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INDIAN WARS MODIFIED PISTOL CARTRIDGE POUCH –
MARKED “US” w/ SCARCE WOODEN BLOCK INSERT: One
of the several methods known to have been employed to
modify the thousands of Cap Pouches remaining in
inventory from the Civil War, this Indian Wars era
Pistol Cartridge Pouch incorporates a wooden block
insert to hold six .45 caliber pistol cartridges, as
detailed on page 8 of Dorsey’s Indian War Cartridge
Pouches, Boxes and Carbine Boots.
A fairly simple modification, this cap pouch’s interior
flap was removed and a wooden block bored with six .45
caliber holes was inserted into the body of the pouch.
The block is securely mounted in the pouch, is of the
same high quality noted in other examples of this
modification, and is definitely original to this pouch.
Of particular note, the front of this pouch is embossed
with the “US” in the oval, and while showing some
expected evidence of use, the “US” is still fully
legible. Not all of these pouches with the block were
so marked, and the presence of the desirable “US” stamp
is certainly an added value.
The pouch is in full form with the original integral tab
intact, all of the seams are intact, and both belt loops
are present and intact. The leather is still very
supple and pliable, and retains a smooth shiny surface
overall, with very light crazing along the top of the
flap. The closing tab has an additional slot to the
side of the hole initially provided in the tab to engage
the closing finial, definitely showing age commensurate
with the pouch and likely fashioned by the soldier who
carried it. It has been noted in such research works
such as Meadows’ US Military Holsters and Pistol
Cartridge Pouches that the soldiers were very
conscious of keeping the holster and cartridge pouch
flaps out of the way to provide quick access to the
contents. The offset position of this second slot in
the tab may have been intentionally sited to engage a
thong or some other fastener the soldier had added to
his belt in order to lift the flap up and to one side of
the pouch in order to give him clear access to the
cartridges.
Faced with the recession then plaguing the country in
the post Civil War years, the various methods of
modifying existing stocks of cap pouches to carry the
metallic cartridges were adopted as an alternative to
the more expensive Model 1874 Dyer Pistol Pouch approved
by the 1874 Cavalry Board. The continued fiscal
restraints compelled the Ordnance Department and the
troops in the field to make use of the Civil War
equipment still in inventory well into the 1880’s.
In spite of the number of these pouches that must have
been modified, surviving examples are relatively scarce
today, particularly examples like this pouch which
employed the bored wooden block.
These surviving examples of those modifications are a
fascinating field of collecting in their own right, and
this unique pouch will display very well on your Model
1874 or 1885 Cavalry Sabre Belt.
SOLD
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