If anyone has the official date of the contract well please post it. I think it was August of 1863, ergo, there should be none at Gettysburg, right? Wrong! I dug these on private land, with permission on and around the Gettysburg Battlefield. Note there are two distinct types. And, after some discussion, I'll give you a possible explanation, a good one at that.

Dave,

Now you are messing with all us research types.  Obvioulsy the answer we've mostly heard 1864, but this is wild.  Do tell more.

Here's more. My dad was a general contractor. I worked for him in the summers. When we did work in Gettysburg, I'd ask the folks if I could come back and go through the dirt piles and their gardens on Sunday. I've long since sold my metal dector, the last bit of excavating I did was when the new Agurculture Center was built on the Hunterstown road. BTW I have 9 more of those too. I hunted the fields and streams around Gettysburg from 1975 to about 1997. Never, ever did I take anything form park lands.

You folks need to quander over this for a day or two.  

--Last edited by grumpydave on 2007-02-11 13:44:33 --

Grump,

After a little research, the CRRC says that the keepers first started coming out in April of 1863, so yes, it was possible for those to be at Gettysburg.  They were just more prevelant in 1864.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. And, there were Federal troops in that area for the duration of the war and, a whole bunch of National Guard encampments, etc....

Joe,

Congrats on the correct answer. In the future please sign your posts with your full, given name. You can set up your profile to do that for you automatically.

Thanks, and welcome to the Forum.    

Ok, here's another iron to throw on this fire. Currently for sale at the Horse Soldier, Note the brass keep on this belt. The belt and box were picked up along Granite Schoolhouse Lane. They were part of John Plank Geiselman collection. Now what?

Grump,

Where's the cap box? I wonder if an artilleryman was using this rig for primers?

In regard to all the brass keepers. They organized those emergency units when Lee headed north. I wonder if they were getting issued brand new equipment, right from the depots?

I think the guy that tossed this belt and box aside, kept his cap box to put on the one he picked up. We know what carrying a full box on a belt is like, and looking at this photo, there was no way it could have been used any other way. I think the guy who disguarded this rig, found a box with a sling and another belt that suited him better.  As for the theory on the equippage for the emergency infantry units. There was only one in the vacinity of Gettysburg at the time of the battle (26th). They all got captured (June 28th if I recall correctly) and the Confederates took all of their stuff and unceremoniously sent them home. Anyway, all of their equipment came as left overs from the state arsenal. I really believe this belt was not a newly issued item, not that it looks new after 145 years. look closly at the belt. You can see a clear imprint if you will, where the box loaded with cartridges hung. Here's the possibilities I thing are true. The belt was made through a state contract and issued to a unit through the state, not the Federal Government. The box only was picked up and the belt was added for effect. The box and belt were picked up sometime during the Civil War but far after the battle (there were troops in the area during the entire war). Or, the history on the brass keepers will remain a mystery still, until somewhere we find some hard factual evidence on when they were issued and to whom.

It sure makes a neat topic for discussion.  

--Last edited by grumpydave on 2007-05-09 10:42:05 --

Grumpy,

And then there is the question of the Type I or Type II brass keeper. The former being a tad narrow when compared with the latter.

Yessir. the first thing I did was to send that photo off to the Elmira Perfesser. And he said zactly the same thing. I may have to go to Goofysburg and ask some questions at the old Horse Soldier.

I own an origional early war waist belt with a puppy paw buckle. The loop was cut off and replaced by a brass keeper. (The belt is one inch short and the keeper goes right through the maker's mark) I have no idea if this was a wartime or postwar Bannerman modification.