Civil War cartridge box plate

[Heatseeker64]

G'day all .... just got a heavy brass CS plate for my American Civil War cartridge box (the one with two rectangular tins inside).

It is flat on the back and has two "U" shaped loops set in to the brass.

Can anyone tell me how the plate's attached to the flap of the cartridge box? Do you bend over the loops and then tie a leather thong through them?

Obviously you need to cut a couple of slits in the leather ...

 

[Okwaho]

Although I was a medical officer back when I was doing CW, both my boys at first did CS Infantry,and one still does US Infantry.I have seen a number of the plates fastened to boxes and cross belts by cutting slits in the flap or belt and pushing the loops through. Then they took a thick strip of fairly heavy leather and pushed it through both loops thus securing the plate.I don't think I have ever seen a circular CS belt plate on the box cross belt like the Federals had.Often the CS cartridge boxes as well as the cap pouches had lead fastening buttons rather than brass and were made of russet {brown} leather.My youngest son still has the brown leather box,cap pouch and waist belt with a Georgia frame buckle from his Confederate days.
Good luck
Tom Patton,Captain Medical Departments CS,US {Ret.}

 

[rebel727]

There were a few russet colored boxes but were not the norm. The russet color came from poor dye. The brass oval plate is good for early war but no later than 62. Confederate boxes were attached to the belt or used cotton or linen straps painted black.

 

[Okwaho]

rebel,I don't disagree with you on the "russet" leather or the box straps being made of cotton or painted linen.I did find a Confederate brown leather box sometime ago and gave it to my youngest son even though he now does 79th N.Y.I noted in the one volume Lord,{P.4} that there is a Confederate box with a painted linen strap and shows a spot where once there was a circular plate,now missing.This box and a cap pouch{P.2}were in the Norm Flayderman collection.You said that the brass oval plates weren't used after 1862.Did you mean the CS plates or any oval plates and was that applicable to all oval plates or just box plates.It's been awhile {1997}since I did CW but I gave it a good run {9 years}and have no regrets.
Tom Patton

 

[rebel727]

C.S. Box plates

 

[nuttbush]

Heatseeker,
I also attached my plate by centering it where I wanted it on my flap, press down slow but firm so the loops indent the leather to mark your slit spots. Exacto blade works good to cut small slit through leather. Push tabs through and mount plate. I took a small strip of leather shoestring lace like in your brogans, tie a knot in one end, feed through one loop and pull till knot comes up against outside of loop, feed through other loop and leave 2 or 3 inches longer
Trim leather. Tie knot outside of second loop. I did mine this way over 10 years of reenacting and never lost a plate. Federal issue black boxes when confiscated and used by Confederates, we either turned the US plate upside down, or simply threw it away. Captured belts were also worn with the US upside down.

 

[Heatseeker64]

This is what I ended up doing:

Bear in mind I'm not a hrd core re-enactor, just a plinker and wannabe blackpowder hunter.

That said, the Confederates could have come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful combinations of captured and issued equipment.

 

[CrackStock]

Looks good. I like using a cartridge box for hunting.

CS

 

[Pops]

If you wear your plate upside down, then your belt is on backwards. Most of the time US plates were worn as is; defaced, or thrown in a fire until the lead melted and the "puppy foot" was removed and used as a belt "buckle".
Bruce

 

[rebel727]

Confederates did wear captured U.S. plates upside down so instead of saying U.S. it said S N for Southern Nation.