federal 0.69 cal cartridge boxes

[fedhead]

Did the outer flap on the 1839,57,61 0.69 cal cartridge boxes issued by the federal government have pre punched holes or slots for the box plate, as did the federal sling? if so did the federal boxes held by the confederate forces at the start of the war exhibit this feature.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: federal 0.69 cal cartridge boxes

Hallo!

In brief and to over-generalize... short answer...

No. (Which accounts for the minor location/position variations) for the boxes.
N0, for the shoulder belts. However, there are some surviving shoulder belts that do have the paired slits/slots and even some that have three (while there is no surviving written material on that, it is believed it was because while the Ordnance Manual specified eyes or loops to be two inches apart, not all contractors were "exact." So, in practice, pre-making slits/slots might not line up with the particular eagle breast plate on hand.)

Curt

[roundshot]

Re: federal 0.69 cal cartridge boxes

Plus, CS Cartridge box plates of Government manufacture were so rare as to be almost non-existent. There were a few state patterns of course, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and SC, but these were from pre-war stocks and likewise quite scarce.

Federal boxes stored in Southern Arsenals could well have had holes in them if, indeed, a plate had been attached at some time or another, which is quite likely.