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EARLY INDIAN WAR 1870 HOFFMAN SWIVEL BAYONET
SCABBARD MODIFIED FOR CARRYING THE MODEL 1873 TRAPDOOR
BAYONET ON THE NARROW FIRST PATTERN MODEL 1876 PRAIRIE
BELT – VERY RARE SOLDIER MODIFIED SPECIMEN:
Through the years, occasionally accoutrements have
surfaced which were modified by the frontier soldiers to
meet their needs far from the arsenals and Ordnance
Department depots. These special pieces are not only
very collectable in their own right, but they provide a
realistic view of how the soldiers adjusted and adapted
the standard issue equipment to fill the voids
overlooked by the Equipment Boards back east.
Such is the case with this unique ca.1870 Hoffman Patent
Swivel Bayonet Scabbard which was modified by stretching
the belt loop and forming it to fit over the cartridge
loops of the First Pattern Model 1876 Prairie Belt.
Like so many other pieces of equipment, the First
Pattern Prairie Belt was developed and issued to answer
one specific problem – that of efficiently carrying a
sufficient number of cartridges into the field in such a
manner that would protect the soft copper cartridges
from being deformed or fouled with the green waxy
verdigris which occurred when the cartridges came in
prolonged direct contact with leather. It was a
cartridge belt – period. No provision was made for this
belt to carry any of the other belt mounted holsters,
pouches, sabre, or for the infantry, the ubiquitous
bayonet. The Ordnance Department fully expected the
soldiers to continue to wear their leather sabre and
waist belts to support all of their other appendages and
the Prairie Belt was to be worn in addition to the
leather belts. It was not only a short sighted plan,
but it completely ignored the soldiers’ preferences and
ingenuities they had demonstrated with the soldier-made
“Fair Weather Christian” leather cartridge belts which
dated from the 1860’s.
Once they received the Prairie Belts, the soldiers set
right to work to modify the accoutrements on hand in
order that they could carry all of their necessary
equipment on the one belt. In the cavalry regiments,
belt loops on holsters were enlarged, or cut and tied
over the belt with leather thongs as were pistol and
carbine cartridge pouches, and in some cases sabre
straps were added to the belts. Although far from
common, enough of these modified accoutrements survive
in collections today as evidence of the soldiers’
efforts. Certainly this concept must have appealed to
the infantryman as well, and in fact, there exists at
least one known example of a cut-loop McKeever Cartridge
Box mounted on a First Pattern Prairie Belt which was
dyed dark blue – an obvious infantry belt.
While the infantrymen may have employed several
different modifications to mount their bayonets on those
early belts, to date no bayonet scabbard has surfaced
that has been identified as being specifically modified
to wear on the First Pattern Prairie Belt, until this
scabbard came to light.
This early Hoffman Patent Bayonet Scabbard was likely
produced immediately after the Civil War before the
steel scabbards were adopted. While the majority of the
Hoffman Swivel Frogs were mounted on steel scabbards,
the line of stitching around the mouth of the opening
indicates this Hoffman frog was originally made with the
leather tube. This is prime example of overlapping
features as the army transitioned from one design to
another.
Modern collectors, relying on period Ordnance Department
manuals and correspondence, model and pattern dates
assigned by the army or by later collectors, and the
information to be found in the many reference works
published in recent years, have developed the impression
that there were “bright lines” of obsolescence and issue
of new equipment. In fact, due to budgetary
limitations, manufacturing limitations, and the
challenges of supplying the frontier army, it is well
documented in period records and photographs that the
soldier in the West was regularly issued a combination
of equipment which at any one time included a wide
selection ranging from Civil War surplus to the latest
patterns produced by the arsenals.
In spite of the obvious service and use to which this
scabbard was exposed, it has survived in remarkable
condition. The Hoffman frog is full form and the swivel
moves freely. The scabbard is full form, to include the
brass finial, and the seam is intact for the full
length. The leather surface shows some evidence of age
with only minor flexing and minimal limited flaking.
The belt loop was formed to fit over the empty cartridge
loops of the Prairie Belt, and it fits over the belt
perfectly – sized exactly to this particular pattern of
belt.
With the scabbard is a standard Model 1873 Bayonet which
would have been issued at the time the Prairie Belts
were issued. The bayonet is full form, with a legible
“US” stamp. The surface is overall smooth with only
minor age and handling marks, and some very minor
patches of light pitting, and the original bright blue
arsenal finish is intact.
The modification of this scabbard define it as a
classic Indian War Era soldier field used specimen.
That so few of these modified accoutrements survive
today can be easily explained when viewed through the
Ordnance Department’s process of issue and return. When
the units received new issues of current equipment and
returned the obsolete or worn out accoutrements and
equipment to the Ordnance Depots, those pieces that had
been modified such as this scabbard were looked upon by
the Ordnance Department personnel as damaged beyond
repair, or the necessary repairs to return the item to
its original configuration were not cost effective –
especially since it was obsolete equipment. It is very
likely the modified pieces were condemned and destroyed
with the other unserviceable equipment, and they simply
did not survive to be funneled into the surplus sales
that would eventually lead to the collectors’ market.
The small number of surviving modified accoutrements
serves as quiet testimony of the efforts of the soldiers
and the Ordnance Department to adapt stocks of surplus
material to suit the needs encountered on the Frontier.
In spite of the number that must have been modified
during the period, surviving examples such as this are
rare and they are a fascinating field of collecting in
their own right. This is literally a one of a kind
offering, with no other known specimen documented or
offered on the market, and this scabbard would be very
special pairing when displayed an early narrow Prairie
Belt. (1020) $650
NOTE:
Unfortunately, this has to be
said – the belt pictured is not included with the
sale of this bayonet and scabbard.
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