CIVIL WAR MODEL 1859 CAVALRY “RING” CURB BIT – A
SCARCE US ARMY BRIDLE BIT IN THE ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION:
This Model 1859
Cavalry Bridle Bit, officially called the “No.1” in U.S.
Army Ordnance Department records, was also commonly
known as the Ring or “Mexican” Bit. Arguably, the most
severe of all of the bridle bits employed throughout the
history of the U.S. Army, this bit features a large ring
that encircled the horse’s lower jaw.
While likely to cause any responsible modern horse owner
to regard 19TH Century horsemen as
unnecessarily cruel, it is worth considering that the
horses provided to the army were for the most part wild
animals when delivered to the remount depots. The depots
had very limited time to break and train the mounts
before they were shipped out to meet the critical needs
of the cavalry regiments serving in the field. Assuming
that the remounts were even so much as “green broke”
before being handed over to the regiments might be
overly generous. I imagine it was a case of “any” horse
was better than no horse at all, leaving the final
training and finishing of the mount to the individual
soldier.
The other factor which bears noting is reflected in an
original printing of a U.S. Army document in my
collection. General Order No. 105, published by the War
Department in August of 1862 and authored by Assistant
Adjutant General E. D. Townsend, states:
“The inspection of all cavalry forces, preparatory to
their being mustered into the service of the United
States, shall hereafter comprise, in addition to the
usual personal examination, a test of horsemanship, to
be made under the direction of the mustering officer;
and no person shall be mustered into the cavalry service
who does not exhibit good horsemanship and a practical
knowledge of the ordinary care and treatment of horses.”
Apparently this was a significant problem or the army
would not have addressed it with a General Order.
The wide spread assumption held by modern collectors and
students of history – probably fostered by the images
from the silver screen – is that 19TH Century
men and women were at least familiar with horses, if not
accomplished riders. They MUST all have been
early iterations of John Wayne, Ward Bond, Roy Rogers
and James Arness.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. Then as now, managing a saddled horse or for
that matter, a horse, mule or ox harnessed to a wagon,
was a skill only acquired through access to the
animal and adequate training. If a young man was raised
on a ranch or a farm, he probably gained sufficient
experience to be a competent cavalry or light artillery
soldier. Conversely, if he was raised in a large city
such as New York, he was no more likely to become a
skilled horseman than his modern counterpart is certain
to learn to be a competent driver. More than a few New
Yorkers I’ve known through the years own neither a
driver’s license nor a vehicle – no need. And so it was
the case for the 19Th Century recruits from
the large urban areas – their first exposure to caring
for and riding horses may very well have been when the
soldier joined his regiment.
With these two factors in mind, the design of this bit
bears consideration in the context of the realities of
those times. The dramatic growth of the armies in
response to the outbreak of hostilities in 1861, and the
lack of training resources to handle the overwhelming
influx of recruits certainly resulted in brief, and at
times, inadequate, training for troopers and horses
alike. Thus, the need for these severe bits employed
during the war is understandable as compensation for
these shortcomings.
Originally finished in a deep arsenal blue which has now
turned to a naturally aged plum brown, the steel is
overall smooth with no significant pitting. The brass
side bosses, bearing the “US” are both present. The bit
is full form with all of the components present and
intact to include the rein rings and slobber bar. The
bit shows minimal evidence of use and there is no
misshaping nor any damage or weak points. The brass
cricket or roller in the mouth piece port, included in
the original design, is also present.
The bit is maker marked “J.
N. O.”.
This is an overall very good example of the relatively
scarce Model 1859 Cavalry Ring Curb Bit. (1108) $975
|