Mr. Foster: Since the Holcombe Legion never fought around Franklin, and the Legion was there in the spring and early summer of 1863, it is almost certainly from a member of the Hampton Legion Infantry (later converted to mounted infantry). The most likely candidate is Benjamin Franklin Green, of Company D, the Gist Rifles. (There were a number of Greens and two Greers, but BFG is the only possible candidate.) This company was raised from the area surrounding Williamston, and included men from Anderson, Greenville, and Pickens Districts. B. F. Green enlisted at Williamston in Mar 1862, aged 43. He is shown as present for duty on all existant muster rolls of the Legion (there are some rolls missing) through Dec 1864, the last roll for the Legion on file. He was paroled dismounted at Appomattox, and had been returned as dismounted on the Sep-Dec 64 rolls. He was born on 1 Aug 1818, but died prior to 1897.
Is there any chance that I could get a good photograph of the spout, for possible inclusion in a book, if ever I get around to writing one? I will gladly pay for the costs and postage. Ask your friend, and ask exactly where he unearthed the spout?
I am not familiar with any soldier in the Hampton Legion named Brown Green. However, if he was a servant or cook, he certainly could have served with the Legion. I am trying to compile a list of blacks who served with the Legion, but it's a virtually hopeless task, mostly hit or miss. I would be most interested in hearing about Brown. There is a good chance he may have served with the Holcombe Legion, which recruited heavily from Spartanburg. The Hampton Legion included one cavalry and three infantry companies with Greenville connections, plus two more which had Greenville men in the ranks, but a few came from across the line in Spartanburg. I look forward to hearing from you.