This is a very good example of a Civil War army issue tin cup of the “Type-2” configuration in Hedren’s typology that also bears the name “Thompson” and the letter “A” scratched into the flat bottom, in all likelihood the soldier’s last name and his company letter, along with a large “T” additionally scratched inside the bottom. Mess gear was typically issued by whatever recruiting agency the soldier joined under and seldom, if ever, reissued. This meant that a soldier might well want to mark his own cup, which he soon realized was an essential piece of equipment, that there was a variety of patterns coming from local, regional and state sources, and some likely variation even after the federal government took over recruiting, and lastly that there was a thriving commercial market. For those interested in issue mess cups in particular we recommend Hedren’s “Army Tincups on the Western Frontier” in the Summer 1992 issue of the Company of Military Historians Journal, and for cups and other mess gear in general J.E. Tobey’s article in the Columbia Rifles Research Compendium.

The Type-2 cup differs from the Type-1 only in height and width, with the latter typically holding a quart of liquid, measuring about 4 inches tall and wide, and carrying an ear-shaped handle. This is a typical Type-2, differing just in height at 3 inches tall and 4 7/8” in diameter. Material and construction are the same: it is made of tin-plated thin sheet iron, with the flat bottom simply turned up along the side, and a crimped vertical seam. The top edge is rolled over a wire and the handle is attached at the top by two wires coming through small holes near the upper edge and looping over the top edge of the body, and at the bottom by a rivet. A key diagnostic separating military cups from generic tin cups of the period, this secure method of attaching the handle meant that it would not come off even if left on a campfire that would melt out any solder joint if the level of the fluid contents was too low. The joints were tight enough that solder was only deemed necessary for preventing leaks at the lower overlap of the bottom edge with the vertical seam, though many makers, as here, might run a thin strip around the whole lower edge and vertical seam. The only significant improvement in Civil War issue mess cup design was the late war use of rivets at the top of the handle instead of wires (Hedrens Type-3,) something that carried over to the army’s M1874 pattern.

The cup remains in excellent condition, showing obvious issue and use, but no dents or holes  and substantial remnants of the tin coating that shows up as a muted silver against the gray iron with just a little crusty brown showing on the inside bottom. We especially like the addition of the initial “T” inside the cup, making it less likely a mess cook might hand it back to the wrong soldier after filling it, and also serving as a continual reminder to any thief or hard-up comrade of his misdeeds. [sr] [ph:MC]

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