"We are only passing through history," the evil French archaeologist tells Indiana Jones in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, "the ark is history."

For those of us who endeavor to collect and preserve artifacts of the past for future generations, we think this is a great way of looking at our quest. We are not so much owners, but custodians of history. Yet we cannot help but be alarmed to see history disappearing at such a frightening rate, buried forever beneath the latest shopping mall or expressway.

With this in mind, we believe we have a task before us. We must not only preserve the physical remnants of our Civil War and historical memories, but also learn to cultivate their importance and illustrate their significance to an increasingly ignorant and indifferent public. Our passion for the artifact must be re-born into a passion for telling its story.

For most of us, this passion, this obsession, started in a very humble way. Perhaps it was just a Minie ball, an eagle button, or a knapsack hook that began our journey, but once held in our hands, it lit the fires of our imagination and brought to mind a thousand images: the thunderous gallop of a cavalry charge, the crackle and roar of distant battle, the wearisome tramp of ill-shod soldiers down a country road, hurrying off to a destiny we cannot imagine sitting upon our sofas with our remotes. Yet, from the beginning we knew it wasn't just the object, but the emotion and the surge of feeling which it produced in us; that the last person who held it may have seen the elephant in places such as Gettysburg or Chickamauga or Spotsylvania.

So, in a sense, what we are preserving are simply put, values, honor, courage, innocence, loyalty and dedication to one's beliefs in the face of unimaginable suffering.  Things that are in very short supply today!
 

We at Saving the South Relics understand your particular passion to collect,  understand, and preserve the past in your own way.  We have collectively over seventy years experience in finding, identifying and authenticating rare Civil War and American Historical artifacts. We are constantly on the lookout for items of the highest quality and investment potential for you, the discretionary collector. So, feel free to browse through our inventory. Drop us a line and let us know about that special item you are seeking.