74th French regiment pewter button

Lodge Scent

Lodge Scent

Active member
I was poking around the edges one of my well pounded colonial sites and dug a button. Couldn't tell what it was out in the field but when I got home and started to clean it I started to get excited as a couple of numbers emerged. Best as I can tell it is a button from the French 74th Regiment. The French were in Newport for quite a while before heading down to Virginia and the Battle of Yorktown. Where I found the button is only a hard day's march from Newport. At this point I am just guessing.

74th front 4.jpg



74th back.jpg


Here is a pic of one I found on line. This looks to be brass, mine is pewter.
74th French.jpg

Any ID help from you button experts would be appreciated !

Thanks,

Jeff
 
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:wow: very interesting button Jeff , can you post some better close ups of the front and reverse (better side view of the shank) , a 74th regiment served on both sides and I would like to inspect this a little more before i commit to a reply .

Dan
 
Jeff , does yours have the 4 hole turret style shank or the 2 hole style , its difficult for me to see it clearly to tell ?? I'm sure Iron Patch can positively id this when he sees it .

chief5709 said:
I love regimental buttons :notworthy:
Click to expand...

you and me :smitten:both Brian
 
Dan, yeah sorry about the sucky pictures. It definitely has the 4 hole turret style. It also definitely has that same design element as the one shown in the example I found online. Thanks!
 
Lodge Scent said:
Dan, yeah sorry about the sucky pictures. It definitely has the 4 hole turret style. It also definitely has that same design element as the one shown in the example I found online. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Jeff , the only info i see is this ....

Number 74 borne by Saintonge Regiment (yellow) from 1775-1776 , and 74th buttons found in North America are most likely from this unit.

that was from Don Troiani's book military buttons of the American Revolution.
 
That is very helpful Dan. I had been focused on the Bourbonnois regiments. The Saint Onge regiment was definitely involved in the Battle of Rhode Island. Very cool. I'll try and get some decent pics.
 
Nice one! But don't sell yourself short because the link you provide is a button that dates later. Very different. A hunting buddy of mine dug a French 74th over a decade ago... was a nice one too. I've never found a Rev War period French, so is definitely on the want list.


Your button might look pewter but it's not.
 
Thanks everyone, it is an exciting find for me to say the least! Thanks for the info IP. Yeah I was looking hard at it the other day and was thinking it might be bronze or something similar. I couldn't find any pewter examples either.

I have a USA button, now all I need to find is an British and a Hessian button and I'll have a complete set :grin: Well, I can dream about it anyway. :daydream:
 
Holy cow! I missed a lot of stuff in January....my apologies :embarrassed:
That is a heck of a find, Jeff!! I'd like to talk to you about the location as I found a French 95th in our area and only conjecture as to why it would be here.
 
Found it in Fall River, gents.

From what I've read, French troops marched from Boston and Newport through CT to join the battle in the Chesapeake area.
 
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