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1840’s – 1850’s DRAGOON OR CAVALRY CARTRIDGE BOX –
UNIQUE STYLE WITH YELLOW ENAMELED TRIM AND ORIGINAL TIN
LINER INTACT – VERY GOOD CONDITION: This mid-19TH
Century Cartridge Box is an excellent example of the
various, non-regulation accoutrements employed by the
various state militias that made up the majority of the
armed forces of our growing nation. While the regular
army units were issued a standard pattern of
accoutrements, the state militias were governed by their
own uniform and equipment regulations. They could
either avail themselves of the standard regular army
equipment from the government arsenals and depots as
provided by the various Militia Acts passed by Congress,
or they could contract with other sources to outfit
their units. In some cases, this decision was driven by
the personal preferences and egos of the state
commanders who wanted to establish a unique style or
appearance.
While this cartridge box does not strictly adhere to any
of the patterns used by the regular army, it does follow
the style and character of the regular army cartridge
boxes of the period. Measuring 6 ¼” long, 4” high and 1
¾” wide, and fitted with two belt loops, it presents in
the size a mounted cavalryman or dragoon would carry on
his sabre belt. The surface of the leather is coated
with a black lacquer-like finish, probably intended to
provide waterproofing to protect the contents, and
the outer flap has a ¼” enameled yellow applied trim
around the edge – again, another feature which strongly
suggests it was carried by a mounted soldier. The ends
of the box have the rounded “tombstone” shape and there
is no implement pouch on the front of the body, just as
the regulation boxes were made.
The flap is secured with a two piece iron clasp closure
– a hooked piece riveted to the flap and a slotted piece
riveted to the bottom of the box body. There is enough
flex or “spring” in the leather of the flap, that when
the hook is engaged in the slot, holding the flap shut,
that a minimal push down on the flap will release the
hook from the slot and allow the flap to be raised to
access the cartridges within.
The interior of the leather body holds a sectioned tin
liner, divided into four compartments, each of which of
a size to accommodate five cartridges in the .64 - .69
caliber range. The depth of the liner compartments will
hold two layers of pistol and carbine length paper
cartridges, or a single layer of the musketoon or musket
length cartridges.
This early Cartridge Box is in very good condition,
showing only minimal evidence of aging. The black
lacquer coating is overall intact and the yellow
enameled trim is mostly intact, showing only minor loss
as is expected on these early pieces. The leather
surface throughout has a bright, smooth, shiny surface
with only minor crazing on the upper fold of the flap
and on the surface of the belt loops, but no weakening
of the leather. The box body is in full form, there are
no weak spots, and all of the seams are intact. The
belt loops and the closing catch are present, intact and
full form, and the catch functions properly. The
original tin liner is present, intact and unmodified.
Both of the end panels are stamped with the same maker’s
stamp, and although the stamp on one end is more legible
than on the other, the name is difficult to read.
This rare cartridge box is an excellent example of the
early Pistol and Carbine Cartridge Boxes carried by the
early mounted units in America, and it will make for a
significant addition to even the more advanced
accoutrement and Dragoon collections. (0206) $475
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