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VERY GOOD CONFEDERATE CAP BOX

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This Confederate cap box shows the maker was imitating to some degree the US pattern that came into use in early 1862, having a contoured, one-piece cover with integral latch tab extension fastening over a finial on the bottom of the box. Other details of construction, including a pewter or lead finial, are pure Confederate.

This box is constructed of dark brown leather, with a nice finish on the outer flap, back, and sides, and belt loops, showing just some wrinkles from use and a few shallow rubs or wear spots. All stitching and seams are intact and tight. The very tip of the latch tab is missing just below the hole, but we would leave it as is. In all other respects the box is complete, intact, and all original. While the contoured front and integral tab are like US boxes, the finial for the latch tab is made of lead or pewter rather than brass and contoured not with pointed or rounded end, but with top shaped like a cylinder with slightly sloping sides and flat top.

The inner flap with side ears is complete and intact, though the flap is a bit longer than we would expect on a US box. The lower portion of the inner flap shows loss of finish from flexing in opening and closing the box. The upper part of the flap has portions of the finish in place, though crackled and showing flaking. Two narrow belt loops are in place on the reverse, sewn into the leather at the top and against it bottom, like the US patterns before introduction of reinforcing rivets, but instead of nicely rounding the belt loops at the tips, the maker simply made two straight cuts on each to form a long point, enabling him to use bigger stitches, and to be able to push the tips slightly inward so as not to interfere with the stitching holding the back and body together.

Cap boxes all served the same purpose, but they make an interesting sub-category of accoutrement collecting, with Confederate boxes especially showing an amazing variety in construction- some things pointing to hurried production, others to scarcity of materials, innovation, or inexperience in producing military accoutrements. This is a very nice looking example with interesting details and would make a great addition to a Confederate display. It even comes with a dozen or so caps inside, though we can’t guarantee how old they are or how long ago they got there. [sr] [ph:L]

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