58. ammo box lettering

[itz3r1k]

hi guys ok so now i was wondering if anyone knows the lettering type they used. oh and did they paint the inside or did they leave it plain oh and also how big were the letters? oh and one more thing what confederate aresenals were in or near arkansas i've looked it up but nothin pops up well thanks

[BobbyHughes]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

The work was scattered among a number of available places throughout the South. Herein entered the problem of transportation by rail. The railroads were not very amply equipped at the outbreak of the war, and were overburdened in operation to such an extent that it would have been impossible to transport material to any single point from great distances, or to secure similar transportation for finished products over long lines. It was, moreover, uncertain how far any one place could be depended upon as secure from molestation by the foe. And there was not time for the removal of the plants from the localities in which they were when the Confederacy took possession of them, and various temporary ordnance works grew up about existing foundries, machine-shops, and railroad repair-shops, and at the various United States arsenals and ordnance depots. The chief localities that were thus utilized were Richmond, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Augusta, Savannah, and Macon, Georgia; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; and Montgomery, Alabama; New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas, and San Antonio, Texas. The events of the war soon compelled the abandonment of some of these, and from time to time others were added to the list, as, for instance, Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia; Selma, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi. Of these, Atlanta and Selma became most impo

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From http://www.civilwarhome.com/confederateordnance.htm

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

hi guys ok so now i was wondering if anyone knows the lettering type they used. oh and did they paint the inside or did they leave it plain oh and also how big were the letters? oh and one more thing what confederate aresenals were in or near arkansas i've looked it up but nothin pops up well thanks

I'm not familiar with all the various Ammunition Crates that are out there, but I can tell you that from the handful of Confederate Boxes that I have examined, including several 'Enfield' boxes (packed in Richmond, VA), a Sharp's Box, 0.58 cal. boxes that the lettering appears to range from approximately 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch (sometimes a difference in size being present on a single box).

I have not found specific guidance as to whether or not the boxes were to be stencilled on the interior or not...of the boxes I've seen, only one had both an intact lid, and a stencil on the interior of the lid (and that was an artillery box - packed in Richmond).

If you have the oppurtunity, I highly recommend getting to a Relic Show...as there's almost always at least one box that you get get close and personal with - sitting on some collectors table...otherwise, peruse websites like OldSouthAntiques.com or get your hands on books like Collecting the Confederacy, Confederate Ordnance, or just peruse the Library of Congresses photographs taken on the battlefields showing debris...

Paul B.

[itz3r1k]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

thanks for the information so far guys but i still need to know the lettering type they used cause my box looks like it's gonna come out well and i don't want to mess it up with the wrong lettering

[BobbyHughes]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

Are you looking for FONT??

[itz3r1k]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

yes i'm looking for the lettering they used on the boxes

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

Erik,

I believe you will find it hard to match readily available fonts to the Stenciled Lettering on the originals. Your'e best bet is to review the sources I posted above, such as high resolution images on the Library of Congresses Website (Petersburg Campaign for example) and develope your own stencil from those (if you can't get your hands on a book, or get modern pictures of originals). Some friends and I have relatively good success with this process....sigh

Paul B.

[itz3r1k]

Re: 58. ammo box lettering

unfortunately living where i live there's never anything like that we have never had a relic show here ever alot of gun shows but thats it