This is one heck of a Gettysburg battle worn dog tag. Look at the pictures closely . Our hero is Elias Tyler of the 19th Maine Infantry. He enlisted from the town of China in late July 1862. He served well, and on the 2nd of July 1863 he was shot in the chest and taken to the second division second Corps Hospital. He died July 15th still in Gettysburg. The total loss of the 19th Maine at Gettysburg was 12 officers and 220 men, almost 53% of the 440 officers and men who went into battle on the second day of July.

On July 2nd the regiment occupied Cemetery Ridge. Near 4 p.m., Confederate general Longstreet launched a powerful attack.In the early evening, the 19th was ordered to move forward from Cemetery Ridge. General Hancock rode up to personally reposition the men, directing them to support Lieutenant Gulian Weir’s Battery C, 5th U.S. Artillery. The officers and soldiers of the 19th were then ordered to lie down on the ground by Col. Heath. The Confederates were charging. Weir, who was positioned to their front with his battery, saw the Confederate advance as well. Orders were shouted and the 19th Maine stood and fired... Weir wheeled his guns into line and also opened fire. This temporarily halted a brigade of Floridians, but a brigade of Georgians burst onto the scene with overwhelming strength and swarmed Weir’s battery, capturing three of its guns.
The Floridians and Georgians then moved on the 19th Maine. As the Maine men stood, they saw a Confederate color-bearer through the smoke. Col. Heath shouted, “Drop that color-bearer”; a soldier fired and brought down the enemy flag. The 19th brought the Rebels’advance to a halt, exchanging as many as eight volleys with the enemy at 30 yards. Col. Heath, fearing encirclement about-faced the regiment’s line and gave the order to charge. The 19th, in company with rallied soldiers from the III Corps and reinforcements from nearby Vermont and Pennsylvania troops, swept the Rebels back. As they pursued the retreating soldiers, a staff officer rode up and asked Heath where the 19th was going. Heath replied, “We are chasing the Rebs.”It was during this part of the Gettysburg fight that Elias Tyler of Company G was hit in the chest by a rebel Minie Ball.
The dog tag is a very scarce variant of the George Washington Motif ID discs. ELIAS TYLER CO. G 19 MAINE V. E.S. JULY 30TH 1862 FRED'G 1ST AND 2D BATTLE I assume the letters ES stand for Entered Service. Importantly this one carries the battle honors from Fredericksburg with the suffix of First Battle and Second Battle, showing that Tyler bought this in May or June of 1863. He was wearing this disc at Gettysburg.

$45 for UPS expedited air shipping, and Signature Required service. UPS charges $7 to obtain a signature. Insurance is $2.00 per $100 in value. No shipments outside the USA

VG