This very interesting Civil War cane has been expertly relief carved, possibly by the original owner, with the bust of a fez-clad Zouave making up the ball shaped grip, a "2/DZ" marked knapsack, cartridge box, and corps emblem on the back, and a pair of stacked muskets and a canteen on the front, all just below the bust. There are also multiple inscriptions carved throughout including "A.N. WHITE", "1862 1865", Co. A/165/N.Y. VOL.", and "2 DIV./2 BRIG." The 165th New York Infantry was organized in New York in 1862 as a sister regiment to the 5th New York Infantry. Both regiments the flamboyant and iconic Zouave style uniforms in the field, with the uniforms of both being nearly identical. The regiment was transferred to Louisiana in December of 1862, and in January of 1863 became part of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIX Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf. It was around this time that the owner of this cane joined the regiment. 23 year old Albert White enlisted as a private for three years at Carrollton, Louisiana, and would have been with the regiment during the siege of and assaults on Port Hudson in the spring of 1863, when the regiment suffered their highest casualties. White was promoted to corporal in October of 1863. In early 1864 the regiment was involved in the Red River Campaign which included the battles of Sabine Cross Roads and Pleasant Hill on 8-9 April. During the action at Pleasant Hill, White was captured, and 25 other men from the regiment were listed as missing. It is believed that most of the Union prisoners taken at this battle were transferred to Camp Ford, a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp in Tyler, Texas. On 5 January 1865, White was exchanged at Galveston, Texas, and 20 May 1865 was promoted to sergeant just before the regiment took part in the Grand Review in Washington D.C. On 1 September 1865 he mustered out with the remainder of the his company in Charleston, South Carolina. It is unclear if, or when, the 165th was attached to 2nd Division 2nd Brigade as inscribed on the cane, but it was likely for only a short time during the war. Apart from the relief carved grip as described above, the remained of the cane is smooth, tapering to the tip that has a brass ferrule. It measures 32 inches overall.

Fine, showing some scattered hairline age cracks, minor handling marks scattered throughout, most of the carving crisp, and retaining much of the original finish with an attractive aged appearance overall. A unique and identified piece of Civil War history!