I am visiting family in North Carolina and we are looking over all sorts of letters/pictures/genealogy and stuff and we found these pins. I was hoping those knowledgeable on the Civil War could shine more light on these pins.
From what I know: This ancestor (in the cut off picture in the top right) was killed in the later half of the war fighting for the Confederacy, and wore these two pins. On the left, this was worn on his cap, and I don't have any info on the piece on the right. The top left pin was also on his cap I believe. All were recovered from his body.
I am finding this stuff fascinating and was hoping you all could provide more detail.
I can't speak to the others, but the medal on the right is the Southern Cross of Honor. It was a post war medal given out around 1900 for "Loyal and Honorable Service to the South".
/u/inthemument has the right idea for the one on the right.
The one on the left appears to be some variation of the Hardee Hat Pin, though its quality and condition make me suspect it dates from after the war. I'm referring to the Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms here.
Pins of that particular design (all varying slightly from one another) were in use starting in 1851 but particularly after 1858, when the Hardee hat was introduced. Army regulations required one side of the hat to be pinned up during dress parade, and these pins were primarily worn in ceremonial circumstances -- though battle wear was not unheard of.
They were primarily produced by and used by the Union army but do appear among militia and volunteer units on both sides.
The reason I suspect it's a post-war item is because its design closely resembles the helmet eagles created in the 1870s for the U.S. Army's mounted troops. These eagles were widely reproduced in the 1960s for the Civil War centennial observances and are frequently passed off as originals.
In addition, the condition of that pin is really, really good. If it was used in the field, you'd expect it to show some wear around the edges, particularly on the tips of the eagle's feathers, the tips of the arrows and other protruding edges.
