Every soldier was issued a haversack to carry his rations and mess gear. This is the standard wartime federal pattern of tarred canvas with a fixed shoulder strap and flap secured by a leather billet and small roller buckle. The interior was fitted with a removable liner that could be cleaned, but these were often converted to smaller bags for coffee and sugar, and seldom survive. The haversacks themselves are very scarce. In contrast to knapsacks, which survived in piles in the inventories of military surplus dealers, haversacks were used hard during the war and so generally useful to civilians after it that comparatively few survived.

This one has the expected wear to the tarred surface, as well as small holes and runs where the canvas has torn slightly. The shoulder strap has partially pulled away from one rear corner of the bag and has a short tear just above, but is still affixed. On the other side it broke, but was then crudely stitched back in place with string or a small cord. This has shortened the strap a bit, but it still displays well. Whether this is an old repair or more recently done by a collector is hard to tell, but it looks like many that made it home with hard campaigning behind them. The billet and buckle are still in place, each secured by its original copper rivet. The leather shows some softening and finish loss, but the billet is full length. The flap is in good shape and not separated along the fold line, as many are. One of the interior buttons that secured the liner is still there.

Napoleon said an army moved on its stomach. Civil War veterans constantly advised new recruits to be on the lookout for food, or were on the lookout themselves for carelessly guarded rations. For the Civil War soldier weapons and ammunition were necessary in battle, but for day-to-day survival on the march and in the field he relied much more on his canteen and haversack. This is a necessary accouterment to fill out a collection of Civil War military gear.    [SR]

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