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MODEL 1876 PRAIRIE BELT – THIRD PATTERN - CAVALRY
MODIFICATION w/ EXTERIOR CAVALRY STRAP AND SABRE SLING
HANGER LOOPS – VERY RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL INDIAN WARS
CARTRIDGE BELT: One of the extremely few of
these modified Model 1876 Prairie Belts that survived
use in the field during the Indian Wars to appear today
in modern collections, this belt is a exceptional
example of the frontier soldiers’ efforts to adapt the
standard issue equipment to meet their needs on
campaign. This belt of the same style as pictured and
discussed on pages 243-46 of American Military and
Naval Belts, 1812-1902 by R. Stephen Dorsey.
This Model 1876, Third Pattern Prairie Belt was modified
by the cavalry trooper with the addition of a 1 ½” wide
strap, secured between the 23RD and 24TH
cartridge loops with a single line of stitching. The
strap is supported and held against the prairie belt
body by two ¾” wide leather straps folded over the belt
and attached by a rivet on the lower edge of the belt.
The applied strap and the belt tongue both engage the
brass buckle to hold both leather billets in place when
the belt is worn. This additional strap allowed the
soldier to carry his revolver holster, pistol cartridge
pouch and possibly a sheath knife.
Two brass box rings of two different sizes, and likely
salvaged from some other piece of equipment or
accoutrement, are attached to the belt by opening the
bottom seam, inserting the ring, and securing it in
place with a single rivet, much the same way that the
arsenal applied modification was executed to the
Infantry Prairie Belts in 1879. These brass box rings
are of a size that they would have accommodated the
regulation sabre straps which were issued with the Model
1874 Cavalry Sabre Belt, but it is just as likely that
the soldier fashioned a pair of sabre straps from
whatever leather was available at his frontier post.
That so few of these modified accoutrements survive
today can be easily explained when viewed through the
Ordnance Department’s process of issue and return. When
the units received new issues of current equipment and
returned the obsolete accoutrements and equipment to the
Ordnance Depots, those pieces that had been modified
such as this belt were looked upon by the Ordnance
Department personnel as damaged beyond repair, or the
necessary repairs to return the item to its original
configuration were not cost effective – especially since
it was obsolete equipment. It is very likely the
modified pieces were condemned and destroyed with the
other unserviceable equipment. These belts simply did
not survive to be funneled into the surplus sales that
would eventually lead to the collectors’ market, hence
their rarity today.
The belt has an overall length of 42 ¼”. As all of
these belts as issued were simply too long for the small
waisted cavalrymen of the period, the leather billets
were shortened to fit the solder – in this case, the
billet has been shorted to 7 ¼” long. When the billet
was shortened, the soldier also shortened the length of
the belt body, reducing the number of cartridge loops
from the standard 54 to 53.
All of the loops are intact and show the expected wear
for such a field used belt along the top and bottom
edges of the loops, but not so worn as to collapse or
lose their integrity or shape. The belt body is very
strong with no tears in the canvas on the outside or
inside surfaces, and the seam along the bottom is fully
intact.
The tongue is surprisingly smooth with a shiny leather
surface, no crazing, and only minimal flexing. The
“WATERVLIET ARSENAL” stamp is still legible on the tip
of the tongue, and some of the inspector, A. Smith,
stamp at the very tip is still legible. The added strap
on the exterior of the belt is likewise in very nice
condition with signs of use and flexing, but no crazing
and an overall smooth surface. The two leather straps
that retain the added strap are likewise smooth, have no
crazing, and are firmly attached.
The small number of surviving modified accoutrements
serves as quiet testimony of the efforts of the soldiers
and the Ordnance Department to adapt stocks of surplus
material to suit the needs encountered on the Frontier.
In spite of the number of these belts that must have
been modified during the period, surviving examples such
as this one are rare and they are a fascinating field of
collecting in their own right. This extraordinary belt
is of the scope and quality to serve as the center piece
in a collection of early Indian War accoutrements and
arms. (0117) $2200
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