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CIVIL WAR US ARTILLERY TAR/GREASE BUCKET:
One of the more iconic Civil War Artillery implements,
these heavy iron Grease or Tar Buckets were supplied to
every gun and caisson. Measuring 8” tall and 7” in
diameter, the bucket has two stout “ears” to which is
attached the suspension ring and chain assembly, for
hanging the bucket from a hook under the axle of the
caisson or gun carriage.
This bucket shows some cosmetic evidence of age, but is
otherwise in very good condition. All of the metal is
solid with no weak points or holes. All of the seams
are intact and all of the original components are
present – to include the swinging lid and the “T” shaped
toggle on the suspension chain, both of which are often
missing. The top lid turns freely on the pivot pin and
is in full form. The surfaces are overall smooth with
only some very minor pitting in scattered locations.
The exterior has been painted with an appropriate black
paint which has aged nicely. The interior, especially
the bottom, shows some evidence of corrosion as is to be
expected, but there is no active rust and there are no
holes or weak points. The chain links, ring and toggle
from which this bucket hung are all solid and full
form.
Before dismissing this Tar Bucket as too heavy or
cumbersome for your collection, consider assembling a
display similar to a very attractive grouping I saw
years ago. Although the collector did not own an
artillery piece, he had collected a nice grouping of
Civil War artillery implements and uniform pieces. He
built a rack that would support the longer handles of a
wiper, rammer and worm in a classic “stand of arms”
arrangement, and suspended a tar bucket below the
implement heads, creating an impressive display.
This is a very good, solid example and would never need
to be upgraded.
(0106) $595
PENDING
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