MODEL 1874 CANTEEN (TRANSITIONAL TYPE 2-3) w/
CHAMBERS BUCKLE SLING – VERY SCARCE INDIAN WARS CANTEEN:
Well documented, but one of the scarcer types of the
earlier conversions of the surplus Civil War canteens
during the early years of the Indian Wars, this Model
1874 US Army Canteen features a canvas cover and the
Chambers Cloth Sling with the brass adjustment buckle.
As discussed in Doug McChristian’s The US Army In the
West, 1870-1880 on pages 211-212, the conversion
process involved covering the existent woolen cover with
a brown canvas cover and replacing the Civil War linen
sling with the drab web Chambers Sling. The Type 2
conversion included a leather welt in the seam of the
two piece canvas cover, and the bottom sling guide was
left in place. The Type 3 conversion eliminated the
leather welt, but also removed the bottom sling guide as
no longer necessary as the Chambers sling was held in
place by the canvas cover, and eliminating the bottom
guide removed this point of wear. McChristian points
out that a specimen was found where the bottom sling
guide was retained, and he suggests that specimen may be
the bridge between the Type 2 and 3 conversions. In
fact, that very “bridge” specimen McChristian cites is
the very canteen offered here, recently released from an
old Arizona collection.
This canteen has been covered with the two piece canvas
cover without the leather welt, the linen sling has been
replaced with the Chambers Sling, and the bottom sling
guide remains intact. Further, this canteen features
the early, small, ½” tall “US” stenciled on the cover.
McChristian comments that this is the only Pattern 1874
canteen encountered in his research which had the
arsenal applied U.S. property marking.
The canvas cover is in very good condition, showing only
very minor spots of discoloration and soiling, but no
wear or tearing to the covers. The very desirable small
“US” stamp on the front is present and legible. The
seams of the cover are intact. The cork stopper is
present as is the retention chain and loop and both are
in very good condition with only some minor wear to the
bottom of the cork body.
The sling shows very little evidence of use with only
minor discoloration and none of the wear or stringing of
the fabric as is so often seen on these web slings. The
original Chamber’s brass buckle is present and full
form.
These early Indian Wars canteens are scarce due to the
use they received in service, and this one is
particularly significant as it shows the progression of
the various modifications and retains the “US” property
stamp. This is the type of canteen which was issued in
the early frontier regiments.
SOLD
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