This pair of Darby-style iron handcuffs was found in a slave pen in Williamsburg, Virginia during the Civil War. The handcuffs are a fixed size and were probably made in the United States by the Providence Tool Company. The Darby handcuff became obsolete after adjustable handcuffs were invented in 1862.

For details, view the handcuffs in our online collections database.

Color map on paper of the Gettysburg battlefield as it appeared on July 1 – 3, 1863.  The map was drawn by John B. Bachelder and lithographed by Endicott & Company Lithography of New York in 1863. A color-coded legend associates the rectangles arranged on the map with the Union and Confederate companies present on each of the battle’s three days. The signature of Union General George Meade follows the statement, “I am perfectly satisfied with the accuracy with which the topography is delineated [and] the position of the troops laid down.”

For details, view the map in our online collections database.

Learn more:

• Gettysburg collections
• Civil War collections
• Minnesota and the Civil War exhibit
• Civil War Daybook
• Civil War programs and resources

Photograph of John Risedorph of the 4th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E, taken circa 1865. Risedorph began his military service as a private and rose to the rank of sergeant.

For details, view the photograph in our online collections database.

Learn more:

• 4th Minnesota museum collections
• 4th Minnesota manuscript collections
• Civil War collections
• Minnesota and the Civil War exhibit
• Civil War Daybook
• Civil War programs and resources

Leather medicine case used by Javan B. Irvine during the Civil War. The case is stamped “Physician’s Pocket Companion” and contains twenty-one glass bottles with corks. Irvine enlisted with the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on April 29, 1861, and fought in the First Battle of Bull Run. He was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Thirteenth United States Infantry in 1861.

For details, view the case in our online collections database.

Learn more:

• Civil War Daybook
• Civil War programs
• Civil War collections

Child’s size 2 printed cotton dress with a star and dot print made and worn during the 1860s. The dress has a plain bodice with a square, wide neckline, ruffled cap sleeves and a back button closure. The full skirt is gathered at the waist and the bodice is lined in white cotton. This was the first short dress worn by Genevieve Ives Schwarg of Dodge Center, Minnesota, a teacher and librarian active in the women’s suffrage movement.

For details, view the dress in our online collections database.

Mechanical washing machine used as a demonstration model by salesman Nickolas Wanes of Rice Lake, Wisconsin during the 1860s.

For details, view the washing machine in our online collections database.

Knitted wool afghan made in Rochester, New York circa 1865. Six triangles edged in blue decorate each of its four sides; three blooming flowers on a white background decorate its center. The central floral square is surrounded by a blue frame. The afghan was most likely a baby blanket made for Edwin C. Paine, the donor’s brother, who was born in 1865.

For details, view the afghan in our online collections database.

Splint made of six pieces of wood nailed together. The splint was used to support the injured leg of Colonel William Colvill at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, during the Civil War. Colvill became the fifth and final colonel of the  First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on May 6, 1863 and was wounded several times, three times at Gettysburg, which left him partially crippled for the rest of his life.

Learn more:

• Civil War Daybook
• Civil War programs
• Civil War collections

Woman’s leather side saddle with a floral pattern plush fabric seat. The saddle has a single slipper stirrup for the left foot with a heart shape cut out of the tread, an upright pommel for hooking the right leg, a horn to secure the right knee, and a cloth girth.  Julia R. Ingraham Blake used the saddle. Julia married John Blake in 1858 and in 1861 brought the saddle with her when the couple moved from Massachusetts to Rochester, Minnesota. John Blake established a general merchandise store in Rochester and the couple lived there until 1882, when they moved to Minneapolis.

For details, view the saddle in our online collections database.

Today’s item of the day was originally featured in a post published on July 22, 2011.  Since that time, MHS conservators and curators have uncovered new information about its intended use.  This new information is included in the updated description below, and has been added to our online collections database.

Portable alcohol burner for heating surgical instruments in order to cauterize wounds in the field. The burner is made of tinned iron with a brass button catch. It opens flat with a reservoir and cloth tape wick in one half and two folding brass supports in the other.  The brass stand would support the instrument handle while the blade was held about two inches above the flame. The inside of the burner is stamped “E.P./ PARIS”. It was used during the Civil War by Captain William Moore Leyde of the 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery, Company B, as a camp stove or lantern.

For details, view the burner in our online collections database.

Learn more:

• Civil War Daybook
• Civil War programs
• Civil War collections