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MODEL 1885
McCLELLAN SADDLE SURCINGLE:
One of the scarcest, if not rarest, of the US Army
Saddle accessories, the Surcingles from any of the eras
of the US Cavalry survive in extremely low numbers, with
most of the surviving specimens being found in museum
collections. While on occasion, a Model 1904 Surcingle
appears on the market, this is one of very few Model
1885 Surcingles I have seen for sale in over 20 years.
Possibly one of those items of horse equipment that
found many other uses after the end of the Horse
Cavalry, perhaps the continued alternative uses for the
surcingles explains their absence in today’s
collections.
The surcingle was an
important and integral component of the complete issue
of horse equipment for each soldier and was considered a
necessary safety feature, the last piece of equipment
placed over the saddle and around the horse to hold the
saddle in place in the event of a girth failure, long
enough to allow the soldier to safely dismount.
This particular specimen dimensionally and
characteristically matches the general description of
the Model 1885 Surcingles
as written in the
respective Ordnance Department Horse Equipment Manual.
The leather is definitely
black, not oil soaked or aged russet as would be
consistent with the M1904. The blue is very distinct in
the webbing on this surcingle, albeit somewhat faded by
age and wear, while the M1904 specimens normally appear
gray with age.
The web body is full
length and the buckle chape is full form and intact as
is the proper functional iron roller buckle. The long
billet is full length, with no repairs and no weak
points. There is a legible “ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL” stamp
on the tip of the leather billet, as well as the piece
worker’s initials, and a large numeral “2”, likely a
unit inventory mark. The base of the billet is stamped
“87”, as is the buckle chape, again, unit applied
inventory numbers. Both leather keeper straps are
intact and present, as well as all seams intact and
strong. The leather is all live and supple with no
breaks and overall retains a fairly good surface finish
with a minimum of crazing. The linen webbing is in
remarkably good condition with no weakening of the
weave, only a minor amount of wear along the edges of
the linen and some scattered staining, and still
retaining much of the original blue color, as can be
seen in the photos.
These US Army
surcingles, of any model, are far from being a common
piece of cavalry horse equipment, and seldom are
encountered outside of the various museum collections
around the country. This is rare opportunity to add a
regulation Indian War surcingle to your collection and
complete your saddle. (1012) $450
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