Accouterments

You will find links to reputable sutlers that you can purchase accouterments and equipment from on our Links Page.

Waist Belt	Soldiers had a waist belt as one of their primary accouterments. The belt issued to Federal Troops was of black leather and 1.9 inches wide.
Belt Plate	Union Soldier used a brass belt plate to secure their waist belts. The belt plate was oval shaped (2 1/4" X 3 1/2") and had the abbreviation US molded in them.
Cap Pouch	Civil War muskets used a percussion cap ignition system. Soldiers carried the percussion caps in a pouch on the right front of their waist belts. They were made of black leather.
Bayonet Scabbard	Soldiers carried the bayonet for their muskets in a scabbard on the left side of their waist belts. These were made out of black leather and had brass fittings.
Cartridge Box	Civil War muskets were loaded from paper cartridges containing a projectile and powder in paper. Soldiers carried them in a black leather box which hung on their right hip from a sling. The cartridge box had a large leather flap and two tins to organize and secure the 40 paper cartridges normally carried in them.
Box Sling	The Cartridge Box normally hung on a Soldier's right hip by a black leather sling over their left shoulder.
Box Plate	The large flap of the cartridge box carried a heavy brass box plate, similar to the belt plate every soldier had. This heavy brass box plate help ensure the cartridge box flap closed after a cartridge was removed from the box.
Breast Plate	The cartridge box sling was adorned with a round brass breast plate. The breast plate had the image of a bald eagle stamped on.
Canteen	Soldiers were issued circular shaped tin canteens to carry water in. They were covered in wool cloth of a variety of colors, had cork stoppers and were carried by a leather or cloth sling over their right shoulder to hang on a Soldier's left hip.
Haversack	To carry their rations, Soldier's were given a haversack made of black painted cloth. This haversack hung with the canteen over the right shoulder and on the Soldier's left hip.
Knapsack	Union soldiers were issued knapsacks made of painted canvas and leather to carry their personal equipment in on campaign.
Blanket	Five-pound wool blankets were issued to soldiers. These were made by numerous contractors. Most were of a grey or tan color with darker stripes on the ends. They were cut from larger rolls and issued unhemmed. Some would have a four inch high US stitched in them and many soldiers stitched or marked their names and initials in them to prevent theft.
Gum Blanket	The Gum Blanket was the ground cloth used by the infantry. It was made of canvas that had vulcanized rubber applied to one side. There were small brass grommets around the edges. Infantrymen would use this to sleep on or use it for cover in the rain. On the march, they would drape the Gum Blanket over their shoulders to act as a rain coat.
Cup	The essential soldier's cooking item. During the Civil War, soldiers used large hot-dipped tin cups. They used them as needed to boil their coffee, their most cherished ration.
Plate	The soldier's plate was also made of hot-dipped tin. Many soldiers dispensed with it on campaign and used half of a canteen as a combination frying pan and plate.
Eating Utensils	Soldiers purchased utensils from sutlers. Normally they would have a spoon, a simple knife and a fork. The handles would be of bone or wood.