May 27, 2020 Founders & Patriots
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2020
An American cartridge box of the "soft" or "bag style of the period 1750-1780, found in New England, consisting of curved pine block (9 L x 2 W x 3 3/8 inches D) drilled to accommodate 17 paper cartridges, the holes of 3/4 inch diameter by 2 7/8 inches depth. The box in set into a 2-piece, leather bag of 6 inches depth, with a broad leather flap 10 1/4 inches wide by approximately 10 1/2 inches depth, the flap corners rounded and the edges bound with a welt of leather, turned under and whipstitched down to the inside of the flap. The flap's keeper strap is now missing, as is the leather, closure button that was once on the bottom of the body or bag. The bag is suspended by a 2-piece, harness leather, shoulder strap or crossbelt that is pipeclayed white in imitation of buff leather belting. The short branch with attached D-shaped, brass adjustment buckle, is approximately 14 inches L, 11 clear of the box, while the long branch is approximately 40 inches long, 3 inches clear. Both branches were originally 1 3/4 inches wide, but narrowed in portions over time, due to stretching of the length of the belt over time. The straps pass through narrow leather keeper straps fixed horizontally to the reverse of the block and are permanentaly attached there and at their ends by rosehead tack hammered through the belting and into the back of the box.
The cartridge box is accompanied by a corresponding bayonet belt of pipeclayed buff leather originally of 1 1/2 inch width, with a file-finished, brass 'D' buckle similar to that on the cartridge box belt. The belt also evidences stretching/narrowing over time and has a suspension "frog" of brown harness leather, into which a blackened leather bayonet scabbard is permanently attached by stitching. The leather scabbard has faint, vertically-tooled, edging lines down its length. The 18th century bayonet appears to be American-made, 19 inches long, with a triangular blade 14 inches L x 1 inch wide. The socket is 2 3/4 inches long and has a 3-step slot cut into it for a musket with a bottom-mounted, bayonet lug. A narrow lug. has a 3-step mortise for bayonet lug. The socket originally had an iron ring collar brazed to the rear of the socket, but only traces of the brass flux remains. JLK
Illustrated and discussed on page 200 of "For Liberty I Live."