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EARLY SOUTH CAROLINA MILITIA
OFFICER’S BRIDLE FEATURING BEAUTIFUL PALMETTO PALM
ORNAMENTS, MATCHING BRASS BUCKLES & MOUNTED w/ A MODEL
1859 1ST PATTERN ARTILLERY BRASS FACED BIT –
AN EXTREMELY RARE OFFERING OF A UNIQUE CONFEDERATE
OFFICER’S BRIDLE:
An extremely rare set
from a very old collection, this South Carolina Militia
Artillery Officer’s Bridle is believed to be the only
surviving specimen which features a pair of the
extremely rare South Carolina Palmetto Palm bridle
ornaments. This antebellum period Bridle mounted with
a 1ST
Pattern Model 1859 Brass Faced Artillery Bit
is definitely a show piece of exceptionally rarity and
quality, and a set which could well be the only
surviving specimen of its kind. Certainly, this set
could never be upgraded.
As it
presents, this bridle and bit were discovered some
thirty years ago at a flea market in Messena, a town in
upper state New York. That such a piece identified to a
southern state’s militia, or the Confederacy in general,
was found in a far northern state is not particularly
unusual. I know of several identified Confederate
saddles which were found in similar circumstances, the
result of these special pieces being recovered as
trophies of war from such battlefields as Antietam and
Gettysburg and sent home where they lay protected in
family estates all these years. The majority of horse
equipment which remained in the hands of the Confederate
forces for the duration of the war, and made it home
with the returning veterans, was prone to be used to
destruction in the crushing financial conditions of the
South following the war, and simply did not survive.
Most of the post war South lacked the luxury of a
lifestyle which allowed for keepsakes and maintaining
collectibles. Since being acquired at the New York flea
market, this piece has been in the hands of two
subsequent collectors before I acquired it, making for a
clear chain of province since entering the collector’s
market.
The South
Carolina state emblem, the Palmetto Palm, is boldly
featured in relief on both of the brass plated bridle
ornaments, enhanced by hand stamped and chased details.
The ornaments feature the Palmetto Palm tree with the
date “1776” on the root base of the tree – the same date
of the state’s origin which appears on the South
Carolina State Seal.
The Palmetto
Palm (sabal palmetto) has long been the iconic
emblem for the state of South Carolina. The first
appearance in conjunction with the state dates to the
American Revolutionary War in commemoration of the use
of the Palmetto Palm trunks which were reportedly used
to build a fort on Sullivan’s Island, located at the
mouth of Charleston Harbor, in defense against an attack
by a British fleet on June 28, 1776.
In spite of heavy shelling from the British Men of War,
the cannon fire had no effect on the sand filled
palmetto log walls. The South Carolinians held the fort
and withstood the British invasion, and to commemorate
this victory, the Palmetto Palm was added to the state’s
flag, and it was incorporated into the state seal
created in 1777. South Carolina embraced the Palmetto
Palm to the extent that it has become known as the
“Palmetto State” and it is not surprising that
incorporating the palm into the insignia of their
militia predated the American Civil War.
From available
records, it appears that South Carolina made one of the
earliest and most concerted efforts to establish very
definitive regulations for her state militia. Approved
by the State Legislature and published in the 1840’s,
these regulations included descriptions of the approved
horse “furniture” (equipment) down to the extent and
colors of ornamental trimming. Fortunately, this
information was captured by Craig Caba in his
Historic Southern Saddles.
The
descriptions of approved ornamentation of the horse
furniture included several references to the use of the
palmetto palm for senior officers’ horse equipment. The
shabraques were described “…For the
Commander-in-Chief, and Major Generals … a gold
embroidered palmetto, five inches long, in each flank
corner.” Pommel holster covers for the same two
senior ranks were to be adorned with “…gold
embroidered palmettos, two inches and a half long….”
Saddle mountings for all general officers, and all
general, division, and brigade staff officers such as
stirrups, buckles and bridle bits were to be of “yellow
metal or gilt.”
For field
grade officers (colonel, lieutenant colonel and major),
the ornamentation was more subdued, however some of the
details are interesting in how they departed from the
regular army regulations and conventions, and how these
details are reflected in this South Carolina bit and
bridle set. Noting that the regular army conventions
called for white trim for infantry, yellow or gold for
cavalry and red for artillery, the South Carolina
Militia regulations called for the bullion trimming on
the saddle cloths for infantry and cavalry officers to
be silver, while the artillery officers’ saddle cloths
were to be trimmed in gold. The South Carolina
regulations directed that the metal saddle mountings
such as stirrups, buckles and bridle bits for infantry
and cavalry officers were to be of “white metal or
silver plated” while the same items were to be of “yellow
metal or gilt” for artillery officers.
This bridle
features brass buckles and the brow band still retains
some of its yellow enameled finish. Drawing from the
regulations, the combination of the brass plated
(“yellow metal”) bridle ornaments, the brass buckles,
and the brass faced 1ST
Pattern Model
1859 Artillery Bit all argue for this set having
belonged to a South Carolina Militia artillery officer.
While the regulations do not specifically call for the
Palmetto Palm bridle ornaments, as is so well documented
in Ken Knopp’s Made in the “C.S.A.” - Saddle Makers
of the Confederacy, the south in general, and South
Carolina in particular, had well established saddleries
and foundries, any one of which could have produced this
bridle and the ornaments on a special order paid for
with the private funds of the officer.
The headstall is in excellent condition, complete with
all the billets and the throat latch, and with no weak
points or broken straps. The bridle was made in
substantial proportions with stout leather, obviously
intended to survive the rigors of field use. The
equally strong crown and cheek pieces are full length,
the billets have not been trimmed as is commonly seen on
early headstalls, and the standing loops are all intact.
The brow band is trimmed
with a saw tooth edged leather binding and the face of
the band retains much of the original yellow enameled
finish. The straps are fitted with cast brass “crown
top” buckles with iron tongues, and all the buckles
retain a nice naturally aged patina. These uniquely
shaped “crown top, sunk bar” buckles have been
documented by the well known and well published
Confederate horse equipment authority, Ken Knopp, as
having been manufactured and available on the market in
the Antebellum south.
The leather is overall
strong and pliable, the leather surface is overall
smooth with no crazing or flaking and retaining a nice
finish, and this bridle will display well if handled and
supported properly.
This bridle is mounted with one of the rarest of the
Civil War Bits, a 1ST Pattern Model 1859
Brass Faced Artillery Bit. These bits were introduced
just prior to the Civil War with the newly adopted Horse
Equipments which included the Model 1859 McClellan
Saddle. Manufactured in relatively small numbers, the
Model 1859 Artillery Bit was soon replaced by the far
more common Model 1863 Artillery Bit. Probably due to
the attractive brass facing, this bit was also popular
with mounted officers who chose it over the bits with
unadorned iron side bars. Originally designed and
manufactured to be used in the context of an artillery
team with two sets of reins per horse, the upper rein
rings which were set at the round bosses at the ends of
the mouth piece and the ring mounting swell which was
set on the rear edge of the side bar have been removed
from both sides of the bit, and it was ultimately used
with one set of reins buckled into the rein slots at the
lower ends of the side bars.
This bit shows considerable use in the field – not
abused, but commensurate with prolonged use before, and
during, the Civil War. Despite this field use, much of
the brass facing is still intact – more on the upper
half of the side bars than on the lower half as would be
expected as the lower reaches of the side bars are more
exposed when the bridle is on the horse.
The brass has a wonderful
naturally aged patina overall which matches the patina
on the Palmetto bridle ornaments and the buckles. The
bit is very solid with both the mouth bar and lower bar
intact, and the bit shows no damage or bending out of
its original shape. The exposed steel on the inside
faces of the branches and the mouthpiece has aged to
brown in some areas, but there is no pitting to the
surfaces – they are smooth overall. The reverse side of
the mouth piece is stamped “WROUGHT”, a statement of
quality applied by the maker indicating the steel used
in the manufacture of the bit was hammered out of
wrought iron and advertising its inherent strength, as
opposed to cast iron which normally produced a weaker
product.
As provided by the Militia Act of 1808, the federal
government provided funding as well as quantities of
regular army arms and equipment on an annual basis for
the purposes of equipping the state militias. This
supply system explains how this Model 1859 Artillery
Bit, approved and manufactured before the outbreak of
hostilities in 1861, would have been available to a
South Carolina militia officer by the beginning of the
Civil War. The pairing of the brass ornamented bridle
and this brass faced bit makes for a very handsome
combination, and no doubt presents exactly as the
officer who owned this set intended.
The matching condition
of the bridle and bit, and color of the patina on the
brass buckles on the bridle and the brass facing on the
bit, gives every indication that these two pieces are
original to each other and have been together since
their period of manufacture and use.
This rare South Carolina Bridle and Bit set is the type
of special item that seldom comes along, and when it
does, it threatens to turn me into my own best customer,
requiring a certain amount of discipline to remember
that I cannot keep it all.
The limited number of South
Carolina militia officers prior to the Civil War would
have determined that these bridles were manufactured in
proportionately low numbers. This small original
number, further restricted after the onset of the war as
brass became a critical commodity which could no longer
be used for unnecessary ornamentation, and considering
the generally low survival rate of Confederate horse
equipment, the rarity of this set cannot be overstated.
That this specimen survived at all, much less fully
intact, is nothing short of amazing.
This unique set, as it
presents in excellent condition, would stand alone as a
star addition to any Civil War collection, and it would
considerably enhance a display of a Civil War officer's
saddle. This offering is a rare opportunity to acquire
a very special piece for your collection.
(0904)
$7500
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