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CIVIL WAR CANTEEN CONFIGURED FOR USE BY THE
CAVALRY w/ SCARCE SNAP HOOK LEATHER SADDLE HANGER STRAP
– AN EXTREMELY RARE CANTEEN: Without question,
the rarest of the Civil War and early Indian Wars
canteen configurations, this Civil War canteen is fitted
with a mounted or saddle hanger strap of the style which
would not be introduced as a piece of Ordnance
Department approved equipment until the adoption of the
Model 1885 Cavalry Equipments.
In all the years of collecting Civil War and Indian Wars
US Army horse equipment, this is the first Civil War era
canteen that I’ve seen with the mounted strap
arrangement. There is no doubt that the strap has been
on this canteen since its period of use, evidenced by
the way in which the strap has formed a set around the
tin strap guides on each side of the canteen. Further,
this canteen was not subjected to the Indian War period
US Army modification where triangular hangers were
attached to the sling guides to convert the canteens to
the 1878 Pattern, so it appears to predate those
modifications. Finally, the wear to the woolen covering
on the one side is consistent with the sort of wear the
canteen would have sustained during considerable use in
the field from the motion of the horse while the canteen
was attached to the saddle.
This strap strongly resembles the form of the regulation
Model 1885 Cavalry Canteen Strap, in that it provides an
alternative to the shoulder straps previously issued to
all soldiers - a shorter doubled strap fitted with a
steel snap hook on a sliding loop which enabled the
mounted troopers to securely hang the canteen on any of
the equipment rings mounted on the saddle.
The strap is pliable, is full length and complete with
all the standing and sliding loops, and the fully
functional original steel snap hook is properly oriented
on its separate leather loop so as to hang the canteen
flat against the saddle. The leather shows evidence of
use with some flexing, but no crazing or flaking and
there are no weak points or excessive wear to the
leather.
The canteen’s original brown wool cover is still present
and all of the seams are intact. There is some light
wear to one side, presumably the front, and the other
side shows more wear as noted above, likely the result
of wearing against the saddle and horse while being
carried in the field. All of the wear is fully visible
in the photographs below. The spout is full form and
has the added value of retaining the legible Civil War
era maker’s stamp. All three tin sling guides are still
present. The original cork and chain are present and
the cork retains its full form with no cracks or
splits. Overall, this canteen presents in very good
condition and is certainly above average in comparison
to those regularly offered on the market.
One of the most desirable canteens
of the 19TH Century US Army, and easily one
of the rarest,
this canteen set will
definitely be a nice addition to your Cavalry collection
and would be an excellent addition to display on any of
your Civil War or Early Indian Wars McClellan Saddles.
SOLD
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