Get Quotes Contact Us Sign In
Website
Call
The Horse Soldier is a family owned and operated antique store located in Gettysburg, PA. We specialize in Military Antiques with items dating from the American Revolution to World War II. Our strongest emphasis is on the American Civil War. We have been involved in the trade since 1971 and issued some of the finest militaria print catalogs through 2003, when we established our internet presence with an extensive online catalog.

We carry a full line of items related to Artillery, Books, Currency, Bottles, Patriotic Covers, Edged Weapons, Firearms, Gettysburg Items, Identified Items, Soldier Letters, Documents, Autographs, Prints, Musical Instruments, Military Accoutrements, Medical Instruments, Insignia, 19th Century Civilian and Military Photographs and a large supply of excavated Battlefield Relics!
Follow us
Services
The Horse Soldier was established in 1971 by Chet Small. The Small family lived at the time on Emmitsburg Road across from the famous Sherfy Farm. It was here in their living room that they started to sell relics; mostly bullets, shrapnel, cannonballs and other excavated artifacts. Chet grew up in Gettysburg and in his youth he hunted relics along with his brothers and sold them to the Rosensteel family who operated several area museums. As business increased, it was Chet's wife Pat who suggested the "relic business" move out of her house.
This presentation sword has very impressive deeply cast and chased mounts and silver gripped hilt. Schuyler, Hartley and Graham assembled and sold a wide variety of swords that were often highly. These were meant for match shooting, and the proper measure of powder would be added as needed. This is a scarce cartridge.
The Horse Soldier is always interested in purchasing entire collections or single items. We also offer very competitive consignment rates and can provide consignment letters of recommendation. Our aim is to work with your needs whether dispersing your collection or a single item. If you are interested in selling or consigning any items we would like photographs of the item included in your initial contact. You MUST call or e-mail ahead and schedule an appointment with Sam or Wes Small to discuss consigning or selling your item/collection.
The Horse Soldier Research Service offers a Standard Research Package for individual soldiers. For soldiers who served anytime from the Revolutionary War to the Spanish/American War &/or Philippine Insurrection, the package includes a copy of a Volunteer Soldier's Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR), Federal Pension File and if available, several brief regimental histories of the unit(s) they served in.
Reviews (24)
Write a Review
William Royer
Jun 21, 2022
Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. A wide array of items. The lay-a-way plan helps greatly when on a budget.
Sean Marcum
May 29, 2022
EXCELLENT staff to deal with. Was helped with everything and extremely professional. Love this place.
Havok
May 21, 2022
They have 2 of my all time favorite guns. An m1 garand and a m1 carbine. Lots of guns. Lots of knives and lots of historic items. Pretty cool place
Tim Walker
Apr 20, 2022
You could spend a lot of time in here and still not look at everything. It's a great place with a solid reputation.
Brady Clark
Aug 27, 2021
Awesome store! It's like a museum where you can buy the exhibits, so much history in one spot! From original muskets from 1808, to German Stalhelms, and everything in between, you'll find something for every history buff in this down-right amazing place! Will definitely be back!
Paul Martinez
Apr 07, 2021
Very unprofessional. Made a two hour round trip to see something that was wrongly described. When I arrived they were very pleasant. When I looked at the item it was worthless, rifling was completely pitted! A total waste of time. When I brought this to their attention they shrugged their shoulders and said it was on the seller from New York. No sir it is not! It's on you guys to inspect the items you are selling and check the description is accurate. Beware of them.
Mark B.
Oct 01, 2020
The Horse Soldier is located in the center of Gettysburg. Their prices are high but they do have good artifacts. When I was there they were closed "again".Time was limited so I went elsewhere
Rob G.
Sep 23, 2020
This is one of the best stores you can find for authentic military artifacts. The staff is very helpful and they know the industry better than anyone else I have found. Andy and Jim are the go-to guys if you are considering a purchase and want to discuss something you are looking at on the web or in the store. The pricing is very fair for very hard to get items.
Andrew Smith
May 03, 2020
Great shop. Went looking for a very specific item and they had just what I wanted. The staff are very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. Huge selection of antique firearms, bayonets, and other artifacts. Pretty fair prices on some uncommon finds. History buffs, be prepared to spend some time here, history and story telling abound!
Debbie Williams
Jan 22, 2020
This was a wonderful and fascinating place to shop. A lot of antiques from the Civil war, including sabers and guns. The staff was very nice. We picked up a couple pieces of bullets, a Confederate hat and a few other things. It is a very interesting place, and I would recommend atleast a look even if you don't want to buy anything.
Terrell B.
Dec 06, 2019
This is a really cool museum/store with lots of authentic memorabilia. Folks are nice here and knowledgeable. Worth a look for sure.
John B.
Jun 23, 2019
Why does every gun shop in the world seem to have that one cranky, crusty guy that makes you feel small just for asking a question? This otherwise wonderful place is no exception. My advice, find a gun you like just by browsing. Then go research the hell out of it online. go back with cash. and don't get pushed around. If so, walk.
Ray Lane
Jun 22, 2019
This place is really great. The collection of items is very impressive. These guys have civil war bullets, swords, uniforms, paintings and more. They also have a ton of Confederate bills as well. The people that work there are friendly and knowledgeable.
Brandon M.
Mar 19, 2019
Best selection of civil war artifacts in Gettysburg! As many have said before, it really is a museum with price tags. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. I spent well over 4 hour trying to decide on purchases and they answered any questions I had, gave me their personal advice, one of the employees even offered to research what regiments came from my county!

I ended up walking out with 3 items I love. A much more pleasant experience than that of competitor stores in the area. Their prices were reasonable compared to other shops, and with such a large inventory, you can find deals if you spend enough time looking. If you're a serious collector, or a tourist interested in seeing real artifacts, this is the place to go. Don't forget to check out their very in depth website which has a large percent of their inventory. Note: Be prepared to have strong desires to drain your savings upon entering the Horse Soldier
Jason A.
Jul 06, 2018
When you walk in the store you go back to 1863. The workers are kind and informative and they sell authentic Civil War items that range from $1.00- $5000+ so there's always something you can buy. If you want real authentic items actually from Gettysburg, go to this place.
Richard B.
Jan 06, 2016
This store is a cut above just about any other antique or souvenir store in Gettysburg - in fact, you could say it's like a museum where you can buy the exhibits. The quantity, quality and organization of the items is superb, and staff has always been friendly and helpful (I have visited at least five times over the last two years). If your passion is antique weaponry you will probably be tempted to take out a second mortgage (some of the rarer items run into the tens of thousands of dollars) but there's something authentic and historical here for every price point. Make sure to leave plenty of time to browse!
Marqus R.
Sep 12, 2015
If you are into original authentic quality civil war relics and antiques or desire to view such items, look no further, this is the place. It's not a cheap souvenir shop, the items here are real, authentic and ultra-pricey. In fact, you can skip most of the museums, as The Horse Soldier has more than they do and viewing them is free. When I say ultra-pricey, I really mean ultra-pricey.

For example, the price of an authentic Confederate Officers I noted was set at $32,500 (see my photo) and that is for real, they mean it. Authentic Civil War items are prized and popular with collectors, and as far as those items go, The Horse Soldier not only seems to have the most of them but the very best of them. The people who staff The Horse Soldier really know their stuff and stick with it, keeping it real without fakes, reproductions or phonies.
Jim D.
Aug 27, 2015
Why pay to go to museum when you go into this store it's filled with artifacts from the Civil War I bought one myself for just $20 there's guns there's posters pictures uniforms you name it it's a supermarket of historical items from the Civil War and World War II World War I
Mike M.
Jun 25, 2015
Very impressive collection of primarily 19th century artifacts. Especially firearms. They have private parking on the side of the building. Even if you aren't buying this is a cool place to just browse.
Mark S.
Jun 23, 2015
The horse soldier is a great place for any collector like THE PEOPLE'S MUSEUM and Mark Sepanski we buy a lot of Military thing from the Horse Soldier since 1982 so go to the horse soldier
George F.
Mar 02, 2014
I have purchased several items over the past year, including a musket, buckles and pistol among other things, both in person and on line. I have found the staff to be most helpful and knowledgeable. Although I am no expert, it appears that their prices are reasonable. What they say is what you get.
J. S.
Dec 16, 2013
I am a collector of antique weapons. Horse Soldier is the best place I have been to in terms of quantity of old swords, guns, etc AND people on staff who really know the products. I have bought several antique forearms there at very good prices. Five Stars
Christiana S.
Jul 08, 2013
This business has a LOT of artifacts - some are quite rare and expensive while others are more affordable. They have a wide selection of antique weaponry (their specialty evidently) as well as smaller artifacts, documents, and photos. It is all a bit overwhelming as so much of it is crammed into the space. Their prices were quite reasonable, in my opinion. Alas, I cannot say that for the customer service. Compared to The Union Drummer Boy store, their service is awful.

We asked several different staff members to help us find a nice, reasonably priced artifact we could take a souvenir, preferably related to Indiana or North Carolina (our home states), but all they would say is "we don't have anything from there" and move on to the next person or one guy just flat out stopped talking to us without even anyone else to help.

If you don't want assistance or only want very specific assistance for a specific item you have already seen in the store, their service is awful. But, they do have a wide variety reasonably priced.so it's worth a stop in.
David L.
Jun 08, 2013
This place is awesome! It has stuff in every price range! I was greeted as i came in. I apologized for my umbrella and they said dont worry about it.i was looking at cases and they said if you need to look at something, ask and they will come unlock the case so you can look at it! Always go here when i go to Gettysburg and always leave with stuff!

This time i got a $50 Confederate note and a piece of wood from Libby Prison. Andrew was very polite helping me out! A great place, so if you're looking for a Civil War antique, this is the place!