Embossed CS Tin Canteen

Capt7thWvCoA

Private
Joined
Dec 10, 2014
Hello everyone, recently at the local good will I work to I bought a reproduction embossed cs tin canteen. I would like to know how accurate would a canteen like the be ? I've seen pictured of originals, but the are labeled as rare. I have attatched a picture of an original I found on line to show what the one I bought looks like.

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I don't know a lot of those canteens, though I should read up more on them as I always liked them. Like with anything it all comes down to time and place. What little I know of those, is that one in a museum somewhere is provenanced to a Federal who took it as a souvenir at Port Hudson.

I honestly don't know any more for sure, but if I were to guess based on that little bit, I'd say this canteen probably was issued in Mississippi and Louisiana and thus only correct to those areas before 1863 at least. I think I've seen somewhere of one provenanced to the Battle of Shiloh, so there's that. So going by that its not period correct for the Army of Northern Virginia or Army of Tennessee. Just Army of Mississippi, and maybe, just maybe some limited use in the Trans-Mississippi.

(On Trans-Miss. and Miss. areas Confederate uniform and accoutrement wise, I've always loved to say "We got the good stuff! ANV and AoT ain't got near the cool uniforms and gear!" which is ironic as can be as we're the forgotten and neglected Confederates reenacting wise.)
 
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The CSA does seem to have had a healthy canteen manufacturing infrastructure in place. My friend Tom was telling me how his latest CS Canteen was found in the original crate in Mississippi with that crate full, (unfortunately the country bumpkin scrapers that found them burned the crate) on our trip to Corinth. If there were crates left over from the war, that means there was a lot whether or not it was an excess or lack of transportation is up for debate.

The common wisdom would have you think any reenactor using anything embossed or marked "CS" is farby might be a bit of an oversimplification. I mean if only two or three hundred of something made, there ain't gonna be hardly any still in existence. But two or three thousand, there will be half a dozen at most. These particular canteens are very rare, but that doesn't mean there wasn't as many as ten thousand made.

They would have been a rare sight in comparison to most CS made canteens, but given how things were issued out I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a couple regiments all using these things.

Port Hudson Campaign, and Vicksburg Campaign I'd say these weren't an uncommon sight, (that doesn't mean everyone had one). They may have been a LOT fewer, but maybe even Shiloh Campaign. If I were reenacting any of those campaigns I'd feel comfortable accuracy wise to use one if not many other people were using them. But outside of those campaigns, from the very little I know I wouldn't reenact with them. Unless it were a made up event, then knock yourself out if your in the same region as these things are provenanced to.
 
Most if not all of the few photos of Confederates in the field i've seen are carrying uncovered Federal canteens. That would probably be the best choice for an impression or a simple drum canteen.

I would think a simple drum is hands down the best. Photographs can be a deceiving when in a studio, and in the field its not always easy to tell what they have.

Archeological evidence to me, points to a simple tin drum. I don't know how many tin drums I've seen dug up from CW sites, they're literally all over place. Also, I wonder why uncovered Federal canteens were a thing. I've yet to hear a solid answer on why they uncovered.
 
I would think a simple drum is hands down the best. Photographs can be a deceiving when in a studio, and in the field its not always easy to tell what they have.

Archeological evidence to me, points to a simple tin drum. I don't know how many tin drums I've seen dug up from CW sites, they're literally all over place. Also, I wonder why uncovered Federal canteens were a thing. I've yet to hear a solid answer on why they uncovered.
Some of the uncovered canteens were CS made, the other captured federal canteens sacrificed their covers to patching of socks and uniform knees and elbows.
 
The CSA does seem to have had a healthy canteen manufacturing infrastructure in place. My friend Tom was telling me how his latest CS Canteen was found in the original crate in Mississippi with that crate full, (unfortunately the country bumpkin scrapers that found them burned the crate) on our trip to Corinth. If there were crates left over from the war, that means there was a lot whether or not it was an excess or lack of transportation is up for debate.

The common wisdom would have you think any reenactor using anything embossed or marked "CS" is farby might be a bit of an oversimplification. I mean if only two or three hundred of something made, there ain't gonna be hardly any still in existence. But two or three thousand, there will be half a dozen at most. These particular canteens are very rare, but that doesn't mean there wasn't as many as ten thousand made.

They would have been a rare sight in comparison to most CS made canteens, but given how things were issued out I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a couple regiments all using these things.

Port Hudson Campaign, and Vicksburg Campaign I'd say these weren't an uncommon sight, (that doesn't mean everyone had one). They may have been a LOT fewer, but maybe even Shiloh Campaign. If I were reenacting any of those campaigns I'd feel comfortable accuracy wise to use one if not many other people were using them. But outside of those campaigns, from the very little I know I wouldn't reenact with them. Unless it were a made up event, then knock yourself out if your in the same region as these things are provenanced to.
I can't imagine too many of these crates being recently found, I have to think that your friend's canteen came from the Washington, GA crate that had almost brand new conditioned cedar canteens. The crate found in the back of a warehouse has multiple painted over inventory and addresses as it was used repeatedly for all kinds of accouterments.

Maybe there were two such found crates, but the one I am speaking of is in the collection of Michael Kramer, whose ACW collection of Confederate accouterments is second to none. Michael also has one of the best complete uniform groupings of a Confederate enlisted man in private hands. 2nd MD soldier Holiday's jacket, shirt, braces, brogans, belt, pants, socks and under drawers, the only thing missing is the kepi.

Look up North South Trader's Civil War Vol 37 No. 1 2013:

1602531894466.png
 
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I don't know a lot of those canteens, though I should read up more on them as I always liked them. Like with anything it all comes down to time and place. What little I know of those, is that one in a museum somewhere is provenanced to a Federal who took it as a souvenir at Port Hudson.

I honestly don't know any more for sure, but if I were to guess based on that little bit, I'd say this canteen probably was issued in Mississippi and Louisiana and thus only correct to those areas before 1863 at least. I think I've seen somewhere of one provenanced to the Battle of Shiloh, so there's that. So going by that its not period correct for the Army of Northern Virginia or Army of Tennessee. Just Army of Mississippi, and maybe, just maybe some limited use in the Trans-Mississippi.

(On Trans-Miss. and Miss. areas Confederate uniform and accoutrement wise, I've always loved to say "We got the good stuff! ANV and AoT ain't got near the cool uniforms and gear!" which is ironic as can be as we're the forgotten and neglected Confederates reenacting wise.)
I have an article about these around here somewhere......my opinion on this is, you bought it, it has a history of being used, use it sparingly since you are in the East. "Basically you exchanged your leaking Gardner canteen for one you found on the ground from one of Longstreet's dead after returning from the West."

I agree that as a Southern soldier you can't go wrong with a tin drum canteen.........but you bought it at a good price, heck you could cover it and problem solved!
 
I can't imagine too many of these crates being recently found, I have to think that your friend's canteen came from the Washington, GA crate that had almost brand new conditioned cedar canteens. The crate found in the back of a warehouse has multiple painted over inventory and addresses as it was used repeatedly for all kinds of accouterments.

Maybe there were two such found crates, but the one I am speaking of is in the collection of Michael Kramer, whose ACW collection of Confederate accouterments is second to none. Michael also has one of the best complete uniform groupings of a Confederate enlisted man in private hands. 2nd MD soldier Holiday's jacket, shirt, braces, brogans, belt, pants, socks and under drawers, the only thing missing is the kepi.

Look up North South Trader's Civil War Vol 37 No. 1 2013:

View attachment 378161

Its a tin drum that came out of Mississippi about two or three years ago. A couple of black folks got hired to clean out a property of stuff and they found the crate in an old school bus. They burned the crate and sold all the canteens, (I think it was like twenty or thirty) to a local antique dealer for almost nothing and the dealer sold them out of his shop for a good price. No corks, or slings, just a tin drum.

Next time I'm at my buddy's museum (pictured in my new avatar or whatever, CWT musters he's become a regular site, but he hates computers and such), I'll see if he'll let me take pictures and post them. Its a recognized pattern, but me not being a canteen expert I can't tell you which pattern. (If I saw it I'd recognize it though.)

I wish I knew what that burned crate looked like. But I'd be happy knowing what the one you pictured looks like.
 
The CS marked canteens are indeed VERY rare as they were made in New Orleans for LA troops during the early days of the war and of course before the fall of N.O. The few that I have seen that were dug, came from Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg.
As the war drug on and metal got scares a lot of CS canteens were wood. There was a canteen making factory here in Selma that turned out thousands of wooden ones. In the reenacting world which I don't do, I would think you can't go wrong with a wooden one.
CS Arsenal Demopolis

June 24, 1863

My Dear Captain, Capt Fisher reported to me that 6000 canteens had passed through here for you on the 12th. He says he certainly saw one box containing 1200, & also 4 more loading like them which he presumed contained the same number. I suppose however he was mistaken & now to remedy it I will send you all I can get just as soon as possible. 2304 canteens were sent you day before yesterday also 3481. Haversacks in addition 2500 haversacks leave for you today. In regard to the Artillery Harness I am making & repairing as fast as possible & was in hopes to send you seventy five sets by the end of the week,
 
The CS marked canteens are indeed VERY rare as they were made in New Orleans for LA troops during the early days of the war and of course before the fall of N.O. The few that I have seen that were dug, came from Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg.
As the war drug on and metal got scares a lot of CS canteens were wood. There was a canteen making factory here in Selma that turned out thousands of wooden ones. In the reenacting world which I don't do, I would think you can't go wrong with a wooden one.
CS Arsenal Demopolis

June 24, 1863

My Dear Captain, Capt Fisher reported to me that 6000 canteens had passed through here for you on the 12th. He says he certainly saw one box containing 1200, & also 4 more loading like them which he presumed contained the same number. I suppose however he was mistaken & now to remedy it I will send you all I can get just as soon as possible. 2304 canteens were sent you day before yesterday also 3481. Haversacks in addition 2500 haversacks leave for you today. In regard to the Artillery Harness I am making & repairing as fast as possible & was in hopes to send you seventy five sets by the end of the week,
The problem with wood canteens is the cracking and wood shrinkage when water was not present, they became quite scummy since they needed to be constantly wet. Conversely a tin canteen did not have those limitations and could be dried and cleaned out when necessary. Even keeping them wet, they were constantly banged, dropped, fallen upon and the wood would crack or move and leaks would be inevitable. You rarely if ever see a picture of one in the field and they were readily exchanged for a tin canteen when one presented itself.

Case in point, though the more I look at the soldier on the left, it may be that he has a southern made canteen, one concentric ring and strap loops are larger than federal issue. Most of the accoutrements are captured, though again the soldier on the left has straps that would indicate a Southern made knapsack. Soldier in the middle has a captured bullseye canteen and double bag knapsack.

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Another reason that one doesn't see the wooden canteens in contemporary pictures might be the souvenir aspect of the wooden vessel. Why would a federal pick up a federal canteen, when you carry one yourself, it would certainly not be a conversation piece back home.

Captured Confederates would most likely not have their wooden canteen since they might have been traded for by guards, but i think the biggest reason you don't see them contemporarily, is that they were horrible.

The US Army learned this before the Mexican War and switched to tin.

As you can see below, this soldier has had his buttons pilfered, his shoulder straps cut and pocketed, while all of his captured material remains with him. Canteen and cartridge box, remain since they were unremarkable to the victorious federal souvenir hunters.

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