Worn over the shoulder, haversacks were handy for carrying rations of pork, hardtack, coffee, personal items, and extra ammunition. Union Soldiers were also issued a haversack made of painted canvas and with a removable cotton liner to carry food.

Called the “Soldier’s trunk” it was large enough to hold a Soldier’s extra clothing, personal items, a gum blanket and shelter half (or “dog tent”) with a rolled-up blanket or overcoat strapped on top. Union Soldiers carried their personal belongings on their backs in a knapsack made of cotton cloth or canvas and painted black to repel water. 58 Caliber Rifle-Musket Cartridge Box with tanned leather shoulder sling, brass oval “U.S.” box plate and round brass eagle breast plate P1851 haversack and pattern 1858 canteen, with tinned iron cup. The items shown are (left to right): the P1855 two-bag knapsack with original period blanket the Pattern 1851 infantry equipment belt with oval “U.S.” belt plate (see detail), scabbard for the M1855 Socket Bayonet (early war production with two rivets), and cap pouch the P1861. Army during the first two year of the Civil War. Pictured are the accoutrements and equipment used by the U.S. Many heavy artillery regiments served as Infantrymen in the latter part of the war. Artillerymen did not wear belt sets except for special ceremonies or if they were in special units called heavy artillery regiments. The cavalry belt included a cartridge box for carbine cartridges, a cap box, pistol holster, and had special straps and hooks that clipped onto the cavalry saber. Union cavalrymen wore a belt set designed to accommodate equipment used by the mounted Soldier. Soldiers carried a bayonet in a black leather scabbard on their left hip. The cap box, a small leather pouch worn on the front of the belt, held percussion caps, which had to be handled carefully because they were also very explosive. Extra cartridges that did not fit into the cartridge box were carried in pockets or a knapsack.

Union Soldiers carried sixty to eighty rounds of ammunition. Each cartridge box also had a small pouch for a cleaning kit. The cartridge box, with a removable liner made of tin that kept cartridges in order, was the safest way to protect the cartridges from sparks that could set off an explosion. The leather cartridge box held forty cartridges, paper tubes filled with a Minie ball and black powder issued in small packs of ten. As the war progressed, uniforms and equipment became more standardized in order to simplify the process of resupply.Įvery Union Infantryman wore a belt set with a cartridge box and sling, cap box, and bayonet scabbard. Today Soldiers carry hundreds of rounds of ammunition.Īt the beginning of the Civil War each regiment was raised, trained, and equipped by the state of origin, leading to a great deal of variation in equipment and uniforms. Civil War Soldiers carried enough ammunition to fire about 60 shots into battle. In more modern times the load has grown to include additional equipment such as gas masks, maps, compasses, and radios. The exact make-up of this load varies from conflict to conflict. Individual load carrying equipment is designed to allow the Soldier to carry a basic load of ammunition, food, water, and first-aid gear. Soldiers must carry everything they need for combat operations with them at all times. Among the Infantry, who have to carry their equipment wherever they go, this tendency is even stronger. For this reason Soldiers have a strong tendency to become attached to equipment they like, and to modify or discard equipment they find unreliable or useless. Even something as simple as a button can make the difference between victory and defeat if it fails to function properly at the wrong time. In the end, the North’s industrial might played an important factor in the Confederate defeat.įor a Soldier, equipment is a matter of survival. The North had more factories to produce supplies, more people to work in the factories, and more railroads to deliver the supplies to the Soldiers. The Union Army in the Civil War had a distinct advantage over the Confederacy when it came to equipment. Image Courtesy of the Center of Military History.

Civil war knapsack