The Blakeslee cartridge box was designed by Erastus Blakeslee of the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Cavalry. He received U.S. patent number 45,469 for the cartridge box on December 20, 1864. With this cartridge box, a soldier could quickly load his Spencer carbine or rifle by taking a tube out of the box and pouring the seven cartridges into the butt stock magazine of the firearm.
The tall hexagonal cartridge box has a black leather exterior wrapped over a wooden block. This block is drilled out to hold ten tubes, each of which held seven Spencer cartridges. All ten tubes are present. Lid and straps lacking. Body retains an old paper label now illegible, research ongoing. This box was formerly part of the MOLLUS museum collection inventory 86.12.9 This cartridge box is photograph in The Fighting Men of the Civil War by William Davis on pg. 81. This scarce ammunition box is in good condition and would complement any Spencer display.
Inventory Number: LEA 210 / Sold