SAMUEL BELL Coin Silver Mug Gift of CONFEDERATE GENERAL EARL VAN DORN Civil War

Description

A coin silver mug by
Samuel Bell, Texas silversmith, b. 1797
Bell worked in Knoxville, TN from 1819-1852 before moving to San Antonio with his family. His silver is highly sought after.
This elegant mug is characteristic of Bell's style with its sweeping handle and simple engraving. It measures 3 1/4" tall to top of handle with a 2 3/4" dia. top rim and 2 1/4" footrim and weighs 192 grams with nice weight at the bottom. It is in excellent condition, with a single very faint dimple and a nick on the footrim (pic 6 at 2:00), and the footrim slightly out of round. It exhibits his earlier mark: S.BELL, in a clear strike. In 1860 his sons took over the business and BELL BROS. was used. This later hallmark appears on all the Bell mugs I've viewed online.
The mug is engraved:
Earl Van Dorn Jr
(1854-1884).
I've reasonably concluded it was a gift from his father, Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn.
Earl Van Dorn, 1820-1863, great nephew of Andrew Jackson, fought against several tribes of Native Americans in the Mexican-American War when he was wounded by two arrows. He fought in the Western theater of the American  Civil War as a Confederate major general. He never saw the end of the war, being the ladies man that he was, he was shot in 1863 by the angry husband of his latest affair. There is an abundance of information online about his life.
As for the provenance of this mug, Van Dorn was stationed in Texas at various places from 1855-1860, which is at the height of Samuel Bell's professional career in Texas. Bell's
clientele
listed in the company's register included Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and other prominent military figures ( quote from Heritage Auctions). Given Bell's high ranking military clientele and Van Dorn's close proximity to Bell, it is reasonable to conclude Earl Van Dorn sought out Samuel Bell for a silver purchase.
I acquired this mug at an estate sale in Long Beach, CA in 2007. The gentleman running it announced the sale was from a descendant of a Civil War general although there were no such obvious items in the sale. It was after doing research on the associated names and dates I discovered this little gem's background. When I ran into the same man shortly afterwards I inquired about the Civil War connection. He said there was lots of Civil War related material in the house which he had shipped to the family. It seems the family still hasn't offered Van Dorn's military memorabilia for sale publicly since there isn't much out there related to this colorful historic figure besides a few photos and letters.
Another item I purchased at the sale was a postcard made out to Van Dorn Scott with a date of 1974. The address on the card is the home where I purchased the mug. I assume Scott Van Dorn was the owner and descendant of the estate. The postcard will accompany the mug.
I have no other information relating to provenance.
I sent a picture of the mug to Winterthur metals curator Donald Fennimore in 2007. Here is his response:
After reading your email, I visited our Decorative Arts Photographic Collection (DAPC) to see our holdings on the two Samuel Bells.  We have virtually nothing on the Philadelphia Bell.  Conversely, we have quite a bit on the Texas Bell.  It consists mostly of spoons, all of which bear marks that appear to be the same as yours.  That file also contains images and data sheets on three mugs, all of which appear to be closely related to yours, all of which bear marks that relate to yours and one of which has an engraved presentation inscription dated 1845 to the mayor of San Antonio .  These files suggest your mug is most likely by the Samuel Bell who worked in Texas .  Should you wish further information on our files, I am sure Bert Denker, our DAPC librarian, would be glad to correspond with you.
Please don't hesitate to message me any questions.
I do not ship to a 3rd party shipper or to a re-shipper. All requests, including requests for special packaging, needs to be done prior to purchase. U.S. shipping only.
Shipping is Priority Mail Express Overnight by 10:30 am. Signature is required.