This carbine cartridge box is a fine, original example of the classic leather accoutrement carried by Federal mounted forces during the Civil War. Manufactured by New York maker ‘Hoover, Calhoun & Co.’, this specimen is constructed of strong yet supple, black bridle leather. Box is maker-marked on the inside flap and the interior features a drilled wooden block 7½” long by 1½” wide and 2” high. Block has the capacity to hold twenty paper cartridges or twenty .52 caliber, metallic rimfire cartridges and is wrapped in leather for an outer dimension of 8” x 2” x 3¼”.

When closed, the large leather outer flap and smaller inner flap protect the ammunition in the carbine box. The strong outer flap, which has a mild scalloped front edge, measures 8¼” wide at the top, 8½” wide at the bottom by 3½” deep. Leather is very good with just minor surface crazing near the edges and flex points. Stitched and riveted to the center edge of the main flap is a 1” wide x 4” long leather closure tab that is supple with some flaking and cracking. Tab, which is riveted to the flap and shows a tear near the rivet, fits nicely into the pear-shaped brass finial located at the bottom of the box. All box stitching appears strong with both end pieces, a.k.a. ears, sewn to the inner flap. Inner flap is strong but with light surface crazing, and features a strong impression of the maker’s mark within a large oval stamped onto the surface that reads, “HOOVER. CALHOUN & CO. / MAKERS / NEW YORK”. Inner flap closes over a small implement pouch sewn to the front of the box. Bottom of box is missing its two original black japanned roller buckles that were cut away. On the box’s back side, two vertical, leather belt loops with a single horizontal leather strip 5” long have been riveted to the box bottom.

A nice representative example of a Civil War Federal carbine cartridge box with a strong maker’s mark.

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