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PRE-CIVIL WAR SADDLE GIRTH – POSSIBLE DRAGOON OR
OFFICER’S GRIMSLEY GIRTH WITH HORSE SHOE SHAPED BUCKLES:
This interesting leather girth was originally
found with a selection of U.S. Army regulation pattern
girths - Models 1859 through 1885 - that were recovered
with the final treasures removed from Bannerman’s Island
prior to the property being turned over to the state of
New York.
While the Model 1859 McClellan Saddle Girths were
nominally 23” long, the earlier generation of girths
issued with the Model 1847 Grimsley Dragoon Saddle and
Artillery Driver’s Saddle measured 45” long – the
dragoon girth being 3 ½” wide and the driver’s girth 2
½” wide. The descriptions of both of the Grimsley
girths lacked much in detail, but the artillery girth
was to have buckles with an inside width of 1 ½” – the
same inside width that the buckles on this girth have.
It is worth noting that the Grimsley 1847 Dragoon horse
equipment featured horseshoe-shaped buckles.
Measuring 51” long and 1 ¾” wide, this girth is
fashioned from heavy harness leather and fitted with two
large horseshoe-shaped iron buckles attached to the body
with separate leather chapes. The leather is live and
flexible with no weak points or damage that affect the
integrity of the leather. The surface is generally
wrinkled with very limited crazing and no flaking or
surface loss.
The style and length of this girth and the type of
buckles used all suggest it is of a type that predates
the Civil War – either made before the war or made after
the onset of the war for an officer whose preferences
were influenced by his service prior to the war. This
girth could have been a field replacement made at a
frontier post by a company or regimental level saddler,
or made by a commercial saddle shop to complete a
private purchase officer’s saddle. Whatever the history
of this girth may be, it is certainly of the period and
one that would be a nice addition to complete an early
saddle. Complete solid girths from before or during the
Civil War are not appearing often on the market and this
is a very solid specimen. (1010) $395
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