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MODEL 1874 McCLELLAN SADDLE GIRTH – SCARCE FIRST
PATTERN WITH EARLY PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS –
WATERVLIET ARSENAL MARKED: As shown and
discussed on pages 239 through 241 of American
Military Saddles, 1776-1945,
this Model 1874 McClellan
Saddle Girth exhibits the characteristics of those
girths made for the early production sets of M1874 Horse
Equipments.
Through our research and
observations of several surviving specimens we found
that while Ordnance Memoranda No. 18 called for the
M1874 girth to be made with 7.5” wide linen webbing,
like so many other new pieces of equipment adopted
during the Indian War era, the financially constrained
Ordnance Department was forced to use up existing stocks
before new materials could be purchased or new designs
produced.
That is why these First Pattern
M1874 Girths were manufactured with the 5” wide linen
webbing; simply to use up the remaining stock before the
wider 7.5” material could be purchased.
Identifiable only by the
dimensions of the leather safes at each end, the safes
on these First Pattern girths extended past the “D” ring
and roller buckles on the ends of the girth to protect
the horse from wear by the hardware as was shown in the
diagrams in Ordnance Memoranda No. 18. In contrast, the
safes on the M1872 Girths were cut so that the extreme
edges of the hardware lay right at the edge of the
leather safe and would therefore come in contact with
the horse’s skin with the possibility of creating sores
due to rubbing.
This M1874 Girth is in excellent condition, showing very
little evidence of use or wear. This girth measures 26”
long and 5” wide. The leather billets on each end and
the reinforcement strap across the center are in
excellent condition, with no crazing or loss of finish.
The safes bear the arsenal and inspector stamps - in the
center of the “D” ring is legibly stamped “WATERVLIET
ARSENAL” as all of these early girths are, and the large
buckle chape on the opposite end bears the inspector
initials “ARS”. The woven girth body has the correct
alternating blue and buff stripes. There are no wear,
moth holes, but there are two small hand stitched
repairs immediately adjacent to the reinforcement strap
and both appear to be old, period repairs that do not
detract from the overall appearance of the girth.
Otherwise, the girth is full length and retains its full
form. This excellent example of a piece of Custer era
Cavalry horse equipment, and one that is especially
important as an example of the Ordnance Department’s
frugality and the process of changing from one pattern
to another as the regulations changed, this Model 1874
First Pattern Girth will be a nice addition to your
Indian War Cavalry collection. (1013) $495
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