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RARE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR MUSKET CARTRIDGE
BOX – VERY GOOD SPECIMEN OF THE “BELLY BOX” WITH
ORIGINAL WAIST BELT:
Predating the larger
cartridge boxes that were introduced ca. 1779 in the
midst of the American Revolutionary War, this style of
Musket Cartridge Box was in use by the British Army from
the early 1700’s. Well documented with featured
examples in Kochan and Troiani’s Soldiers of the
American Revolution and in Robert Reilly’s article,
“Together for Two Centuries…” (Military Collector and
Historian, Journal of The Company of Military
Historians, Vol. 45, 1993, pages 84-86), this basic
pattern of cartridge box was issued to regular army
units and militia alike, to include the militia units
located in the English Colonies in North America that
would eventually constitute the Continental Army.
The basic design of this box consisted of three to five
pieces of leather, depending on the particular maker’s
pattern, which were sewn together around the front, back
and sides of a wooden block, often fashioned of poplar
or beech wood, and a piece of leather providing a
protective flap over the top of the block. The block
was drilled with holes which carried the paper
cartridges, with the number of holes varying
considerably from 18 to 29 depending on the size of the
block and the diameter of the holes which was
determined by the caliber of the musket or carbine with
which the box would be issued. The box was then fitted
with a one or two piece shoulder sling or belt of linen
or leather – the two piece slings and belts joined with
either a plain, hand forged iron buckle or a metal
adjustment hook.
There is a difference in the terminology of the period
that was used to describe these cartridge boxes that is
germane to this particular box. While the British Army
used the term “cartridge pouches” to describe these
ammunition carriers, the American Army preferred the
term “cartridge boxes”, and these terms seem to be used
without regard to the design of a particular pouch or
box. To further muddy the waters, while many of the
cartridge carriers – pouches and boxes – were fitted
with a shoulder sling, and were intended to be carried
over the soldier’s shoulder, the strap passing across
his chest and back and the carrier resting on the
opposite hip, there were those carriers that were
referred to by the troops as “belly boxes” which were
worn on a belt around the soldier’s waist with the
carrier, or box, positioned to his front and across his
stomach, hence the name. This “belly box” method of
carrying the cartridges appears to have been quite
popular with a variety of units and the preference is
understandable. The box worn on a waist belt was more
secure and would not continuously bang against the
soldier’s back and side on the march, it was less prone
to snag on underbrush or other obstacles on the
battlefield, and was less likely to be out of position
or tangled in other equipment when reaching for a
cartridge in the heat of battle. Because it was snugged
into position on the soldier’s front waist, he knew
exactly where it was at all times.
Further clouding this difference of pouch vs. box, and
the shoulder borne carriers vs. “belly boxes”, soldiers
found it quite simple to modify a shoulder mounted
carrier to a belly box. The shoulder strap, attached to
the box by inserting the ends into the seam between the
back panel and covering flap, and tacked to the rear of
the wooden cartridge block, was intended to rise
perpendicular to the carrier. In the process of
modifying the shoulder strap to a waist belt, the two
pieces of the shoulder sling were folded down and out
towards the ends of the carrier, leaving a tell-tale
triangular fold where it was sewn to the end of the
carrier and/or tacked in place, and resulting in two
belt ends, one emerging from each side of the carrier.
If the carrier was fitted with a one piece sling, it
was easily cut, a buckle sewn to one end and the
necessary holes punched in the opposite billet to fit
the soldier’s waist.
From extent specimens, it appears this pattern of
cartridge box was made with shoulder slings and, whether
by original design or the result of modification by a
soldier, was also worn as a belly box, as is the case
with this cartridge box.
In very good condition and
showing only minimal evidence of aging, this
Revolutionary War Cartridge “Belly” Box measures 10”
long, 4” high, and 3” deep. It is formed from three
main panels of leather – the front, the back and the
covering flap which is sewn to the top edge of the back
panel. The front and back panels are sewn together at
both ends and along the bottom of the box, forming a bag
into which the wooden block was placed. There are small
leather ears at each end of the box which prevent the
weather from getting in under the sides of the covering
flap. The wooden block is anchored in the leather
covering with a series of small iron flat headed brads
on both ends and across the back. The block is drilled
with 24 holes, each approximately 2 5/8” deep and .79”
in diameter – likely intended to carry .75 caliber
cartridges. The billet which kept the flap closed is
still present, stitched to the inside of the covering
flap. The leather button which mated to the billet and
was stitched to the front panel of the box is now
missing.
The leather is crazed and there is some surface flaking,
however this evidence of wear is well within the bounds
one would expect to find on a Revolutionary War piece.
The leather is supple and still very strong with no
significant weak points or notable damage.
Attached to the rear of the box are the two belt
sections. Sewn into the seam that joins the back and
covering flap of the box, each belt section is folded
over as described above and tacked down with iron nails
and sewn to the back panel of the box. The belt section
on the right side of the box is fitted with a forged
iron roller buckle with a square tongue and the iron
still retains some of the original black lacquer
finish. This right hand section is intact, is supple
and while the leather is crazed with some surface
flaking, it appears to be full length. The belt section
on the left side of the box – the billet end - retains
the full length that was employed by the soldier who
wore this box and the end of the billet has been roughly
shaped to a point where it fed into the buckle. The
adjustment holes are notably square rather than round
which confirms that the buckle with the square tongue is
original to this box. The billet has suffered some wear
due to age and use, and this section of the belt was
torn when the box was found, and there was a risk the
section of the belt would be separated from the box and
lost. Such a loss would significantly detract from the
overall appearance and historical context of the box, so
a professional restoration was executed to restore the
billet and strengthen the weakened section. The
restoration was well blended and is not readily apparent
from the outside of the billet. On the inside surface
of the billet, the reinforcing leather is visible, but
has been finished in such as way as to blend in as much
as possible.
The leather accoutrements
dating from the earliest days of our Nation had several
factors working against their survival in order to be
available to modern collectors. At the risk of stating
the obvious, by virtue of the fact they were the first
accoutrements of their kind carried in North America,
they have had to survive 200 plus years of wear and tear
and have been subject to less than ideal storage. They
were also produced and available at the time of issue in
smaller numbers than later generations of
accoutrements. Whether the accoutrements were issued to
the pre-Revolutionary Army militias, captured from the
British, or produced in the colonies, the numbers never
reached the level of production witnessed during the
Civil War that resulted in so much unused surplus. And
finally, the Revolutionary War accoutrements were likely
to have seen continued use after the war whether it was
in a regular army or local militia unit, taken home by
the soldier to defend his farm, or carried out on to the
frontier as the country expanded west, and in any of
those circumstances the accoutrements were simply used
to destruction, leaving the very few that exist today in
public and old established private collections. It is
very unusual for one of these boxes to appear on the
market, especially in such respectable condition.
This rare and very
collectable Revolutionary War Cartridge Box will make an
important addition to even an advanced accoutrement
collection and it would display very nicely with an
early flintlock musket.
SOLD
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