The standard issue cartridge box used by the infantry in the immediate post-civil war era was the Model 1861 and Model 1864. Up until about summer of 1867, the box was used in conjunction with the M1863 Springfield Rifled Musket; it having been issued from mid-way during of the Civil War and continually issued to all replacements sent west to the plains. The box was designed to hold forty rounds of .58 caliber paper cartridges. Contained within the body of the box are two tins, each with a lower compartment to hold a full pack of ten paper cartridges, and two upper divisions intended to hold twenty more loose rounds to facilitate the accessibility of cartridges when needed. With the arrival to military posts of hundreds of Model 1866 2nd Allin Springfield breech loading rifles and thousands of rounds of the .50/70 self-primed cartridges it appears that no new accoutrements accompanied the shipment.

The major factor not initially realized by the Ordnance Department was the great expenditure of ammunition with the new service rifle, with twenty loose rounds expended rapidly, and difficulty getting to the remaining cartridges in the lower compartment in the tins. The average soldier could fire 2 to 3 rounds per minute during the Civil War, making the musket cartridge box suited to handle that demand. Difficulty would ensue in a heated fight using the new cartridges for the 2nd Allin Conversion in the old pattern box, as now the average shots fired per minute rose to around 15. Another not so critical problem, but most irritating, was the issue with the upper compartments holding ten rounds easily, and without something used to stabilize the rounds, they would noisily rattle about freely within the box on the march. The inadequacy of the M1861 cartridge box used with the 2nd Allin breechloaders, would quickly see many ideas put forth although most were for new modifications of the old 1861/64 cartridge box. It would be several years until a reliable and wholly accepted method for carrying cartridges would find its way to the troops.

The rare box we are offering was originally made ca. 1864 by F. Chillingworth of Greenfield Massachusetts. Designed to hold paper cartridges, Chillingworth to meet the demands by the army for a better box to accommodate the Model 1866 Springfield breech loading rifle, re-designed this box for metallic cartridges. The box flap measures 8 1/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches and is deeply embossed with a "US" and below this is stamped "F. CHILLINGWORTH".  The internal box itself measures 7 1/4 inches by 5 inches. This portion is now divided into 2 sections top and bottom. The top section has a hard wood block drilled to hold 20 cartridges and the leather supporting the block is stamped " F. CHILLINGWORTH. followed by "PAT. ALLOWED". The bottom section which pivots down also has a hard wood block designed to hold 20 .50/70 self-primed cartridges. Attached to this is an accessory pouch.  The rear of the box has belt loops and provisions to hold an over-the-shoulder sling; both buckles to facilitate this are intact. The condition of this box is excellent. The 2 ears on the flap, once separated, have now been professionally reattached. This is a great rarity of the early Indian Wars.  [pe][ph:L]

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