SPANISH AMERICAN WAR MILLS INFANTRY CARTRIDGE
BELTS - .45 CALIBER, 45 LOOPS: These are very
nice examples of the Mills Infantry Rifle Cartridge
Belts which were manufactured in response to the
mobilization of regular army and state militia troops at
the outbreak of the Spanish American War.
As discussed on page 279-289 of American Military and
Naval Belts 1812-1902 by Dorsey, these belts are
fitted with the captive sheet brass ends with the brass
wire adjustment loops.
Through his extensive research into the contracts let by
the government during the SAW period, Dorsey determined
that all of these dark blue woven belts manufactured and
supplied by Mills at the time of the SAW were fitted
with their proprietary end pieces which were stamped
with the Mills patent information.
Additionally, he identified a second sub-group of these
same dark blue Mills belts which had been manufactured
by Mills, but had been delivered to the army in the late
Indian War years. According the pattern then in force
during the Indian Wars, the belts were not fitted with
the sheet brass ends, rather the ends were bound in a
polished black cotton cloth.
The army, in anticipation
of having to outfit the increased numbers of troops
activated for the war, pulled these belts from their
inventory and subcontracted with a commercial firm to
fit them with brass ends which were obtained from a
source other than Mills possibly Spaulding, as these
unmarked ends are very similar to the ends which are
found on the belts manufactured by Spaulding. These
ends bear no markings, but are otherwise functionally
the same.
It is worth noting that these belts are found with
cartridge loops of at least three basic lengths (with
very minor differences caused by the weave) 1 7/8,
2, 2 1/8. To my knowledge, there is no known
explanation for this difference, but the cartridge loop
lengths are well documented in the above cited
reference.
This is a nice selection of these Mills Belts which
would display quite nicely with the arms and equipment
of the Spanish American War era.
Each belt is individually
described below with accompanying photographs.
NOTE:
Digital photography creates some challenges when
photographing dark blue material. These belts retain a
nice even rich dark blue color except where otherwise
noted.
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