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Description

Stamped and gilded metal hat plates or insignia of Captain Francis "Frank" Ignatius Deveraux Webb (1832-1908). One features the Battle Monument and the other was worn on the shako helmet of the 5th Regiment Maryland National Guard. Born in Washington, D.C., his father was a Marylander and his mother was from the Dominican Republic. Webb became a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, as a young man and worked as a painter in the construction industry. In his profession, he specialized in sign painting and ornamentation. On September 15, 1861, he enlisted in Baltimore with the Union army's Company D, Purnell Legion Infantry as a 1st lieutenant. Webb was present for major eastern battles, including Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. He was promoted to captain on January 12, 1864 and mustered out of Purnell's Legion on October 24, 1864. Webb transferred as captain of Company C, 11th Maryland Volunteer Infantry Regiment and remained with the unit until he mustered out in June 1865. After the Civil War, he returned to his work as a sign painter, but was also a fire fighter as a member of the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company of Baltimore, and served as a lieutenant in the 5th Regiment, Maryland National Guard. Webb married Mary Elizabeth Postley Webb (1839-1897) in November 1860 and they had six children. After he was widowed, he moved to Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, to live with a daughter. He died in 1908 and is buried in Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland.

Creator

Date

circa 1850-1880

Materials

Metal

Dimensions

4 x 4 inches

Object ID

2001.26.1,2

Resource ID

9691

Credit Line

Gift of Montgomery County Historical Society

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital image is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.