Civil War Ammunition Box?

Big Rock

Cadet
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Location
Mid-Michigan
I purchased this box several years ago at a garage sale, which has been setting overhead in my garage until recently when I showed it to an acquaintance. He claimed it was an ammunition box from the Civil War and that his grandfather had three of them. I don't know if he knew what he was talking about, so I'm posting on this forum to see if anyone has any information about the box.

Construction is pine, with the box being 38" long, 10 1/2" high and 9 1/2" wide. The stencil on the box reads, "PAT'D. MCH. 6 th 1860". Construction is cut nail, which is correct for the period. The box appears to have been trunnion mounted, with the trunnion diameter being approx. 5/8".

If anyone knows what and how the box was used, I would greatly appreciate knowing.
 

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If I owned that box, I would get on the Internet and look up the files of the U.S. Patent Office and see WHAT patents were issued on March 6th, 1860 and that should considerably narrow the field as to what the box originally held. I doubt that your box is an ammo box BECAUSE the arsenal where the ammo was fabricated, the number of rounds contained in the box and the caliber of the rounds were always given on the exterior of the box. For example something like: "1,000 rounds, Caliber .57, Washington Arsenal" etc.,

The Patent Office files are your best bet. Check 'Em out!
 
Looks like another puzzle to speculate over. Thanks for the post, Big Rock, and the observation, Southron.

Never saw anything like it, but it looks authentic. Fodder.
 
If I owned that box, I would get on the Internet and look up the files of the U.S. Patent Office and see WHAT patents were issued on March 6th, 1860 and that should considerably narrow the field as to what the box originally held. I doubt that your box is an ammo box BECAUSE the arsenal where the ammo was fabricated, the number of rounds contained in the box and the caliber of the rounds were always given on the exterior of the box. For example something like: "1,000 rounds, Caliber .57, Washington Arsenal" etc.,

The Patent Office files are your best bet. Check 'Em out!

Good thought to check the Patent Office, which I did. When thru all the patents for 3/6/1860 (87 total) and none looked anything like my box. I agree with your analysis that if it were an ammo box it would have the caliber and number of rounds shown, which this box does not. Only notation is the patent date. My only other thought is that it might be a foreign patent, which would be even more dificult to research.

Thanks for your suggestion.
 
It is a really nice thing to have. What it was used for is the question. I don't know that it wasn't used for ammunition; after all, how many regiments used the same caliber for all muskets? It might have contained .577, .58, and cartidges for Sharps, Henrys and Spencers. Plus a few others.

But it doesn't look like a shipping container. And one carry handle?
 
This is what a Civil War ammunition box looked like, as the Ordnance manual dictated:

2141147146_4d742cbc76_z.jpgphoto-history_ammunition_boxes_.jpg

the ordnance manual dictated the color of the box. .69 were blue, .58 Expanding Ball were Olive, and Buckshot were red.
 
I agree it looks interesting.... a ballot box comes to mind. I'm still thinking.... on this one.

Don't really think it was a ballot box. It was originally trunion mounted in the center so that it could oscillate. You can see the rub areas on the side where the paint is worn away. The inside is very clean except for one dark grease area. There is a cork in one end that probably served as a water drain. The cover in the middle is not hinged, just turn the dog and lift out. The cover has two cross dadoed areas into which wood strips are glued. I think this was done to minimize warping and cupping of the cover. A lot of effort to put into a box that was used for storage. I originally thought it might be part of some type of ag equipment, but there is no feed opening and with the clean interior, it never held any grain.
 
Interesting box. Even more interesting is this is the exact patent date of the Spencer Rifle.This caught my eye right away. I not saying that this box has anything to do with a Spencer but if you think its an ammo box I would investigate things related to the Spencer.
This date may have been added to the box to deceive also by a person with the knowledge that this is the date of the Spencer patent.
Theres nothing more dangerous than a faker with a little knowledge of history.
 
Don't really think it was a ballot box. It was originally trunion mounted in the center so that it could oscillate. You can see the rub areas on the side where the paint is worn away. The inside is very clean except for one dark grease area. There is a cork in one end that probably served as a water drain. The cover in the middle is not hinged, just turn the dog and lift out. The cover has two cross dadoed areas into which wood strips are glued. I think this was done to minimize warping and cupping of the cover. A lot of effort to put into a box that was used for storage. I originally thought it might be part of some type of ag equipment, but there is no feed opening and with the clean interior, it never held any grain.


Sounds like a cooler.
 
It's not a Spencer ammo box, those are very similar to a standard .58 box. Not the same box that Blakslee boxes were shipped in either.

I'm at a loss, couldn't find anything quite like this box but an ammo box... not like anything I could find off hand. A perplexing mystery.
 
Interesting box. Even more interesting is this is the exact patent date of the Spencer Rifle.This caught my eye right away. I not saying that this box has anything to do with a Spencer but if you think its an ammo box I would investigate things related to the Spencer.
This date may have been added to the box to deceive also by a person with the knowledge that this is the date of the Spencer patent.
Theres nothing more dangerous than a faker with a little knowledge of history.

I also noticed the patent date was the same as the rifle when I Googled the patent date. Don't really think it's a fake. I aquired the box about fifteen years ago at a garage sale. I came out of the overhead in a garage of one of the 100-150 year old house in my little mid-Michigan village. I do know it never held rifles because you can't get a rifle thru the little lid in the top. But thanks for noticing the coincidence on the patent dates.
 
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