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CIVIL WAR LEATHER CASE FOR AN ARTILLERY PENDULUM
HAUSSE SIGHT – INTERESTING BELT WORN VARIANT – POSSIBLY
CONFEDERATE MANUFACTURE: Produced to
carry the Pendulum Hausse Sight, these Civil War era
implement cases did not survive in large numbers, and
are considered today to be one of the scarcest of the
Civil War Artillery accoutrements.
The pendulum hausse was a unique sighting device
developed to enable the artillery gunner to properly
sight his gun in uneven ground, and was so necessary to
the gunner’s art that he carried the hausse on his body
in this specially made case.
The standard pattern pendulum hausse pouch was made with
a two piece shoulder strap to be worn across the
soldier’s body with the pouch resting on his hip. While
matching the shape, dimensions, and form of the standard
pattern pendulum hausse case issued to the Federal
artillery save for that instead of the shoulder strap,
this specimen was fitted with a belt loop sized to
accommodate the standard 2” wide waist or sabre belts
worn by the soldiers. The belt loop is not a later
modification; rather the pouch was originally made with
the loop. Another variance from the standard design
which featured a horizontal retention strap sewn across
the face of the pouch to capture the billet of the flap,
the body of this pouch had a button onto which the flap
fastened.
This Civil War era Pendulum Hausse Case, originally made
of russet leather, retains a dark brown color with an
overall smooth finish with only minor scuffing to the
surface and minor crazing on the flap. The body of the
case measures 8 ¾ “ by 2 ¼”at the top, tapering to 1 ½”
at the bottom. The belt loop easily accommodates a 2”
wide belt and is ¾” wide. The seam is complete and
intact. The flap, integral to the body of the case,
retains its form with the exception of the lower tip
below the button hole. The button which was attached to
the front of the body of the case is now missing.
While I have not found a Confederate Pendulum Hausse
Case to compare to the specimen to, it occurs to me that
the difference in the flap closure and the method of
carrying the case may suggest this is a variation in the
standard Federal design produced for the Confederate
army. It may also have been produced under a separate
contract for a state militia or was purchased from one
of the nations which supplied both the North and the
South during the war. Whatever its origin, I am
confident it is a pendulum hausse case and most probably
of the Civil War era.
Overall this is an interesting specimen that has endured
the passage of time very well, and one of the implement
cases that seem to be as scarce as the Pendulum Hausse
Sights themselves. (0557) $350
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