Finding novelty and fascination in the mundane – that is basically what this particular post is all about. The findings of a Board of Officers that met in 1874 stated it wonderfully — “The proper shape of the stirrup-loops. No uniformity existed in many examined…” 1 Early in the lifecycle of the Civil War era…
For a collector, military antiquarian, or those that just can’t sleep at 3AM and have questions, the ability to identify the saddle tree pattern used in a 19th century McClellan military saddle depends on a few key knowledge points. Knowing how to tell these differences is occasionally critical in identifying any US military issued McClellan…
These marks are commonly found on WW1 US horse equipment and related items. On leather items, there will also typically be a three-character stamp under this mark indicating the government inspectors initials, and many times date of manufacture year stamping (1917 or 1918). Contractor Name Contractor Location Images of Marks Exact Marking Characters A. G….
The common iron ‘barrel buckle’, or roller buckle, was referenced in the U.S. Ordnance Manual and other specifications for civil war horse equipment, such as the McClellan, the various artillery items, and quartermaster harness. A truly popular form of buckle hardware for leather straps and belts, it’s still very common today. The exact style of…
In this article, we look at regulation US military metal stirrups of the 20th century. Stirrups are one of those small details in horse equipment that perform a vital function, and yet can take on so many interesting and curious styles and details. The 20th century brought a renewed vitality to the US military. The…
In the Summer 1984 edition of Military Collector & Historian magazine, there was a wonderful article by Frederick C. Gaede about the US blankets that were in the “Danish Exchange” collection at the War Museum (Krigsmuseet), in Copenhagen, Denmark. The background information on the exchange itself is as important as the article subject itself. I’ll…
