Stave and hoop canteen. N.p., 18th c. Approx. 9 1/4 x 6 3/4 in. (Diameter).

Peculiarly, the black paint has worn away to reveal an undercoat of vibrant azure applied to this American Revolutionary War era Continental soldier's canteen. The cask-style canteen, a miniaturized version of the era's wine and liquor casks, is composed of 13 staves, 3 wrought iron hoops (absent the fourth), a flat wooden head at either end, and a wire loop and wooden handle. One bunghole is placed unremarkably at the center of a stave, but another, smaller bunghole is bored into the head of the canteen and plugged with a modern wooden stopgap.

While British and Hessian forces were supplied with tin canteens, shortages drove the Continental army to turn to readily-available wood for their construction. The coopered wooden canteen experienced a revival in the form of drum canteens during the Civil War, when blockades prevented tinned sheet iron from reaching the Confederate States.

[Canteens, Roundlet, Rundlet, Roundlets, Rundlets] [Relics, Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Uniforms] [American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [War of 1812, James Madison, Battle of Lake Erie, Battle of Plattsburgh, Fort McHenry, Battle of New Orleans, Treaty of Ghent, Andrew Jackson]

Lacking one terminal iron hoop, else in fine condition.