It is engraved in gold and silver with flags of the United States and
Chile crossed with bayonets and spears. On one side there is a center
medallion in gold with the monogram "L V K" (for Luisa V. Kilpatrick)
in a circle surmounted on a shield of stars and stripes. Above the
monogram there is a banner with three stars and a triangle. On the other
side of the standing piece two eagles in fighting position are shown in
front of a sunburst design. The United States flag can be seen directly
behind the victorious eagle. The motto "Tuebor" is at the top of the
sunburst. The entire design is encircled by a ring of stars, and there
is a shield of stars and stripes at the top. This same design is
repeated on all 40 pieces.
The service contains napkin rings, vegetable dishes, syrup jar, spoon
holder, large centerpiece, porcelain-lined pitcher, and other
miscellaneous pieces of silver used for table service. The pieces of the
tea and coffee service are mounted on four feet that are fastened to the
bowl with cattle heads with branched horns. Each foot stands on a cloven
hoof. The knob of each of the pots is a tiny horse jumping over a
four-bar hurdle.
One of the most interesting military presentation pieces in the
collection is a silver and copper shield presented to Lieutenant General
Nelson A. Miles, U.S. Army, by the officers of the 5th Infantry
Regiment. General Miles served for many years as colonel of the regiment
and led it in a number of notable Indian engagements. Beginning in 1869
his regiment defeated the Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Sioux, Nez Perce,
and Bannock Indians, and, in 1886, after a long and difficult campaign,
Miles compelled the surrender of the Apaches under Geronimo and
Natchez.
The heart-shaped shield[12] is surrounded by a rolled edge made of
copper which originally had a gold wash. Inscribed on the inside of the
rolled edge are the names "New Mexico," "Kansas," "Wyoming," "Montana,"
"Dakota," "Colorado," "Indian Territory," and "Texas." A profile
portrait of General Miles, in relief, is suspended from an eagle's beak
in the center, and below are the crossed weapons of the U.S. Army and
the Indians surmounted by a peace pipe.
The background of the shield is silver with etched scenes depicting
incidents of the career of General Miles in the states named. The scenes
depicted are of a buffalo hunt, a covered wagon on the trail, wild
horses with Indian tepees in the background, an Army council of war,
General Miles receiving the surrender of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce
Indians, and a peaceful agricultural scene.
The plaque is inscribed as follows:
Presented to General Nelson A. Miles, U.S. Army, by the officers
of the fifth U.S. Infantry. As a token of personal esteem and
their estimate of his distinguished services in which unequaled
successes over savages in war were paralleled by humanity and
justice towards the thousands of Indians whom he took captive and
instructed in the Arts of Civilization.
The plaque, measuring 18-1/2 by 23 inches overall, is marked "Tiffany &
Co., 6565. Makers 2, Sterling Silver, 926-1000 and Other Metals, M."
General Miles was colonel of the 5th Infantry Regiment for so many years
that a modification of his family crest was selected as the crest on the
coat of arms of the regiment. The Miles family crest is an arm in armor
grasping an anchor. Arrows for each Indian campaign in which the
regiment took part are substituted for the anchor in the regimental
crest.[13]
[Illustration: Figure 10.--SILVER SERVICE presented to Mrs. Abraham
Lincoln when she was First Lady. Gift of Mr. Lincoln Isham. In Division
of Political History. (Acc. 216335.6-.13; Smithsonian photo 44851-B.)]