Original Cavalry Civil War Wooden Stirrup

This is another nice item being offered, it is a Civil War wooden stirrup. It stands 7 1/2” high, 6” wide, and the bottom is 2” deep. There are remnants of the iron screws near the top. In “Horse Equipment of the Civil War Era”, by Howard Crouch, there is an example of this stirrup (see pictures).

In the mid-1850s, the U.S. Army began experimenting with a new bent wood stirrup on its trial Campbell and Hope military saddles. Though new to the military, their historical use on saddlery was not entirely revolutionary as stirrups of bent or carved wood had likely been in use for centuries.

The simple flat split of tough oak or hickory wood steamed then bent into the military “tear-drop” shape and the ends separated by one transom, appears to be largely an American design. After the Civil War, the depth of the wood stirrup tread was increased to 4" wide about 1869. This is a nice solid stirrup in very solid condition that would go well with any Civil War or Cavalry collection.