This is a regulation issue Civil War cap box showing some use, but in very good condition, that was personalized by the soldier by the addition of a New York state seal cap badge. As a wartime practice this is documented by several photographs taken of the 22^nd New York State Militia, redesignated National Guard, at Harpers Ferry during their mobilization and field service from May 28, 1862, to September 5, 1862. We show two photographs taken at the time. In each image one of the soldiers can be clearly seen to have applied one of these badges to his cap box. How wide the practice was is unclear, but it was clearly tolerated by the officers and may also have been seen in their June and July 1863 mobilization during the Gettysburg Campaign when they saw some action at Sporting Hill near Harrisburg.

The box is in good condition, with both belt loops in place, as well as the inner flap and side ears. The interior fleece, used to keep the percussion caps from bouncing out, long ago furnished a meal for moths, but the skin strip is still there. The leather shows a slight oxidation from black toward brown, some crazing to the finish on the outer flap, some flaking from flexing on the top of the belt loops, and little roughness to the edges of the fastening tab, but is solid, has tight seams and still rates very good. The pin is die-struck brass showing the NY state seal with eagle perched on top and motto ribbon on the bottom. It has an untouched, dark, aged patina with some verdigris, but detail is good and there are no bends or cracks. Intended for wear on a cap, the soldier simply passed its two fasting loops through the flap and bent them over on the reverse.

This is very nice, original example of a personalized piece of gear that is well documented and would make a good addition to a New York display or one devoted to the early stages of the Antietam Campaign when troops when additional troops were mobilized to protect Washington and Baltimore in the face of Confederate threats to move north.   [ss] [ph:L]

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