Common Rifle accoutrements

[steves]

Does anybody know.........What would be the most likely personal equipment for men with these?......Standard surplus crossbelt equipment.....Some pattern of rifle equipment I haven't tracked down yet...Or just civilian pouches & flasks/horns?....Reason I ask is that I've come across mentions of these weapons sometimes having issued bayonets AND using cartridges.............

Steve

[stuart]

Have a word with Dave Ryan at Caliver Books. He stocks a very good Canadian Museums Service booklet on US rifle accoutrements at this period.

[steves]

Will do!...Thanks,Stuart.

[stuart]

OK, out of the goodness of my heart I've retrieved my copy from the attic, its: Accountrements of the United States Infantry, Riflemen, and Dragoons 1834-1839, by R. T. Huntington, and is No. 20 in the Historical Arms Series, published by the Museum Restoration Service.

As to your specific question, up until 1834 accoutrements for riflemen comprised a pouch and flask carried on the right hip from a belt slung over the left shoulder, and a waistbelt. The pouch was used for loose ball, wadding, oil etc., but could no doubt accomodate a small allocation of ball cartridge as well - rather like the later British "Expence" pouch.

In 1834 however the Common Rifle began to be replaced by the Hall Rifle, which came with a bayonet and a belt to go with it.

It should be emphasised though that the Common Rifle continued in use for some years afterwards - long enough for a slightly modified set of accoutrements to be approved in 1839.

[estebans]

James, my friend borrowed someone's transcription of the contracts and regulations, as the archives still have to be searched in person. One account of what they say is in Bruce Marshall's 1998 book, which is excerpted at thetdf.ws/history.htm. One interesting speculation by Marshall is that possibly the new republic was scrambling simply to get some clothing in the right colors at first, and "Texianizing" it on arrival with things like TX buttons to make the uniforms look less generic.

It struck me that maybe that explains the 24 RoT cartridge belts--they seem like something that could be manufactured locally in reasonable numbers, unlike most other elements of the uniform, and thus a good way to get a visible star or two into view on the full uniform rig. It looks like when they had real regulations and contracts later, their cartridge belts were standard U. S. Army spec, and of course at that point, they didn't need to Texianize the uniforms through their accessories. So just maybe, just possibly those two dozen starred cartridge belts were a remnant of a run done locally for the earliest post-1836 army, remaining in storage in Bexar, or else being worn by a couple dozen veterans of that period. No doubt the biographical record on Woll's Bexar prisoners would show who'd been or was still a RoT regular. But without a period description or illustration, there's still that problem of recognizing one if it turned up.

If you meant sources for actual RoT militaria, I think that's a PM matter and of course a caveat emptor one. I don't know whether there is a lot of fake stuff out there, but the thing with the real stuff is it's probably from relic hunting.

Stephen Schneider