December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
An exceptionally fine and complete example of a British 23-hole cartridge pouch of the Revolutionary War still surviving with its original buff leather strap. This style of pouch was typically constructed to hold a wooden cartridge block capable of holding 23-, 26-, or 29-fixed cartridge rounds and is the form copied by the Continental Army for its cartridge boxes of "New Construction." The buff strap is 60 inches long (not including the narrow "billet" straps sewn at ends to attach the buckles on the bottom of the pouch) and was 2 1/2 inches wide originally, although the leather has stretched from wartime usage and in 2 3/8 broad at points. The buff leather has been blackened on its face rather than pipeclayed white and the pouch flap has four vacant slots cut into its face, indicating that it once had a plate or device mounted to it when in British use. These two factors suggest that this pouch was captured and reutilized by American troops. The positioning of these slots or holes fit only one particular British pouch form known to be used in America during the Revolutionary War period from the myriad we discussed and illustrated in "Insignia of Independence" (2012). That plate is a solid brass oval plate with a script "GR" on its face, with four studs on reverse (BGLP10a--see p. 155 in the referenced book). Some years ago, I brought this pouch to Don Troiani's home and we found the lugs on his example of BGLP10a aligned perfectly with the slots on the pouch flap. These oval plates have a crown/GR device on the face and are found on 1776-1777 British military sites of the Northern campaign, notably Saratoga-related; it is most likely that this pouch and belt are relics from that campaign. CONDITION: very good overall, both the pouch leather and strap leather strong and supple, the tin tray still present under the block (which appears to be of elm or another hardwood), but cannot be accessed as the leather has shrunk too much around the block; the leather buttons set on each side of the pouch at bottom, which secured the flap by two tabs with slits sewn to its underside, are now missing, as is one of the tabs on underside of flap. A superb example of a scarce accoutrement.
CORRECTION: Title has been updated. This is 23-hole cartridge pouch not 29.