web belt that locked down the over-the-shoulder bayonet scabbard and cartridge box web belts.

There are several variations of this plate bearing the SC monogram, but this one can be dated very specifically by its construction. The plate is cast of brass, the hooks being cast integrally with the plate. This style was manufactured circa 1830-50. The casting of the brass is rather rough, but the coin silver SC is beautifully done, leading me to suppose that a jeweler or silversmith in Charleston or Columbia produced the plate for one of South Carolina’s elite companies. A matching cartridge box, bearing the same monogram is known to exist. It is likely they were purchased as an infantry set in the years prior to the War Between the States.

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