The Search for Corporal Dow

The start of the restoration of a perfectly ordinary Civil War era Sharps military musket turns into a five year long search for information about both the gun itself and its previous owner, Corporal Wm. H Dow of the 2nd Wisconsin Regiment of the famed Iron Brigade of the Union Army. We learn that Corporal Dow served with distinction in a number of battles including Gainsville, Gettysburg and Bull Run. He entered the Minnesota Old Soldiers Home in 1927 and died later that year. The work done on the project was eventually rewarded when the husband and wife owners of the piece brought it and their very extensive research documentation to a local appearance in their community of the popular TV program Antique Road Show and the antique arms expert appraised their original $1000 purchase together with their research at a current value of $25,000. Gene and Linda Solyntjes, the co-authors, then spent the following three years writing their how-to book which shows the reader in great detail how to research any member of the US armed forces right back to the French and Indian War and how to research any US made military sidearm. There are literally hundreds of sites on the Internet to assist the researcher; it s merely a matter of knowing where to go, and a CD included with the book makes that a lot easier. A full size publication with over 200 pages and 64 photos, many in color.