Original Item. Only One Available. In 1872, a board of officers recommended the adoption of a “meat can” for both infantry and cavalry units. The M1872 meat can was not a field mess item, but was intended to hold the uncooked meat ration to prevent grease from soaking into the material of the haversack and other equipment. The can itself is made of heavy tinned iron, 6 ½” x 5 ¼” and approximately 1 ½” wide. There is an intact handle on the left side which is not attached to the bottom and was constructed like this. The lid is a friction type that sits inside of the can. The handle is a collapsible type, much like the modern ammunition cans. Both side have the standard “US” inside of an oval. The condition shows its age but is still in very good condition. There is pitting and surface rust present, but nothing too damaging.

These were originally manufactured for a little less than two years, before being replaced by the much more improved Model 1874 Meat Can (Which was the predecessor to the famous Model 1910 Mess Kit, which a derivative thereof is still issued and used to this day!).

This is a very good example of the M1872 Meat Can with the handle still attached well without any denting. The lid is retained with the handle still functional with both loops. All soldered seams are nice and strong, no major dings or damage. Due to the relatively short number of years these were produced and used, these are seldom found items today. The army was much smaller following the Civil War, so a very small amount needed to be produced.

It should be noted that when the U.S. military was designing a new ammunition can during WWII, they drew on the design of the Model 1872 Meat Can for the design of the collapsible carry handle! They used an example hed within the museum system of the U.S. Army for the inspiration of the design!

A must have for the serious collector of Indian War era U.S. Army accouterments.