CIVIL WAR STEAMSHIP RELIC, a cut-brass spike said to have been salvaged by Theodore R. Haynie of Reedville, VA, from the wreck of the steamship Knickerbocker which went aground in heavy fog near Smith's Point on the Potomac River the night of February 14, 1865. A group of Confederates fired cannon on the vessel, and it was set afire and destroyed. The accompanying typed note adds, "The Spikes were authenticated by the Smithsonian Institution." 1843. 6 5/8" L.
Catalogue Note: The 291-foot "Knickerbocker" was a wooden-hull steamer built in 1843 by Smith and Dimon of New York. She saw extensive service hauling passengers, freight, and livestock on the Hudson River and Long Island Sound. She was taken south in 1863 and used to transport Union troops until her final destruction. 

Excellent condition.