Civil War Model 1858 Smoothside Canteen made in 1861 for New York troops

This is another nice item being offered, it is a U.S. Model 1858 smooth-side canteen. It has a pewter spout, 3 sling keepers, and a small piece of the original chain remaining on one of the sling keepers.

This canteen was one of the 100,000 ordered by the state of New York in 1861. They were very well made with a ¾” diameter spout soldered into a narrow embossed spout collar. They had flattened sling keepers, and the tin body was painted for preservation, which were early war features, and the first to use iron stopper chains. An example is in “U.S. Army & Militia Canteens 1775 – 1910” by Mike O’Donnell (see pictures).

It is very obvious when handling this canteen compared to later war government contracts – it is slightly heavier with quality workmanship. Overall, it is in very solid condition with only a couple of small rust holes on the bottom from standing water inside, and some slight pushes. There is a streak of white (probably paint) on one side, and I left it because I can see a little blue ink – possibly an early identification. It can easily be removed if desired.

In my published book “The Civil War Canteen – Third Edition”, I show and discuss smoothside  canteens (see pictures). This canteen has definitely seen use during the Civil War and would make an excellent addition to any Civil War collection.