Leather cartridge box with round lead "awning nail-type" or "carriage-type" finial. Hand-inscribed "J x R x L" to flap. Approx. 7 13/16 x 1 1/2 x 7 1/16 in.

An exemplary piece of domestic Confederate handiwork, this scalloped cartridge box is entirely hand-sewn with a combination of plied flax cord and great precision. The initials "J R L" have been carved into the exterior flap, presumably by the rebel soldier who originally possessed the box, and a series of irregularly-placed decorative punctures have been pierced around the flap's border.

The box exhibits some wear, including a bisected latch tab and a separation along the entire top of the smaller interior flap. The tin inserts are absent, though this does offer clear observation of the finial's reverse, affixed to a square of the same material.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Uniforms]