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RARE U.S. ARMY PATTERN 1851 CIVIL WAR HAVERSACK
WITH MAKER’S STAMP – AN EXCELLENT SPECIMEN IN REMARKABLE
CONDITION: Haversacks
were arguably one the most essential single pieces of
equipment issued to the Civil War soldier, and in one
form or another, every soldier carried one.
The Pattern 1851 Tarred Canvas
Haversack was the standard
Federal haversack issued during the Civil War.
Manufactured of tarred canvas material to protect the
contents from the elements, the haversack consisted of a
single compartment body fashioned from two panels of the
material, a fixed length shoulder strap sewn to the
body, and a flap which was closed with a leather billet
and small roller black japanned iron buckle.
Despite the large numbers of these haversacks that must
have been manufactured and issued - certainly some
soldiers were issued more than one as their prolonged
service required replacements - examples of the Pattern
1851 Haversacks have survived in very limited numbers,
and are quite rare today on the collector’s market in
any condition. It is difficult to overstate just how
rare they are, especially in the excellent condition in
which this specimen presents.
Several factors contributed to this rarity. The very
purpose of the haversack led to those which were issued
being used to destruction. The effects of the elements
and wear from being carried, combined with the residue
of contents such as grease laden meat, spoiling
vegetables, acid from coffee, and sharp eating utensils
all served to consume even this fairly substantially
made sack. Those that managed to survive were
recognized as utilitarian and were repurposed after the
war for a variety of useful tasks around the homes and
farms until they too were gone. And finally, even those
which managed to survive in the army’s inventory and
were sold into the surplus market, were consumed by
time, the elements, and poor storage. When exposed to
prolonged excessive heat in the warehouses, the tarred
surfaces melted and the stacked or crated haversacks
adhered to each other to the point that once the tar had
combined with those of the adjacent bags and hardened
any attempt to separate them resulted in torn bags and
broken straps. I have been told that at the time when
surplus dealers like Bannerman had ample supplies of
Civil War knapsacks flattened in large stacks, these
haversacks – particularly decent, undamaged specimens -
were difficult to find.
This haversack is in excellent condition, with all of
the components intact and in the original configuration.
If this haversack was issued, and from the condition
that seems doubtful, it was used for a limited time and
shows none of the wear associated with being carried by
a soldier on the march, rubbing against his uniform in
time to his gait. There is no loss of the tarred finish
on the surface due to abrasion, nor is the finish
cracked, crazed or flexed as most of these haversacks
exhibit.
The tin buttons are still in place
inside the body at the top corners of the back panel to
which removable liner attached.
The only appreciable flaws
consist of a small one inch long separation of the
material at the top right hand corner of the flap along
the fold, and a 1 ½” separation at the top of the
adjacent side seam. There is a 2” separation in the
left hand seam just below the top corner – only visible
if you pull the fold around the seam apart - , and a
less than ¼” hole in the top center of the back panel
where a third tin button for attaching the removable
liner may have been sewn. None of these three flaws
affects the structural integrity, nor do they
significantly affect the appearance of the haversack.
The shoulder strap is properly made to pattern of folded
tarred canvas, it retains its full original length, and
it is still solidly attached to the back panel with the
original stitching. As with the body, the tarred finish
is overall smooth with no cracking, crazing or loss of
the tarred finish.
The original full length leather closing billet and the
buckle, chape and standing loop assembly are both still
present and fully intact. These closing billets often
became casualties of use and age, broken or torn away
and many surviving haversacks are missing the buckle and
leather billets altogether.
As very few of the surviving examples of these early
haversacks retain the maker or inspector stamps, this
haversack is made even more attractive by the presence
of the original maker’s stamp on the long billet
reading, “___UNE, ROCKVILLE, CONN.” The first three
letters of the maker’s name are not legible; however
with the last three letters and the name of the town,
I’m sure the maker could be identified should the new
owner wish to do so. I did discover that the community
of Rockville was an enclave of manufacturing shops –
many of them engaged in the textile industry – located
within the jurisdictional limits of the city of Vernon,
Connecticut. Rockville is situated along the banks of
the Hockanum River where a naturally occurring rock
outcropping formed a dam and high falls, making it an
ideal location for a water powered mill. The mill
provided power to a number of the shops that were built
in the community and several of those shops were
involved in making haversacks and other equipment during
the Civil War under contract to the army.
While the soldier’s musket, bayonet and cartridge box
defined his purpose and his effectiveness in battle, it
was the contents of his haversack and canteen that
sustained him while on campaign. This is a rare
offering of an excellent example of the Pattern 1851
Haversack, one that would be almost impossible to
upgrade, and an opportunity to add a necessary
accoutrement to your Civil War collection.
SOLD
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