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CIVIL WAR MODEL 1864 McCLELLAN CAVALRY SADDLE – AN
EXCELLENT COMPLETE SPECIMEN – WITH GOVERNMENT
INSPECTOR’S INKED ACCEPTANCE STAMP:
One of the finest Civil War
Model 1864 McClellan Saddles known to exist and having
survived in excellent condition, this specimen is
complete with the skirts, full length quarter straps,
both girth straps, original stirrup straps, sweat
leathers and hooded stirrups, all of the iron and brass
hardware, an especially nice Model 1859 Girth, a carbine
socket, and of particular note, all six original full
length captured coat straps with the original leather
stops present – just as it left the Ordnance depot.
This saddle was manufactured by C. Prudden of
Philadelphia, and bears the brass maker’s tag on the
front extension of the left side bar. One of the
outstanding features of this saddle is that it still
retains the rarely encountered government inspector’s
acceptance stamp, applied in ink on the cantle seat
surface, “GEO. BOOTH U.S. SUB INSP OF SADDLE TREES
1864”. These ink stamps were relatively light and as
it would take very little use to wear the ink from the
rawhide, very few examples of these inspector’s stamps
survive in collections today. Booth’s initials, “GB”
are also stamped into the underside of the near side
stirrup strap iron loop. I have seen Booth’s initials
stamped in this same location on other saddles
manufactured by Prudden and he may have been assigned to
that particular shop or the Philadelphia area as the
government inspector.
The rawhide covering the seat is in excellent condition,
retaining an attractive light color with no wear points,
tears or holes and with all of the seams intact. 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 majority of the
original black lacquer japanned finish present on the
iron fittings.
The black leather components are all in excellent
condition with no breaks or tears, are still supple with
no weak points, and generally retain a bright shiny
surface.
The significance of all six of the original coat straps
being present cannot be overstated. These relatively
fragile straps simply did not survive very long in the
field and required constant replacement. The presence
of any original coat straps present on a
Civil War era saddle is notable, and that all six full
length straps are present on this saddle is
exceptionally rare. As noted above, these six straps
are original to the manufacture of the saddle as they
are still “captured” in the mortise slots by the round
leather stops riveted to each strap to prevent it from
being withdrawn from the mortise slot and separated from
the saddle.
From what I have noted on remnants of these straps I
have seen through the years, it was this very attempt to
retain the straps that caused them to break – the stop
positioned the same section of the strap so that it wore
against the edges of the strap slots and mortise plates
to the point that the leather eventually wore through.
Of course, the wear was further aggravated and
accelerated when the straps were secured around the
soldier’s equipment load of blanket, overcoat, etc.
The company saddler replaced the straps as needed, and
from the coat straps on the loose that I’ve seen through
the years, it appears the stops were omitted on the
replacement straps. All six coat straps are supple and
the buckles retain the majority of the original black
lacquer japanned finish.
The skirts are in full form and supple, the saddle bag
retaining straps are present on both skirts, and there
are maker’s stamps that are still discernable on both
skirts. The leather surface is 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 full length stirrup straps are in very good
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.
A nice addition to the saddle is the presence of a Model
1859 Carbine Socket, complete with an equally nice
buckle and with a full length billet which bears the
Civil War maker’s stamp, “C. PETERS”.
Completing the saddle is an excellent Model 1859
McClellan Saddle Woolen Girth, manufactured by “HOOVER
CALHOUN & CO” and so marked on the leather safe
protecting the “D” ring. This full length standard
pattern girth features a rich colored indigo or dark
blue woolen webbing body; with all of the leather
billets, keepers, iron buckles and “D” ring present and
intact and the girth-billet loop sewn across the center
of the girth. The indigo webbing is in excellent
condition, full form and retaining a bright color with
no wear or holes. The leather components are all very
strong and pliable, the maker’s stamp is fully legible
and the iron buckles all freely move. These girths have
become quite scarce on the market, difficult to find in
any condition, and normally not included with saddle
offerings. Finding these early girths in this condition
is almost impossible, and it is one of the many
highlights of this saddle.
Overall this is an excellent and complete example of the
Civil War Model 1864 McClellan Saddle, a quality
specimen of the grade that almost never appears on the
open market and is seldom found in even the most
advanced collections.
SOLD
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