RARE – Large Confederate Camp canteen, struck by artillery at Vicksburg

Being offered is a very unusual and unique Civil War canteen. It measures 10 ½” x 4” and still has the four tin strap holders present. As seen in the pictures, this canteen took a massive strike by an artillery fragment leaving a large opening. It was recovered many years ago from the Vicksburg Battlefield, which was constantly bombarded with artillery shells.

These large tin canteens were not practical for individual use, but they did play an important role. In many cases the water source was not in the immediate area, so soldiers had to travel hopefully only a short distance to refill their canteen. Sometimes, one soldier would take several canteens to refill, and they would take turns doing this chore, at times under fire. With a couple of these large canteens, they would be able to return and fill a number of canteens. Sometimes they were referred to as “camp canteens”.

Even a more critical need for these canteens were for the surgeons attending to the wounded and sick, a large amount of water was a constant necessity. Especially at Vicksburg, where the wounded and sick were overwhelming.  

During the 47-day Siege of Vicksburg (May 18–July 4, 1863), Union forces fired a massive amount of artillery, with estimates suggesting well over 100,000 rounds during the siege itself, plus thousands more during earlier assaults. There were more than 120,000 shells fired, including naval bombardment and army cannons, creating a continuous assault that broke Confederate morale and eventually forced surrender, with around 650 rounds per cannon on average.

The canteen has surface rust, but has been coated for preservation, leaving it very solid. I show struck canteens in my book “The Civil War Canteen – Third Edition” and in “U.S. Army & Militia Canteens” by Mike O’Donnell he shows similar styles of this canteen (see pictures). This is a “one-of-a-kind” relic and an important part of Civil War history.