Soldiers tin percussion cap box

Sale 2377 - Lot 389

Unsold

Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500

Soldier's tin, percussion cap box. Ovoid tin box with integral lid, painted with the Stars and Stripes and a small portrait (?) of a black soldier on the lid., 2-5/8 x 1-1/2 x 3/4 inches; top convex. Np, circa 1861-1865

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Additional Details

a rare survival. Items like this little cap box were often lost in the confusion of battle. This painted tin box would typically hold percussion caps that had to be placed over the "nipple" of a percussion action rifle or musket where the hammer would strike. This action sent a flame into the chamber which would ignite the charge, firing the musket-ball. The only inconvenience here was the time it took one to ram a charge down the barrel, drop a ball down same, place a cap over the nipple and fire. Not exactly efficient. A scene in the recent film "Glory" shows Colonel Robert Gould Shaw explaining this procedure to the new African American recruits.