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MODEL 1874 HAZEN LOOPS – VERY RARE “CUT LOOP”
MODIFICATION FOR CARRYING .45 CALIBER PISTOL CARTRIDGES
ON THE MODEL 1876 1ST PATTERN “NARROW”
PRAIRIE BELT:
The Model 1874 Hazen Loops
were introduced as part of the Model 1874 Cavalry Sabre
Belt Set to carry the .45-70 carbine cartridges as
described in Ordnance Memoranda No. 18. Consisting of
twenty cartridge loops supported by three belt loops,
each trooper was to be issued two of these Hazen Loops
for his leather sabre belt. With the defeat on the
Little Big Horn focusing so much attention on the manner
in which the soldiers carried their cartridges, these
sets of leather cartridge loops, approved only two years
before, would soon be replaced with canvas and woven
cartridge belts. However, those Hazen Loops that had
been issued remained in the inventories of the regiments
on the frontier, which may explain how this set came to
be modified and put to the apparent use that it was.
Like so many other pieces of equipment, the First
Pattern Prairie Belt was developed and issued to answer
one specific problem – that of efficiently carrying a
sufficient number of carbine or rifle cartridges into
the field in such a manner that would protect the soft
copper cartridges from being deformed or fouled with the
green waxy verdigris which occurred when the cartridges
came in prolonged direct contact with leather. It was a
cartridge belt for the .45-70 cartridge – period. No
provision was made for this belt to carry a holster, a
pistol cartridge carrier, a sabre, or for the infantry,
the ubiquitous bayonet. The Ordnance Department fully
expected the soldiers to continue to wear their leather
sabre and waist belts to support all of their other
appendages and the Prairie Belt was to be worn in
addition to the leather belts. It was not only a short
sighted plan, but it completely ignored the soldiers’
preferences and ingenuities they had demonstrated with
the soldier-made “Fair Weather Christian” leather
cartridge belts which dated from the 1860’s – some of
which were made to carry both pistol and carbine
cartridges in the same belt.
Once they received the Prairie Belts, the soldiers set
right to work to modify the accoutrements on hand in
order that they could carry all of their necessary
equipment on the one belt. In the cavalry regiments,
belt loops on holsters were enlarged, or cut and tied
over the belt with leather thongs as were pistol and
carbine cartridge pouches, and in some cases sabre
straps were added to the belts. Although far from
common, enough of these modified accoutrements survive
in collections today as evidence of the soldiers’
efforts. Certainly this concept must have appealed to
the infantryman as well, and in fact, there exists at
least one known example of a cut-loop McKeever Cartridge
Box mounted on a First Pattern Prairie Belt which was
dyed dark blue – an obvious infantry belt.
When I initially acquired this set of Hazen Loops, my
attention was immediately drawn to the cut belt loops -
obviously fashioned as they were on other accoutrements
- so the set could be worn on a Prairie Belt. While the
effort seemed unnecessarily redundant – a set of carbine
or rifle cartridge loops to carry on a looped cartridge
belt – there were Dyer and McKeever Pouches which were
so modified and intended for wear on the Prairie Belts
for the same reason. No combat soldier, regardless of
the era in which he served, ever thought he had too
much ammunition when entering the field against his
enemy.
Upon closer examination of this set, I noted that in
addition to the cut loops and the obvious evidence of
prolonged use in the field, one edge of the cartridge
loops showed considerable wear, to the point that there
was a loss of leather along that edge. When these loops
were loaded with .45-70 cartridges, the cartridge
protruded from both the top and the bottom of the loop,
protecting the edges of the loop from wearing against
another surface which would eventually result in the
loss of leather. Also, when worn as intended, these
Hazen loops were to be worn on the sides or the back of
the soldier’s sabre belt, and even when he was mounted
in the saddle, the loops would not normally come into
contact with his body or the saddle. Even on sets that
show field use, this loss of leather along the edges is
not normally seen, as they have been protected by the
length of the cartridge.
After considering the wear pattern, it occurred to me
that if a .45 caliber pistol round was carried in the
loops, and this set were worn on the front of the belt
where the soldiers normally carried the pistol cartridge
pouches, the shorter cartridges would not extend below
the edge of the loops, leaving the raw edge of the loops
to wear against the soldier’s leg or lap when he was
seated in the saddle.
The combination of characteristics - this set having
been modified to wear on a looped cartridge belt, the
obvious evidence of use, and the wear pattern along the
edges of the loops – leads me to the conclusion that
this set was fashioned by a soldier to carry his pistol
cartridges. This is the only set of these Hazen Loops I
have seen which feature the cut belt loops, and while I
am fairly certain this soldier was not the only one who
had such a set, no others have been noted in any of the
available references.
That so few of these modified accoutrements survive
today can be easily explained when viewed through the
Ordnance Department’s process of issue and return. When
the units received new issues of current equipment and
returned the obsolete accoutrements and equipment to the
Ordnance Depots, those pieces that had been modified
were looked upon by the Ordnance Department personnel as
damaged beyond repair, or the necessary repairs to
return the item to its original configuration were not
cost effective – especially if it was obsolete
equipment. It is very likely the modified pieces were
condemned and destroyed with the other unserviceable
equipment, and they simply did not survive to be
funneled into the surplus sales that would eventually
lead to the collectors’ market.
The small number of surviving modified accoutrements
serves as quiet testimony of the efforts of the soldiers
and the Ordnance Department to adapt stocks of surplus
or current material to suit the needs encountered on the
Frontier. In spite of the number of accoutrements that
must have been modified during the period, surviving
examples such as these are scarce and they are a
fascinating field of collecting in their own right.
In spite of the obvious signs of use, this set is still
intact and all of the loops are present. Some of the
loops are worn along the edges as noted above, and one
loop has a split that runs 2/3 of its length, but as the
set displays, this split is not visible. The belt loops
are still tightly attached to the body and they have
been fitted with native (brain) tanned buckskin thongs
for mounting the set on your Prairie Belt.
This heretofore unknown modification of a fairly scarce
accoutrement in its own right, this set is a very
special soldier modified Indian War accoutrement to
display with your 1ST Pattern Prairie Belt
and would be a notable piece to display with a Model
1873 Colt or a Model 1875 Schofield revolver. (1011)
$850
NOTE:
Unfortunately, this has to be
said – the belt pictured is not included with the
sale of this Hazen Loop.
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