Salvaged Items
Description by Joanna Stephens, BOFT’s curator:
Because a Civil War soldier was often on the move, he needed to carry many supplies with him at all times. (This is very similar to soldiers today. They need to be ready to go at a moments’ notice and have their supplies with them.) The cartridge box was a very important part of these supplies. As the name suggests, the box contained cartridges. These pre-packaged cartridges (with a lead bullet and gun powder) were for their rifle, without them, their weapon would be useless. The cartridges were so important to the soldiers that the cartridge box has a special design. There are multiple flaps over the metal compartment where the cartridges were stored. (why would that be important…to keep them dry!)
U.S. cartridge box found on the Franklin battlefield.
Rifle cartridges were stored in the interior tins of the box and remained dry under the double layer of leather flaps. 30-40 cartridges could fill the box and be ready for use at any time.
If a soldier lost his cartridge box, he would loose the ability to protect himself against the enemy. (Because this cartridge box was picked up on the battlefield at Franklin, what can we guess about its owner? He most likely injured or killed, otherwise he would not have willingly left his cartridge box behind…or maybe he was in such a bad situation that he had to leave it or risk death.)
Questions:
A soldier from which side used this cartridge box? How do you know?
What else can you learn about the cartridge box?
Why was it so important to keep cartridges dry?
By looking at the picture, can you tell some ways that people in the 1800s were innovative?
When do you think the cartridge box was picked up from the battlefield?
Answers:
A US soldier used this cartridge box. We know that because it has US on the outside. US stands for United States. A Confederate soldier would have CS or CSA for Confederate States or Confederate States of America.
We can learn several things. It was made in 1863 at the Watertown Arsenal. The Watertown Arsenal was in Watertown, Massachusetts. We can also tell that this cartridge box was carried around the neck like a purse - because of its long strap. Some cartridge boxes attached to a soldier's belt.
A cartridge needed to stay dry because it had gunpowder. When the gunpowder got wet it would not fire.
One innovation has already been pointed out - the multiple flaps to keep the cartridges dry. Another innovation is the brass US plate. The plate is used to identify it as a US box, but it is also a weight. When soldiers would forget to shut the flap properly, the weight would hold it closed.
It was probably picked up shortly after the battle occurred. The cartridge box is in very good condition. If it was left on the battlefield for an extended period of time and exposed to the weather, the cartridge box would be more damaged. Compare it to the canteen that was recently found on the battlefield.
