Pattern 1832 embossed cartridge box.

[Robert Braun]

Perhaps the most beautiful cartridge box ever procured and issued by the U. S. Army was the so-clled "Pattern of 1832" box. It was embossed with a stylized eagle and "U. S." motif, that made it a true artform.

I was recently asked as to the use of this box, since the pattern year matched the year of the Sauk War. According to the Journal of the Company of Military Historians, the Army let the first contract for the embossed cartridge box to Robert Dingee of New York on December 15, 1832— too late for the Sauk War.

Instead, the army used one of three variants of the Pattern of 1808 cartridge box. The newest variant came into being in 1827. The 1808 utilized the best features of European cartridge boxes-- a basic British style box with a French-style suspension system.

[Greg Carter]

Bob,

Both you and the CoMH are correct. The 1832 box was not widely used and was not used for long after 1832 either. My speculation is that the box was too expensive for the peacetime Army's pocketbook to justify it's purchase for use by the whole army. There were several variations in the box of 1808 that principally date it's pattern type (i.e.- 1827). The largest variation is that of the interior rain flap. The leather rain flap and "gores" on the sides were added one piece at a time through 1832. The most recent addition to the box was the pair of "gores" that sat on the inside flap edges. These can be found post-dating 1825. The original 1808 was patterned with a complete lack of wet weather protection at all. Once the leather was soaked, the cartridges quickly fell victim to the dampness. When the interior flap was added, approximately 1820, it added one layer of protection, however the sides were still a problem because the box's exterior stitching allowed the water to penetrate the gores on the outside flap. The 1832 box improved one thing in addition to the artwork on the flap- the varnish. The 1832 box was varnished, as you said, and this was an added waterproofing agent while it lasted.

GMC