(c.1864) Token DeWitt GMcC 1864-24 Brass Maj. Gen. Geo. B. McClellan Campaign

Coin Details

Auction Record

$288 UNC Details 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This brass campaign token for Major General George B. McClellan from circa 1864 is cataloged as DeWitt GMcC 1864-24, a higher-numbered variety in the McClellan series. The number of distinct McClellan varieties in the DeWitt catalog demonstrates that the Democratic campaign produced a reasonable volume of medallic material despite the party's wartime disadvantages. McClellan's image on campaign tokens typically shows him in military uniform with the rank insignia of a major general, emphasizing the martial credentials that were his principal political asset. The 1864 Democratic platform's peace plank was authored by Clement Vallandigham, the most prominent Copperhead leader who had been banished to the Confederacy by Lincoln in 1863 for seditious speech. McClellan's association with Vallandigham and the peace movement, despite his personal disagreement with immediate armistice, was effectively exploited by the Republican campaign. This brass token documents the material culture of a political campaign that, had it succeeded, ended the Civil War on terms that preserved slavery and recognized Confederate independence.

Rarity Notes

Brass campaign token, circa 1864. DeWitt GMcC 1864-24. Higher catalog number in the McClellan series. Moderately scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #901933; DeWitt GMcC 1864-24; 1864 Presidential Election; George B. McClellan