Leather staps on canteens

[Gunnersmate]

What can you tell me about putting a leather strap on a wooden canteen for a confederate impression. i have seen some pictures of orginals with leather straps but i am not sure how common that was. so is it more common for canteens with cloth or leather.

Doung Nguyen

[Jim Mayo]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

Since so many wood canteens are missing the strap, IMO there is no way to determine which was more common. The common sense approach would suggest cotton slings may have been more common since leather was in short supply and cotton wasn't. There are surviving examples of both. A better question would be what type of cotton or leather sling was commonly used. Research of surviving specimens could provide some guidence for that question.

[Gunnersmate]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

do you have any suggestions as to where to look to see what is the proper sling, either leather or cotton. any idea's as to the dimentions and materal used. buckles for the leather sling?

< - - - Guess what essential component of this post is missing right here.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

Jim is right in his observations about surviving specimens, and tagging on to his comments a good resource for canteen information is Silvia & O'Donnels "Civil War Canteens" (1990) book. A good source of quality CS sling reproductions is Trans Mississippi Depot. They offer a couple really good repros based on original specimens, mostly taken from Silvia & O'Donnel's excellent canteen book, in folded cotton and iron dyed leather. If you go with leather, I would consider the wider leather variety found in images of canteens with wider sling loops.

[Bill]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

For what it's worth. More surviving Gardner pattern canteens seem to have leather straps; but that doesn't really answer your question, since leather is much more durable. Then there are the combination straps, with a leather end that goes through the buckle, or button. The one thing common to almost all Gardner canteen straps is a mechanical closure, be that a buckle or button. The ends are rarely sewn together.

During my research, I have found only one leather strap that shows up on more than one surviving canteen. It is just a leather strap anout 3/4" wide with a button cut into one end and a button hole cut into the other.

I've been studying Gardner pattern canteens for about 15 years and have lost count of the number I've examined. The one thing they have in common is no two are exactly alike in every detail. The best suggestion I could make is pick a surviving strap, get a copy, and use it with pride. The only exception would be the Hughes, Pendergrass, and Snow strap, that was made in New Orleans, I doubt they were used by the ANV, since Gardners didn't begin to show up until early 1863 in the East.

If anyone as information on canteen straps being issued as a separate item, I would be very interested. (I think they were, but can't prove it.)

[Jerry Ross]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

The answer to the 2nd question, I found records where the 49th Tenn was issued canteens and the next line issude canteen straps . This was after the unit was releasd from Camp Douglas in the fall of 62 . It was just a note mentioned items that stuck in my mind when I was looking through records in Nashville TN.

[Gunnersmate]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

do you have a source for purchaceing the civil war canteen book

[arsenal guard]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

There was one for sell yesterday on Ebay, under Civil War - Books.

Wade Sokolosky

[Gunnersmate]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

thank you i will check it out

[Gunnersmate]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

I was just thinking about the cottom sling verses the leather one. Now this is a theory question. BUT how well do you think or how long would a cotton strap last. WE as reenactors use ours out in the weather less than 10 % of the time they did. So with all the constant wear and tear on grear it would make one thing they would try to put a leather on the canteen as soon as they could. or as soon as the cotton one had worn out. With constantly being in the weather and you know how easy it is for a strap to get wet i would think mold and rot would take its toll as well. Of course with all theories there are variables here. Such as supply shortages and need for leather else where. Are there any examples of Painted fabric canteen straps?

By the way i apprecate what everyone has written and i have been looking into the advice.

[federal_musician]

Re: Leather staps on canteens

I was wondering also, if the original strap rotted, etc., and you lost the canteen when the sling broke, what was the common method of replacement?

Would it be able to be picked up by mates and returned to you (were canteens IDed or names written on the strap)?

If it was lost in a situation so that it was not able to be retrieved, would you pick up "any" canteen along the way (US or CS?) and then when you reached a resupply point, were the "wrong" canteens replaced or was it yours from then on?

Would this have any bearing on the mixture of types of canteens or their coverings in a reeactment unit?

Fran Long
Brigade Brass Band