|
MODEL 1844
RINGGOLD DRAGOON SADDLE – AN EXCELLENT SPECIMEN OF AN
EXTREMELY RARE EARLY 19TH CENTURY US ARMY
SADDLE:
Major of Artillery Samuel Ringgold, US Army, was granted
Patent No. 3779 on October 7, 1844 for his saddle design
which was the first major departure from the European
style suspended seat saddles used by the US Army since
the post American Revolution era. Ringgold intended
that his new saddle be issued to the dragoons,
artillery, and as a pack saddle (probably minus the
quilted seat featured on the riding saddles).
To place this Model 1844
Ringgold Saddle in historical context, in all likelihood
this is the saddle ridden by the 1ST Regiment
of U.S. Dragoons when they accompanied General Phillip
Kearny’s expedition to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1846. In
fact, the Ringgold was the U.S. Army saddle on
the pre-Mexican War Western Frontier, and no doubt, any
surviving stocks of this saddle continued to be issued
and used to destruction through the Mexican War and
possibly in the years after, especially on the frontier,
explaining why so few survive today.
According to surviving records, 261 of Major Ringgold’s
saddle were field tested in 1841, well before his patent
was granted. Maj. Ringgold was killed during the
Mexican War, and an accounting, provided to his heirs
showing the number of his saddles which were produced
for the army, recorded that a total of 1,147 Model 1844
Ringgold Saddles were produced by three private saddle
makers – the firms of John Fairbairn and Magee Tabor &
Co, both of Philadelphia, and Isaac Young (location
unknown). Even though the patent was granted in 1844,
the limited production information indicates that less
than 500 Ringgold Saddles were made for the army after
1844.
There are no known
surviving specimens of the early US Army saddles which
predate the 1830’s. Only one Model 1833 Dragoon Saddle
is known to exist – held in the Ft. Riley Museum – and
there are no known surviving examples of the Model 1841
Dragoon Saddle. The Model 1844 Ringgold Dragoon Saddle
is the first of this lineage which survives in any
number, and while there are known examples, those held
in private hands - in any condition - are so few as to
be beyond rare. By means of an informal accounting
based on known museum holdings, recorded sales over the
last 40 years, and reports from private collections, it
is generally believed that there exist fewer than a
dozen Ringgold saddles, and far less than half of that
number are in private hands. As is to be expected, with
a few notable exceptions such as this particular saddle,
the majority of the surviving examples present with a
varying degrees of condition issues from minor to severe
wear, damage or deterioration.
One final note on the
fate of surviving Dragoon Saddles is worth telling here,
if for no other reason that it be recorded somewhere.
Just prior to the condemnation of Bannerman’s Island by
the State of New York, a small group of collectors had
arranged to have access to the island and castle to do
some last minute scrounging. They found that the top
floor of the tower had been used to store the “less
desirable” saddles which in the early 20TH
Century market were slow sellers, and they had been
exposed to the elements for years due to a collapsed
roof. It was on this top floor the collectors found
stacks of Ringgold and Grimsley Dragoon saddles, however
time, Mother Nature and the resident crows and buzzards
had combined to affect the perfect tragedy – these
valuable relics had been rendered into so much historic
wreckage. The collectors had limited time and resources
to glean what they could from the island, so that they
chose to leave the Dragoon Saddles behind is
understandable, but a shame nonetheless. Given that
same opportunity today, knowing how rare these saddles
are, and how much they are appreciated and valued by
today’s collectors, it would be worth the almost
Herculean effort required to remove all of those
saddles, regardless of their individual condition, and
using the components that could be salvaged from each
saddle, restore as many of them as possible. In
fairness - as we all know, hindsight is always 20-20 and
only time reveals the significance of a lost
opportunity.
As documented on page 16
of The American Military Saddle, 1776-1945
(AMS), there were
apparently at least three different styles of Ringgold
Saddles produced during its short service life, each
differing slightly in the pattern of stitching of the
ribbed seats and in the size and shape of the skirts.
These differences may have resulted from improvements
recommended after field testing or may have been nothing
more than dissimilar renderings by the saddlers who
produced the saddles. The specimen offered here is of
the style believed to incorporate some of the later
design features such as the style of the ribbed seat,
and the shape and size of the skirts.
This Model 1844 Ringgold
Dragoon Saddle presents in remarkably spectacular
condition. It is quite possibly the finest example of
this saddle that exists in private hands, and is
certainly the equal of any example held in any museum
collection. Obtained from an old estate where it was
protected from the effects of age and the elements, this
saddle is complete with all of the black leather
components which are all in excellent condition with no
breaks or tears, are still supple with no weak points,
and generally retain a bright shiny surface.
Probably the feature of
this saddle most susceptible to aging, wear or damage,
the ribbed or quilted seat presents in amazingly
beautiful condition. This seat is in as fine a
condition as any I have seen, if not considerably
better. The surface of the soft, pliable leather still
retains a bright shiny surface, has no significant wear,
and it retains the original even black color which shows
no fading or discoloration. All of the seams are
complete with no splits or separations, and all of the
leather binding along the side edges is intact. The only
evidence of aging present on the seat area are two small
(1/4” in diameter) points of wear on the thin leather
that covers the crests of the pommel and cantle above
the quilted seat, and there is some wear around the
large iron nail heads which anchor the quilted seat to
the tree. The top edges of the pommel and cantle are
covered with the original brass moulding, which has
retained its smooth contours with no significant dents
and no misshaping. The brass slot mortise plates – one
each on the pommel and cantle – are present, in full
form and are solidly attached.
Ringgold was certainly
aware of, and sensitive to, the need for a sturdy saddle
for use on the ever expanding frontier, particularly as
the frontier moved further and further from Ordnance
depots where repairs could be affected and replacement
equipment obtained. To that end, this saddle
incorporated horse shoe-shaped iron plates screwed into
the faces of the pommel and cantle which reinforced the
mortise joints of the wooden tree. All of these plates
are intact and are still solidly attached, and after all
these years the tree is just as solid as the day it was
assembled. The exposed wood of the pommel and cantle
faces has a pleasing aged patina with no cracks, splits
or other damage.
All of the equipment
rings and staples are present and in full form.
Equipped with far more of these attachment points than
would be seen on later US military saddles, Ringgold
included each one with a specific requirement in mind.
Of the four rings on the rear extensions of the side
bars, two were for attaching the straps of the crupper
and the two horseshoe pouches issued to each trooper,
and the other two for hanging the nose bag and forage
cord (lariat) respectively. Of the three rings on the
front extensions of the side bars, two were for
attaching the breast strap and the third on the right
side was for attaching the carbine socket. The two
staples on the rear face of the cantle were for
attaching the valise and the two on the face of the
pommel were for mounting the dragoon’s rolled overcoat
and as anchor points for his pommel holsters.
All of the iron
reinforcement plates and the equipment staples and rings
show some degree of corrosion as is expected, but all of
them are intact with no loss of form nor are they
showing any weakness.
Ringgold’s innovative
design extended to the inclusion of double skirts on
each side of the saddle – the inner skirt which
protected the horse’s side from the girth buckles, and
the larger outer skirts which protected the dragoon’s
leg from wear and soiling. Both sets of skirts are full
form with no tearing or separation. The exposed
surface of the outer skirts show some wear from the
swinging motion of the stirrup straps and some minor
crazing, but they are otherwise very solid and retain an
attractive appearance. There are two small straps sewn
to the outer skirts, parallel to the side bars and
positioned just below the stirrup strap hanging point.
The stirrup straps were intended to pass under these
small straps to keep the stirrup straps from hanging out
of position. Both straps are present – unusual as this
is the sort of feature that is easily lost through time
– one strap is still sewn securely on each end. The
other strap is still attached with the original
stitching on one end, while the other line of stitching
has separated along the line of stitch holes. The full
form of that strap is still present and could be
secured, but I will leave that decision to the new
owner.
The two proper girth
straps are present on each side, attached to the tree
between the outer and inner skirts. All four straps are
full form with all the attachment holes intact and all
four straps appear to be full length.
The seat area underneath
the quilted leather seat, and between the side bars of
the tree, is spanned with a piece of tightly stretched
webbing cloth. This webbing, shown in the photographs
below, is in absolutely “like new” condition. Given
that it was consistently exposed to the heat and sweat
of the horse, it is truly remarkable that this feature
has survived as clean and as intact as it has.
There are many details regarding how the Model 1844
Ringgold Saddle was dressed out which have not survived
the passage of time, and the few surviving examples of
the saddle did not retain the auxiliary pieces such as
stirrup straps, stirrups, girths or surcingles, leaving
modern researchers and collectors to glean bits and
pieces of information from documents of that period.
Randy Stephen cites
“records of returns”
(the paper abstracts used by the Ordnance Department and
the units to account for issues of equipment) for the
Regiment of Mounted Riflemen who reported that the
stirrups in use with the Ringgold Saddle were made of
brass. It is documented that the Model 1833 Dragoon
Saddle was fitted with brass stirrups, and the Ordnance
Board of 1847 simply identified the stirrup to be issued
with the newly adopted Model 1847 Grimsley Dragoon
Saddle as “Brass, and of the same pattern as those
furnished the 1ST Dragoons in 1834”. The
army was always concerned about cost of new equipment,
and as it had retained the Model 1833 Stirrup with the
subsequent Model 1847 Grimsley Saddle, it makes perfect
sense that the brass stirrup reported used on the
Ringgold Saddle was also the Model 1833 Stirrup.
This matched pair of original Model 1833 Dragoon
Stirrups is identical to the stirrup recovered at Ft.
Union, an early Dragoon Era site, which is pictured on
page 267 of AMS. As noted in the description of
the excavated stirrup, this pair also features the
unique scroll pattern stippling on the tread, which
suggests these stirrups so marked were manufactured in
the early Dragoon period when the production was limited
and the makers had time for this sort of decorative
embellishment. In contrast, the similarly designed
Model 1863 Artillery Stirrups, produced during the more
industrialized and frantic environment of the Civil War,
featured the heavier and coarser applied chisel cuts
used to roughen the treads.
Having seen one other pair of these Model 1833 Dragoon
Stirrups with the same stippling since the publication
of the book, I have come to the conclusion that the
stippling pattern was a standard feature of this
particular stirrup and was likely unique to the work of
one particular, and yet unknown, foundry.
No
doubt the correct stirrups for this saddle, this is
definitely a matched pair, having the identical shape
and same degree of patina, and they show little if any
wear, being in “like new” condition with no damage or
defects. These solid brass stirrups feature slotted
treads which provided for a firm positive rest for the
soldier’s boot, even when wet or muddy. The stirrup
strap loop on these stirrups measures 1.35”, the correct
width to accommodate the 1 ¼” stirrup straps used on all
the Dragoon saddles from 1833 through 1847. The
stirrups stand 6 ¼” tall, are 5 ½” wide and the treads
are 1 ¾” deep.
The stirrups depend from a pair of stirrup straps which
were recreated following the detailed description found
in the 1841 Ordnance Manual of the stirrup strap used on
the Model 1841 Dragoon Saddle. The straps were
fashioned using the proper original tin plated iron
roller buckles which are correct for these early stirrup
straps, and the leather was aged in order that it
matches the condition of the balance of the saddle.
Ridden to Santa Fe and then on to San Diego with Kearny,
to Chapultepec with Scott, and on untold miles of
frontier exploration and patrols, the Model 1844
Ringgold
Dragoon Saddle carried the
Dragoons, the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, and the
Artillerymen through the pages of history which recorded
one of the most notable periods of American
expansionism. It proved to be one of the most sturdy
and innovative saddle designs to date, and it introduced
a number of features which would endure long after its
time had passed.
As
stated above, this is an exceptional specimen of the
rarest of all of the attainable US Army saddles, and one
which would be THE key addition to any United
States cavalry display – whether in a private or public
collection. This is likely the only opportunity you
will have to acquire such a fine example of this
saddle. SOLD
|
