06/14/2026
My most prized find from the Yorktown trip came at the very end of the second day. I was frantically searching for one last Yorktown-specific find, but a storm was brewing overhead and the sun was quickly escaping into the horizon…
I was pressed for time when I had heard yet another pull tab type signal (72-75) near the road, and of course thought to myself it was going to be yet another “beaver tail” style pulltab since people partied here in the 70s and 80s… but boy am I glad I was wrong. I immediately saw a round disc with a symbol on it, then I picked it up and it was extremely heavy. I originally had it sideways and thought it was going to be an anchor, but it actually turned out to be my second numbered Revolutionary War button of the day - a British 64th Regiment of Foot Officer’s button.
This button is made of pewter, about 22mm in size, and has evidence of it being silver plated, which could possibly mean it was worn by a higher-ranking officer in the regiment.
The 64th Regiment of Foot, also known as the Black Knots, were present for many of the major battles of the Revolution, up and down the East Coast. They eventually split up in Charleston, and only the Light Infantry company was said to be present at the surrender of Yorktown. This detached company of only 45-60 men fought at the Siege of Yorktown as a part of Lord Cornwallis’ Army.
The interesting thing is, this could prove history in a way, as the 64th regiment’s current website is actually unsure if they were present there or not. The ground doesn’t lie though, so finding this button several inches deep in the earth proves that they were in fact on the battlefield and surrendered to French and American forces.
This is just a small, tangible piece of the story of the surrender at Yorktown, but it’s a priceless item to me. I’m forever grateful to have recovered such a significant piece tying to the brand new birth of our nation.
