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MODEL 1879 WHITMAN
SADDLE BAGS – A VERY NICE SELECTION OF A KEY PIECE OF
INDIAN WAR CAVALRY EQUIPMENT:
A necessary piece of horse equipment to complete your
saddle display, these sets of Model 1879 Whitman
Saddlebags have survived in remarkably nice condition.
Introduced with the other Horse Equipments recommended
by the Cavalry Board of 1879, while the saddles
apparently were not made or issued in any great numbers,
these unique saddle bags gained a substantial acceptance
in the field.
They were used not only with the Whitman
saddles, but with the McClellan Saddles - Models 1874
and 1885 - available in the field at the same time, as
evidenced by known period photographs such as this image
of a cavalry soldier in the 6TH US
Cavalry serving in the Arizona Territory in the 1880’s.
He is mounted on what appears to be a Model 1885
McClellan Saddle, and he is equipped with a pair of
Model 1879 Experimental (Canvas Version) Saddle Bags –
solid period evidence that these Model 1879 Saddle Bags
were issued concurrently with equipment from other
model-years.
Any of the Indian War
era saddlebags have become difficult to find,
particularly in the condition of the sets of bags
offered here. Considering the rarity and expense of the
Model 1874 and Model 1885 Saddlebags, these sets of
Model 1879 Saddlebags are priced very reasonably and
will be very appropriate for displaying on your Indian
War McClellan.
I currently have the following sets of saddle bags in
stock and each set is described and priced individually
below with accompanying photographs.
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SET NO. 1 MODEL
1879 WHITMAN SADDLE BAGS:
Both of the bags are
notably in very good condition with full pliable outer
flaps complete with all of the full length closing
billets and buckles, the exterior pouches on the faces
of the bodies are complete and intact, and the gussets,
commonly found split or torn, are fully intact, smooth
and very pliable. All of the brass hardware, to include
the belly strap rings at the bottom of each bag, is
present and intact. The flaps are both embossed with
faint, but legible "US” in the ovals. The original
lacing around the top of the left side bag which secured
the interior liner is full length and present.
The seat, or yoke connecting the two bags that passes
across the back of the saddle, is complete with both
leather keys used to secure the saddlebags to the foot
loops on the rear sidebar extensions of the saddle, both
brass footloop reinforcement plates, and the round brass
reinforcement plate in the center of the span.
There
is also a slot cut above each of the footloop slots – a
commonly seen soldier executed field modification seen
on these bags. As the footloop slots on the Model 1879
Saddlebags were situated for the foot loops on the
Whitman Saddles, when these bags were used on the
McClellan Saddles the footloop slots did not necessarily
match up with the footloops on the cantle of the
McClellan saddles. In order to secure these bags on a
McClellan, a second set of footloop slots had to be cut
that would match those on the saddle. The yoke shows
evidence of wear and age, with the surface crazed with
some flaking, but the leather is supple and intact.
There is a legible early style ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL stamp
in the “rising sun” cartouche outline on the yoke, just
above the left bag.
There is a point of
minor wear in the upper right hand corner of the left
side bag body that has been repaired with a reinforcing
piece of leather applied to the inside of the bag. The
repair is well done and not unsightly. There is some
light worm tracks on the outer surface of the bags and
flaps, but it is very minor, and overall the bags retain
the original pebble grain finish with a nice bright
sheen.
Although showing some
signs of use and age, this set is still very attractive
and in very good condition, and will definitely enhance
your cavalry display. (1049) $850
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SET NO. 2 MODEL
1879 WHITMAN SADDLE BAGS:
Both of the bags are
notably in excellent complete condition with full pliable outer
flaps complete with all of the full length closing
billets and buckles, the exterior pouches on the faces
of the bodies are complete and intact, the original
liners are present and intact, and the gussets,
commonly found split or torn, are fully intact, smooth
and very pliable. All of the brass hardware, to include
the belly strap rings at the bottom of each bag, is
present and intact. The flaps are both embossed with
a fully legible "US” in the ovals.
The seat, or yoke connecting the two bags that passes
across the back of the saddle, is complete with both
leather keys used to secure the saddlebags to the foot
loops on the rear sidebar extensions of the saddle, both
brass footloop reinforcement plates, and the round brass
reinforcement plate in the center of the span.
There
is also a slot cut above each of the footloop slots – a
commonly seen soldier executed field modification seen
on these bags. As the footloop slots on the Model 1879
Saddlebags were situated for the foot loops on the
Whitman Saddles, when these bags were used on the
McClellan Saddles the footloop slots did not necessarily
match up with the footloops on the cantle of the
McClellan saddles. In order to secure these bags on a
McClellan, a second set of footloop slots had to be cut
that would match those on the saddle. The yoke shows
very little evidence of wear and age, retaining a clear,
smooth, bright finish to the leather, no flaking or
crazing, and the leather is supple and intact.
There is a legible early style ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL stamp
in the “rising sun” cartouche outline on the yoke, just
above the right bag.
Both of the original
cotton canvas liners - of the correct pattern, one for
the left and one for the right - are present and fully
intact and are held in place by the original full length
black leather lacings. These unique liners seldom
survived in place with the bags and are a definite added
value in this set.
An added plus, down in the bottom
of one of the bags, caught in a fold of the liner, I
found a single "Globe" horseshoe nail. This Globe
nail was one of
the two patterns ordered to be issued for testing by
Resolution No. 13 of the 1874 Cavalry Equipment Board as
reported in Ordnance Memoranda No. 18. The 1874
Cavalry Board directed that two patterns of horse shoe
nails, this nail, manufactured by Globe and known by the
trade name “Auseable”, and a second pattern made by Goodenough,
be issued in equal proportions to each company of
cavalry for testing in the field.
The Globe nail was deemed
satisfactory and it continued in use at least through
the end of the Indian Wars and probably on through the
World War One era. Each soldier carried a pair of
horseshoes already fitted by the company farrier to his
horse, and a quantity of these nails to replace lost
nails or reset the horse's shoes as it became necessary
while on patrol. The presence of this nail is a
nice find and a reminder of the types of supplies and
equipment the soldier carried into the field.
[As a side bar, years ago I
purchased a set of Model 1859 Saddle Bags that hadn't
been opened probably since the Civil War. The
outer flaps were molded to the bodies of the bags in
such a way that it was obvious the bags hadn't been
explored since they entered the surplus market.
Down the bottom of one of the bags I found a handful of
black-eyed peas where the soldier had stored them some
125 years ago for a future meal that never happened.
I kept those peas for several years until one day it
occurred to me to wonder if they were still a viable
bean. Rather than prepare and eat them, I planted
one of the beans in a small seedling cube and within a
few days up came a sprout and it grew to a pretty good
size.]
So back to these Model 1879 Saddle Bags.
There are two points of
wear on the flap of the left hand bag where the straps
rubbed over a sharp cornered item carried in the bag,
perhaps a Model 1872 Meat Can. The holes are
located immediately under the rear strap and immediately
adjacent to the front strap, each approximately 1/4" in
diameter - very minor and not of a size to impact the
appearance or integrity of the flap. There is some
minor wear to the upper edges of the flaps where they
would have chafed against the soldier's leg or the
cantle roll, but nothing unsightly, and overall the bags retain
the original pebble grain finish with a nice bright
sheen.
While
showing some
evidence of use, this set is still very attractive
and has survived in excellent condition, most notably
with the original liners intact. (0918) $950
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