Name/Title
Leather Cartridge BoxEntry/Object ID
2025.01.24.32Description
"Most American soldiers carried their ammunition in cartridge boxes worn over the shoulder or around the waist. These leather pouches, often made by saddlers and harness makers, contained drilled wooden blocks to hold individual cartridges, round paper tubes containing gunpowder, lead bullets and, often (as here) small buckshot that improved a soldier's chance of hitting his target. The premade cartridges allowed soldiers to load their musket faster and get off more shots than if they had to load loose gunpowder and a musket ball by hand. This example from the Revolutionary War allows a soldier to keep 19 cartridges at the ready. The Militia Act of 1792, which set federal standards for the organization of the Militia, ruled that all soldiers would be required to carry cartridge boxes that “contain not less than twenty-four cartridges, suited to the bore of his musket or firelock.” Museum of the American RevolutionUse
American Soldiers during the Revolutionary WarLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term
Box, CartridgeNomenclature Secondary Object Term
Box, ArmamentNomenclature Primary Object Term
Container, ArmamentNomenclature Sub-Class
Armament AccessoriesNomenclature Class
ArmamentsNomenclature Category
Category 05: Tools & Equipment for Science & TechnologyLocation
Location
Cabinet
Display Case 2Room
Charles Whipple Greene Historical CollectionBuilding
George Hail Free LibraryDate
January 24, 2025Exhibition
Warren During the Revolutionary WarCreate Date
January 24, 2025Update Date
May 20, 2025
