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Ebay comes up with some interesting stuff from time to time!
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[I][SIZE=3]Jeff Gibson[/SIZE][/I]
[SIZE=3][I]Consolidated Independent Rangers[/I][/SIZE]
[I][SIZE=3]Formerly of Sunny Central Florida now the rolling hills of Tennessee[/SIZE][/I] -
Re: CS Jennifer???
I had picked a Jenifer on Ken Knopp's site to copy the skirt from for my saddle but....me thinks I like the equine funk protection the longer skirts provide.
another thing of noteworthiness (at least from the pic and to me eye) is the high "red" of the CS brass pommel shield which is found in other CS brass items (buttons, buckles etc) of the lesser quality more "red" brass.
Last edited by OldKingCrow; 10-21-2009, 05:06 PM. -
Re: CS Jennifer???
From Kenn Knopp's Confederate Saddles it could be a Jenifer / Transition Model finished like a "Mac" if the hooded stirrups are original ?????
JENIFER/McClellan TRANSITION SADDLE TREE: April 1863_NOV. 1863.These trees are of unclear configuration. Made at Clarksville on the McClellan pattern from converted Jenifer trees and “finished” as New Jenifer above or 1st Model McClellan below. Some McClellan trees were being finished during this period as supplied by contractors, A.A. Pitman (Theim & Frapes) and others.Comment
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Re: CS Jennifer???
WHOAAAA! Gents, this saddle is impressive!!! Hard to tell by the blurry photos but it appears legit!
Jeff, thank you for posting this-....(Btw,....Moderator badge: Please post your name on your posts). Your right, ebay does turn up some great stuff occaisionally and this appears to be one of those times. Something tells me I have seen this saddle before. Just intuition but I recall a similar Jenifer at the Nashville CW show back about 1987 (or 88). Sculpture James Muir displayed six “bonafide” CS Jenifers and McClellans that year including a cloth covered Mac and.... (I think) this one. I could be wrong....anyway...
This is an early model, "likely" Richmond Arsenal made Jenifer. It entails all of the features of the "patent" CS Jenifer tree that most resembles Jenifers original patent (see his Patent drawing in my book) including the tapered pommel and cantle. Later CS versions of the "patent model" were much more blocked or blunt. Still later models that I call the "Second model Jenifer" had the round pommel. The one I refer to as the "Jenifer-McClellan Transition" pattern remains unclear.
Chris, good eye on the red brass- a common feature of CS made items due to an incorrect mixture of copper and zinc. The pommel shields are artillery pattern (Richmond Arsenal made as the “CS” shields like this were not made at western or other arsenals to my knowledge) but I note that by itself does not automatically mean it was an artillery saddle (although it appears that it is). Original correspondence tells us that mixing and matching cavalry and artillery style shields was quite common as was cavalry saddles issued to artillery batteries and vice versa. I wish the photos were better as there are some other very interesting components of this saddle that are blurry so I hate to comment more specifically.
I like this saddle! It is quite rare for these to turn up but it never ceases to amaze me that they do. No doubt many more are out there. Jeff, good eye!! Thanks for posting it.
PS: If anyone “we know” picks this up I would like to know “who” for a more in depth look.
Ken R Knopp
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Re: CS Jennifer???
The Patent Drawing of Walter Jenifer's saddle shows the slit for the surcungle and why the cantle stuck out so dar and how the curved valise actually works
<a href="http://www.google.com/patents?id=h85mAAAAEBAJ&zoom=4&dq=jenifer%20saddle &pg=PP1&ci=33%2C48%2C823%2C1340&source=bookclip">< img src="http://www.google.com/patents?id=h85mAAAAEBAJ&pg=PP1&img=1&zoom=4&hl=en& sig=ACfU3U06qnOwwDnN-prJ_8ZjpY-zrkEPag&ci=33%2C48%2C823%2C1340&edge=0"/></a>Comment
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Re: CS Jennifer???
Ken are you familar with Jenifer saddles made by CA Farwell of Mobile, Alabama ????
The subject Jenifer has the same skirt pattern as the one pictured on Page 229 of Troiani's Soldiers in America 1754-1865 which is purported to be of AL provenance and mentions the CS pommel shield.
But in the previous paragraph he states
"the Jenifer saddle differed from the McClellan in several ways. The most noticeable was its solid seat, opposed to the open-center seat of the McClellan"
which, from what I read and viewed, is not correct except for special saddles ???????????? for example of a special one is on June 4, 1863 Richmond Ordnance Shop completed and sent on special order a "fully quilted" Jenifer saddle to Gen Fitzhugh Lee"Comment
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Re: CS Jennifer???
Chris,
The C.A. Farwell jenifer saddle is a bit evasive. Troiani believes the name applies to a manufacturer of CS Jenifers from Mobile. I dont believe that to be correct. I made an in depth look several years through the "Confederate Papers Relating to Citizens or Business Firms", (M346, 1,158 microfilm rolls) in the National Archives and could find no firm of this or a similar name from Mobile or, any place else in the Confederacy. Another look at war time era business directories (1860 & 1865) from Mobile could find no saddlery, harness maker, etc. of this name. Furthermore, the tree pattern, skirt pattern and more importantly, the pommel shield indicates it to be of Richmond Arsenal manufacture. I could be VERY WRONG HERE but I tend to speculate without other information that the name C.A. Farwell is likely the name of its owner at one time or another. From its other hardware I also believe it to be an artillery issue saddle. A photograph of it appears in my book on page 144.
True, Jenifer's were made in many different styles and patterns. Skirt patterns varied through the war due to war time shortages of leather, war department edicts and contractor variations. Skeleton saddles were generally (but not always) trooper issue while various leather covered seats were generally (but not always) officer's private purchase from the arsenals.
As for the Fitzhugh Lee saddle.....the following is a part of Richmond Arsenal correspondence regarding the manufacture of these saddles.
May 21, 1863 Pride to Downer (from Henry Pride file, Staff Officers Files, N.A. * Pride was the Supt of the Clarksville Harness Shops)
"I send two fine saddles (full quilted Jenifers ???? $225) made of black enamelled leather. The one for Gen Fitzugh Lee was commenced before I received your letter stating that he wanted it made of hog skins so I had to finish it. I will send the fair leather saddle for him and for the others
ordered by next car."
This and other correspondence indicates that Lee ordered (or at least rec'd) two saddles at the time. Both likely the "Shafted" Jenifer meaning it did not have a full leather covering but rather the "shaft" was left open (either "skeleton" sytle with rawhide exposed or, leather covered bars) and a quilted seat attached. In Lee's case, one saddle was made of black enamelled leather with a quilted seat and the other of fair leather with a hog skin seat.
Again it should be noted that many variations of Jenifer saddles were made for the Confederacy; eastern Jenifer's differed from those made in the west (often drastically), officer's Jenifer's differed from trooper's issue and that they all evolved quite a bit during the war. As with most things "Confederate", there are few "hard and fast" rules when it comes to saddlery.
I might also point out for the sake of carlity that the Fitzugh Lee saddle at the M.O.C. is a post war saddle that he likely used during his Span-Am War experience and NOT that used by him during the so-called "Rebellion".
I hope this helps with general understanding of Jenifers. While their history is checkered and most interesting, they are in my opinion, the finest, most stylish and unique saddles of the period.
Ken R Knopp
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