Welcome to as we speak’s Photograph of the Day! This pine delivery crate from Watervliet Arsenal represents an interesting hyperlink to Civil Struggle ammunition expertise. Marked as containing 600 ball cartridges for Colt Navy Belt Pistols dated 1864, it as soon as held what troopers generally referred to as “pores and skin cartridges” – an early waterproofing innovation. These “pores and skin cartridges” had been a intelligent answer to the perpetual problem of holding black powder dry within the subject. Producers wrapped ready paper cartridges in animal gut (usually sheep) that was stretched, dried, and sealed with shellac. This created a dependable waterproof barrier that protected the powder from humidity, rain, and river crossings. For cavalry troopers and naval personnel armed with Colt revolvers, these cartridges had been significantly worthwhile. A soldier may maintain his ammunition useful even throughout prolonged campaigns in moist situations, and the pores and skin masking would burn away fully when fired. Watervliet Arsenal in New York, established in 1813, was the Union Military’s main ammunition manufacturing facility in the course of the Civil Struggle. The arsenal manufactured tens of millions of cartridges for small arms and artillery, supplying Union forces all through the battle. The three-compartment inside design of this crate displays the cautious packing strategies used to guard these worthwhile munitions throughout transport to the entrance traces. Unique crates like this hardly ever survived after the warfare, as they had been usually damaged down for firewood or repurposed as soon as emptied of their contents.
“Watervliet Arsenal Marked Crate for Colt ‘Pores and skin’ Cartridges.” Rock Island Public sale Firm, https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/4090/259/watervliet-arsenal-marked-crate-for-colt-skin-cartridges. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
