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CIVIL WAR MODEL 1864 McCLELLAN CAVALRY SADDLE – A
VERY GOOD SPECIMEN COMPLETE WITH ALL THE MAJOR
COMPONENTS – MAKER MARKED AND GOVERNMENT INSPECTED:
This Civil War Model 1864 McClellan Saddle has survived
in very good condition, complete with the skirts, full
length quarter straps, both girth straps, original
stirrup straps, original sweat leathers and hooded
stirrups, and all of the iron and brass hardware – as it
would have been ridden by a Civil War cavalry trooper in
the field.
This saddle was manufactured by D. Demarest of Newark,
New Jersey and bears his brass maker’s tag on the front
extension of the left side bar. The left skirt is
stamped with a sub-contractor’s name and city, in
accordance with the newly instituted production
controls. The right skirt retains remnants of the
Ordnance Sub-Inspector stamp in an oval cartouche, with
the abbreviated “ORD” (ORD DEPT) still legible. That
either of these leather maker and Ordnance Department
stamps survive, even if only partially legible, is a
significant added value considering the amount of wear
to which these saddles were exposed during the course of
their relatively brief service life.
The rawhide covering the seat is in very good condition,
retaining an attractive light color with no wear points
on the seat surface or on the underside. There is some
seam separation under the pommel and cantle arcs, but
nothing which is unsightly nor does any of it affect the
integrity of the rawhide. Otherwise, all of the other
seams are intact and very strong. All of the brass coat
strap mortise plates are present and firmly attached.
All of the iron rings, barrel staples and footloops are
present, with the some of the original black lacquer
japanned finish present on the iron fittings.
The black leather components are all in very good
condition with no breaks or tears, are still supple with
no weak points, and generally retain a bright shiny
surface, with only some minor crazing or flaking in
isolated points where the leather experienced more wear
than others.
The skirts are in full form and supple, the saddle bag
retaining straps are present on both skirts, and the
above described stamps are still present on both
skirts. The leather surfaces are overall smooth with
very little sign of wear or aging.
The quarter straps are full length with no breaks or
weak points, and they join at the proper spaded “D”
rings on each side, from which depend full length girth
straps.
Often missing from these saddles, and almost impossible
to find on the loose, the two original sweat leathers
are present and both are in excellent condition with
both stirrup strap loops present on each one. The
original stirrup straps – another component which seldom
survive in any condition - are both full length in
excellent condition with no weak points.
The stirrups are particularly nice, with strong wooden
frames that have no splits or damage. Each stirrup is
fitted with full form leather hood with no damage and a
bright smooth finish. The early Civil War McClellan
Saddle Hooded Stirrups featured a narrow tread and a
closely fitted leather hood, both of which served to
provide the soldier with a very short space to fit his
shoe or boot, making it difficult to “keep” his
stirrups. In response to the soldier’s complaints, as
are featured on this pair of stirrups, the depth of the
front bell of the hoods was increased to provide a
better purchase on the stirrup.
Overall this is a very attractive example of the Civil
War Model 1864 McClellan Saddle; complete with all of
the original major components, and it is a quality
specimen of the grade that seldom appears on the open
market. (0415) $3250
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