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MODEL 1904 ENLISTED MAN’S SERVICE SADDLE CLOTH –
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL MARKED – BEARING INSIGNIA OF THE 6TH
CAVALRY REGIMENT - HISTORICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE
SERVICE OF THE 6TH IN SEVERAL HISTORICAL
CAMPAIGNS INCLUDING THE 1916 MEXICAN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION
– AN EXCELLENT EARLY 20TH CENTURY CAVALRY
ARTIFACT:
As described in the
Ordnance Department Manual No. 1719, Horse Equipments
and Equipments for Officers and Enlisted Men, dated
1905 (Revised in 1908), this Model 1904 Enlisted Man’s
Service Saddle Cloth bears the yellow enameled
regimental numerals, indicating it was used by an
enlisted man serving in Company G of the 6TH
US Cavalry Regiment.
Created during the Civil War, the 6TH Cavalry
Regiment saw continued extensive service on the Western
Frontier during the Indian Wars. As the United States
extended its influence beyond its borders, the first two
decades of the 20TH Century saw the 6TH
posted to assignments in the Far East and down into
Mexico.
In 1900, the 6TH Cavalry Regiment reported to
the Presidio of Monterey, and from there transshipped to
China as part of the China Relief Expedition (as
depicted in the well known film, 55 Days At Peking), and
elements of the 6TH were among the first
units to enter the Forbidden City as part of the relief
column. At the end of 1900, the 6TH was
transferred to Manila for service during the Philippine
Insurrection.
The regiment returned to the United States in 1903 and
stationed at Fort Meade, South Dakota. During this
assignment, the regiment was deployed to intercept a
band of White River Ute Indians who had left the Uintah
Reservation in Utah and traveled through Wyoming on
their way to South Dakota. While this intervention
ended peacefully, this assignment officially marked the
last action of the U.S. Army against the American
Indian.
In August of 1907, the regiment returned to the
Philippine Islands in accordance with the system of unit
rotation of that era. After this period of active
service in the field which resulted in four Medals of
Honor awarded to troopers in the 6TH, the
regiment returned to the United States in 1909.
Beginning in 1910, in response to the unrest in Mexico
the regiment began a series of rotations into
assignments along the southern international border. In
1913, the regiment was deployed to Texas City, Texas
with individual companies scattered along the border.
While the 6TH does not appear in the Order of
Battle for General Pershing’s expedition into Mexico,
the official history of the regiment states the regiment
took part in the Punitive Expedition and the unit earned
the “Mexico 1916-1917” campaign streamer for its flag
for this service.
This particular Model 1904 Enlisted Man’s Service Saddle
Cloth would have been in the inventory of the 6TH
Regiment during the 1904-1918 years and certainly could
have been issued to a trooper in Company G during any
one or more of the postings detailed above.
Model 1904 Enlisted Man’s Service Saddle Cloths are
anything but common – as the name implies, they were
intended to be used in the field, and in the context of
the service experienced by the 6TH during
this period, harsh environments and constant use took a
heavy toll on the soldiers’ equipment. This specimen
is particularly notable as it features the rare applied
enameled leather unit insignia. The yellow enameled
leather numerals and letters “6 G” on both rear corners
still retain virtually all of the vibrant yellow color,
and survive in full form with no loss of surface nor any
wear or damage to the edges of the leather. In
addition to the regimental numerals on the saddle cloth,
there is also a faint, but still discernable “ROCK
ISLAND ARSENAL” ink stamp on the underside of the right
side panel, just off of the spine. The underside of the
left rear corner is bears an ink stamp “32”, a unit
applied inventory control number.
The olive drab duck material, still retaining the rigid,
sized nature of the fabric when it was new, is not
misshapen nor is the fabric weakened or torn as seen on
many heavily used examples. The fabric does show
evidence of use with some lightened areas where the
saddle soiled the canvas and the material was cleaned.
The canvas spine is strong and fully intact. The edge
binding is fully present with some wear along the edge,
commensurate with the extent of the unit’s service, but
not to the point that it detracts from the appearance of
the cloth when on display. All the seams are intact and
strong.
As the army’s designation implies, these khaki canvas
“service” saddle cloths were intended to be used in the
field and due to the heavy use in extreme conditions to
which they were exposed, few survive today in decent
condition. This was confirmed when having handled
dozens of these saddle cloths held in museum and private
collections in the course of the research for The
American Military Saddle 1776-1945, it became quite
apparent that the majority of these cloths which did
survive were subjected to heavy use – almost to
destruction - and they exhibited severe wear.
Understandably, the thorough soaking of horse sweat and
the accumulated and concentrated deposits of body salts
from the horse rendered these cloths especially prone to
deterioration and eventual disposal.
Hence, surviving examples of these cloths in any
condition are not common today, making those worthy of
displaying relatively scarce and further still,
specimens identified to historically significant units
even more so. The added value of this Model 1904
Enlisted Man’s Saddle Cloth being identified to a
cavalry regiment and troop who were present at such
significant events in history such as the relief of
Peking, the Philippine Insurrection, and the Punitive
Mexican Expedition, will clearly make this piece a key
addition to any saddle collection.
(0423) $950
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