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President Abraham Lincoln issued the "The United States Volunteer Service" Award in 1864 to recognize military service in the Civil War. Thousands of men who volunteered for the armed forces received these certificates. This certificate is for service in the 166th Ohio National Guard, presented to Anthony Fietz, a Principle Musician. It is dated December 15, 1864. It measures approx 15.75 in x 13.25 in. Unframed. It is in excellent condition with no tears.
The signatures of Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton are printed signatures; they are NOT live ink. When inspecting them under a loupe, it appeared to me that someone back then traced over the printed signatures, perhaps to try and make them look like live ink; the traced ink has oxidized and turned brown, when compared to the printed ink.
During the American Civil War, field musicians were men and boys who played drums, bugles, and fifes. They were often as young as 12 years old. Field musicians played military commands, helped with troop movements, and provided command and control during battle. They also marked the activities of daily wartime life, such as roll call, drills, wake up, and lights-out. Estimates of Union musicians at the end of 1861 range from 8,000 to 28,000. Estimates for the entire war reach as high as 53,600 musicians.
The last name Fietz is relatively rare in North America and is not among the top 500 most common surnames in the United States or Canada. The name Fietz comes from the German word "fietz," which is an old German term for a small bird or sparrow.
According to Ancestry.com, there are 13,000 records for Fietz.
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