In the first photograph, lying on the ground next to the soldier's left hand, is what may be the bottom half of the combination mess kit canteen patented in 1861 and used by Connecticut troops as the state purchase one thousand "Canteen Ration Boxes" in 1862 for issue to the 1st Conn. Regiment. At least I can't find anything else that looks like the item in the photo and it appears that the straight edges were bent. Does anyone else have an idea of what this tin object is? If it is indeed what I think it is, it would have been captured earlier in the war and put to use by the Rebel soldier.