RARE – War of 1812 Canteen with “US” and marked by famous cooper “JR”

Being offered is a War of 1812 “Cheesebox” Canteen which is part of the large canteen collection I acquired. It has a diameter of 7 ½” x 2 ½” wide, three leather sling guides, and has a faded blue/green paint. Originally, it was marked with “U.S.” on the side, but it is very faint now from age and use, but you can still see part of the letter “U”. On the opposite side the soldier carved his initials “D A”, and below that is the makers mark “J.R”.

The branded mark is for Hingham Massachusetts cooper John Ripley, who was the son of the famous cooper Nehamiah Ripley (NR) who manufactured the US/MS contract canteens during the War of 1812. John Ripley (JR) 1787 - 1852 resided on Pleasant Street in Hingham and worked with his father manufacturing these quality canteens.

War of 1812 canteens are displayed in most of the museums, and I mention them in the beginning of my book “The Civil War Canteen – Third Edition” (see pictures). There is a painting showing soldiers carrying these canteens (see pictures). I have “NR” canteens in my collection, but this is the only canteen I’ve seen or came across with the “JR” stamp.