Confederate Surgeon General of South Carolina Secession Badge, 2" x 3.25", mounted to a period card, 2.5" x 4", upon which i...

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Confederate Surgeon General of South Carolina Secession Badge, 2" x 3.25", mounted to a period card, 2.5" x 4", upon which is inscribed, "Secession Badge of So Ca. 1861 from Dr. R. W. Gibbes: Surgeon Gen'l of State." A two-piece gilt South Carolina militia cuff button, a swatch of dark blue fabric and a piece of palmetto frond have been combined to create this fine rebel cockade. In excellent condition with only slight aging to its card mount. Whether this item was personally worn by Dr. Gibbes or was a gift from him is a matter of conjecture. Either way, this wonderful badge is associated with one of the great minds of antebellum South Carolina. Robert W.Gibbes (1809-1866) indeed served the Confederate cause in a medical capacity. His intellectual passions, however, were much broader than the healing arts. Gibbes collected and published extensively on natural history, with an emphasis on local paleontological discoveries. He was also well-versed in geology, biology and history.