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RARE U.S. ARMY PATTERN 1851 CIVIL WAR HAVERSACK –
AN EXCELLENT SPECIMEN IN REMARKABLE CONDITION:
Haversacks were arguably one the most essential single
pieces of equipment issued to the Civil War soldier, and
in one form or another, every soldier carried one.
The Pattern 1851 Tarred Canvas Haversack was the
standard Federal haversack issued during the Civil War.
Manufactured of tarred canvas material to protect the
contents from the elements, the haversack consisted of a
single compartment body fashioned from two panels of the
material, a gusset at the bottom, a fixed length
shoulder strap sewn to the body, and a flap which was
closed with a leather billet and small iron roller
buckle.
Despite the large numbers of these haversacks that must
have been manufactured and issued - certainly some
soldiers were issued more than one as their prolonged
service required replacements - examples of the Pattern
1851 Haversacks have survived in very limited numbers,
and are quite rare today on the collector’s market in
any condition. It is difficult to overstate just how
rare they are, especially in the excellent condition in
which this specimen presents.
Several factors contributed to this rarity. The very
purpose of the haversack led to those which were issued
being used to destruction. The effects of the elements
and wear from being carried, combined with the residue
of contents such as grease laden meat, spoiling
vegetables, acid from coffee, and sharp eating utensils
all served to consume even this fairly substantially
made sack. Those that managed to survive were
recognized as utilitarian and were repurposed after the
war for a variety of useful tasks around the homes and
farms until they too were gone. And finally, even those
which managed to survive in the army’s inventory and
were sold into the surplus market, were consumed by
time, the elements, and poor storage. When exposed to
prolonged excessive heat in the warehouses, the tarred
surfaces melted and the stacked or crated haversacks
adhered to each other to the point that once the tar had
combined with those of the adjacent bags and hardened,
any attempt to separate them resulted in torn bags and
broken straps. I have been told that at the time when
surplus dealers like Bannerman had ample supplies of
Civil War knapsacks (albeit, flattened in large stacks)
these haversacks – particularly decent, undamaged
specimens - were difficult to find.
This haversack is in excellent condition, with all of
the components intact and in the original configuration.
If this haversack was issued, and from the condition
that seems doubtful, it was used for a limited time and
shows none of the wear associated with being carried by
a soldier on the march, rubbing against his uniform in
time to his gait. There is no loss of the tarred finish
on the surface due to abrasion, nor is the finish
cracked, crazed or flexed as most of these haversacks
exhibit. All of the seams are intact and there is no
tearing at the corners or edges associated with the
heavy use these haversacks were exposed to.
The tin buttons are still
in place inside the body – one each at the top corners
of the back panel and one on the inside center of the
front panel - to which removable liner attached.
The shoulder strap is properly made to pattern of folded
tarred canvas, it retains its full original length, and
it is still solidly attached to the back panel with the
original stitching. As with the body, the tarred finish
is overall smooth with no cracking, crazing or loss of
the tarred finish.
The original full length leather closing billet and the
buckle, chape and standing loop assembly are both still
present and fully intact. These closing billets often
became casualties of use and age, broken or torn away
and many surviving haversacks are missing the buckle and
leather billets altogether. The surface of the billet
is crazed, showing evidence of aging, but it is still
full length and in full form. The upper end of the
billet is the typical location where the maker’s stamp
is found, but seldom does any more than a trace of the
maker’s stamp survive. Viewed at the right angle and in
the right light, a few individual characters can be made
out on this billet, but not enough to make out the full
name. This billet and buckle assembly is sewn,
suggesting this haversack was manufactured either prior
to the Civil War or during the first years of the war.
By mid-War, the billets and buckles began to be riveted
in place – a change which mirrored similar changes in
the manufacturing of holsters, saddle components, and
other equipment where rivets were added to reinforce
stitching or completely replaced the stitching all
together.
While the soldier’s musket,
bayonet and cartridge box defined his purpose and his
effectiveness in battle, it was the contents of his
haversack and canteen that sustained him while on
campaign. This is a rare offering of an excellent
example of the Pattern 1851 Haversack, one that would be
almost impossible to upgrade, and it presents an
opportunity to add a necessary accoutrement to your
Civil War collection.
(0442)
$2500
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