{"product_id":"original-u-s-civil-war-m1858-smoothside-canteen-with-original-wool-cover-chained-cork-stopper-rare-federal-issue-sling","title":"Original U.S. Civil War M1858 Smoothside Canteen with Original Wool Cover, Chained Cork Stopper \u0026 Rare Federal Issue Sling","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is an especially desirable and unusually complete \u003cstrong\u003eU.S. Model 1858 Smoothside canteen from the Civil War\u003c\/strong\u003e, retaining its original wool cover, rare Federal issue shoulder sling, original cork stopper, and stopper chain. The Model 1858 became one of the defining pieces of Union field equipment, carried by Federal soldiers on campaign from the opening months of the war through Appomattox. Complete examples are increasingly difficult to find because the cloth covers, shoulder slings, corks, and stopper chains were all highly vulnerable to loss and deterioration. This example survives with all of those important components still present, giving it substantially greater collector appeal than the bare metal canteens more commonly encountered today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Army standardized a new tinned iron canteen in 1858. The basic form was an oblate, flattened sphere fitted with a cylindrical spout and three small brackets around the body to support the carrying sling. The Smithsonian preserves original smoothside Model 1858 examples of this same basic configuration dating to the Civil War period. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/americanhistory.si.edu\/collections\/object\/nmah_310924?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"Canteen | National Museum of American History\"\u003eNational Museum of American History\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot began contracting for this new pattern in 1858. Army historical references describe the specification as an “oblate spheroid tinned sheet iron” canteen with a sky blue cloth cover. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/history.army.mil\/html\/museums\/uniforms\/survey_uwa.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"Survey of U.S. Army\"\u003eU.S. Army Center of Military History\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the Model 1858, American soldiers had carried a variety of wooden and metal canteens. Wooden barrel and cheesebox patterns had been common, while tin water containers also saw use. The Model 1858 represented a major step toward standardized Federal equipment at precisely the moment the Army was about to expand enormously for the Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example is the desirable:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSmoothside\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003evariation, referring to the plain, unembossed faces of the canteen body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the Civil War, another familiar Model 1858 form appeared with concentric reinforcing rings pressed into the sides. These are commonly called:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBullseye canteens\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth smoothside and concentric ring Model 1858 canteens are documented in Federal service during the war. The Smithsonian holds examples of each pattern, identifying both as U.S. regulation Model 1858 canteens. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/americanhistory.si.edu\/collections\/object\/nmah_310923?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"Canteen | National Museum of American History\"\u003eNational Museum of American History\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe canteen retains its original wool cloth cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover shows substantial age and field wear, including staining and areas of material loss, but remains sufficiently complete to preserve the classic appearance of a cloth covered Federal canteen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cloth cover served several practical purposes. It protected the thin tinned iron body from minor impacts and helped insulate the contents from direct sunlight. When dampened, evaporation from the cloth could also provide a modest cooling effect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the strongest features of this example is the surviving:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFederal issue shoulder sling\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal canteen slings are considerably more difficult to find than the metal bodies themselves because they were made from fabric and were subjected to constant stress, moisture, dirt, and abrasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sling on this example remains unbroken.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt does show substantial staining and tearing where it passes through the canteen loops, exactly where wear would be expected after extended carrying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe three sling loops around the canteen body remain present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spout retains the original:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecork stopper\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eanother component frequently missing from surviving Civil War canteens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven more importantly, the stopper retains its:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003echain\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewhich connects it to one of the sling loops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe use of a chained stopper prevented a soldier from easily losing the cork when filling or drinking from the canteen. National Park Service archaeological work at Civil War era sites has recovered both Model 1858 stopper rings and canteen chains, confirming these small fittings as genuine components of period Federal equipment. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/npgallery.nps.gov\/GetAsset\/7953bbe6-37e0-400b-8271-4ae69a8576f9?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"NPS Form 10-9003 (Rev. 10-90)                                                                 OMB No. 1024-0018\"\u003eNPGallery\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe survival of the stopper, chain, wool cover, and sling together is what makes this example particularly appealing. On many Civil War canteens, one or more of these fragile components disappeared decades ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome Model 1858 canteens carry contractor information stamped into the spout, but this example does:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eshow a visible contractor marking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not unusual. The Smithsonian’s smoothside Model 1858 example is likewise recorded with no markings. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/americanhistory.si.edu\/collections\/object\/nmah_310924?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"Canteen | National Museum of American History\"\u003eNational Museum of American History\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe metal canteen body itself remains solid and has survived very well considering its age and original purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover shows material loss and staining.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sling remains complete but has tearing at the loops and widespread staining.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cork stopper and chain remain present and serviceable in appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe canteen should nevertheless be regarded strictly as a historical artifact rather than as functional drinking equipment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the Union soldier, the canteen was among the most basic and essential pieces of equipment he carried. Marches during summer campaigns could cover many miles each day, often in extreme heat and dust. Water sources were frequently uncertain, and men depended on their canteens between wells, springs, streams, and resupply points.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeriod photographs of Union soldiers frequently show Model 1858 cloth covered canteens suspended prominently from the shoulder alongside the haversack and cartridge box. The Library of Congress preserves wartime images clearly showing Union soldiers equipped with Model 1858 canteens and their slings. (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2012649899\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" title=\"[Two unidentified soldiers in Union uniforms with Model 1809 Prussian bayoneted muskets and Model 1858 cloth-covered canteens] | Library of Congress\"\u003eLibrary of Congress\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat constant use explains why intact examples have become so difficult to obtain. A canteen was not an item that spent the war packed neatly in a trunk. It was carried on marches, dropped beside campfires, refilled from streams, knocked against equipment, and exposed continuously to sweat, rain, dirt, and battlefield conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Model 1858 became so closely associated with the Union Army that its flattened round profile is now almost as recognizable as the Federal forage cap or cartridge box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example is particularly appealing because it preserves the complete visual system rather than only the metal shell. The \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal wool cover, rare Federal issue sling, chained cork stopper, complete sling loops, and solid smoothside body\u003c\/strong\u003e give it the appearance of the canteen as it would actually have been carried by a Federal soldier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe staining, cloth loss, sling wear, and tearing at the loops are fully disclosed, but these condition issues are balanced by the unusual completeness of the assembly. It would make an excellent addition to a \u003cstrong\u003eCivil War Union infantry, Federal field gear, Model 1858 canteen, soldier’s personal equipment, or advanced American militaria collection\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44846981611589,"sku":"ONJR26MABS068","price":450.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR26MABS068__01.jpg?v=1775252471","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-civil-war-m1858-smoothside-canteen-with-original-wool-cover-chained-cork-stopper-rare-federal-issue-sling","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}