"OLD CONSTRUCTION", 19-ROUND, AMERICAN CARTRIDGE BOX

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2020

An early-war American cartridge box of the form heavily used by New England troops during the first half of the war, but largely replaced in the Continental Army by mid-war (with the exception of the Connecticut Line, which in 1779-80 during the Morristown encampment of the Main Continental Army, were still described as carrying the "old construction box of 19 rounds"), although still in use by state and militia troops thereafter. This example is mounted in an early window-box frame, its flap and rear of body wired to the rear backing board, along with its associated belt of blackened harness leather, approximately 3 inches wide. Attached to the same backing board is an old cardstock label, bearing the inscription in brownish ink, "THIS BULLET BAG WAS TAKEN FROM OLD BARN IN LEXINGTON FAMILY STORYS [SIC] SAY IT WAS USED BY ANCESTOR ON APRIL 19, 1775 THE DAY THE BRITISH ATTACKED OUR TOWN", its construction attributed to Reuben Brown of Concord by the author of "For Liberty I Live", who states that Brown made a number of boxes of this pattern for local Minute companies under contract (the block from one of which is exhibited at Minuteman National Historical Park). The cartridge box is displayed with the flap up, showing the 19-hole block, probably of poplar wood, set in the bag-form, leather body of blackened harness leather, as is the flap. Thrust into the same just before the main block is a wedge-shaped supplemental block drilled for an additional 5 rounds; this was probably added to the wartime cartridge box in post-war militia use, to allow its wearer to meet the 24-round requirement for cartridge box capacity set out in the 1787 militia act of the United States. CONDITION: Not examined out of the frame; the flap is pierced with two holes at mid-point, to allow for the hanging wires and there is an old slit or tear on the edge of the flap at approximately 1 o'clock, some 2 inches in length; the leather possibly dry and brittle. JLK Illustrated and described by pp. 110-111 of "For Liberty I Live."