S.A.W. Canteen

[xrailroader]

I have contacted Military Trader magazine on this subject,they told me to buy Mike O'Donnells book.I don't want to purchase a $50.00 book just to be able to buy a S.A.W. Canteen.So here I am.I need to know the difference between an Indian War(1865-1898) and a Spanish American War canteen by just looking at pictures.Mr. Graf,at Military Trader mag. said that there was a difference but I would have to buy O'Donnells book.He wouldn't just tell me.Is there anybody on here,gracious enough to help me out?Thank-you in advance. Terry

[JBinIll]

Scroll down the page a bit and there are pictures of both http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=765 Note method of sling attachment,one major difference.

[xrailroader]

Thank-you for the reply.Evidently,there is not much difference in the iron ringed and brass ringed cork stoppered canteens.Just wonder if there are any other subtle differences.Thanks again. Terry

[5MadFarmers]

It's your lucky day.

When the SpanAm War broke out they were still using CW canteens. I'll say that a different way: from 1865 to 1898 absolutely no canteens were made or purchased. They just "re-covered" them. They ran out during the SpanAm War. So they ordered machines to make them. In the interim they found a few hundred thousand more in a warehouse. Frankford? I have that here somewhere.

Anyway said machinery was delivered to Rock Island and they started pounding them out. So, here is the first bit:
The ones RIA pounded out would be too late for the SpanAm War. Yes, it'd be a "SpanAm War" canteen as it was made on machinery funded via the war fund but they're too late to have been with troops in action. I have a date for production starting but I'm not going to dig it out as it'd take great amounts of time as I haven't indexed those files yet.

The above I know. Without a doubt. I read the documentation on it. Not a collector book - the letters back and forth from RIA to the Chief of Ordnance.

This part I don't "know" but I'm pretty sure of:

The RIA canteens are the ones with the concave backs. CW canteens didn't have those.

So look for a canteen without a concave back. It'll be a "re-covered" CW canteen and that is what a SpanAm canteen is. Problem is the RIA made ones greatly outnumber the CW ones.

[5MadFarmers]

Meh, time to make your head explode.

RIA took over production of that stuff from Watervliet. I want to say "1890" but it didn't stick as it was two dates: the planned date and the actual date as there was a bad flood at RIA. The Mississippi is a fickle wench.

What are commonly collected as Indian War canteens are, IMHO, not right. Watervliet re-covered them and issued them. The unit saddlers then did land office business tearing the hangers off of them and sewing on something useful. When the canteens were turned back in to the arsenal they were re-covered again with standard hangers.

See what I mean? The hangers they had in service were done in the units and removed when turned in. Thus the ones we see today aren't what was used.

Oh what fun all those documents are. Letters which make the head explode repeatedly.

[xrailroader]

Thank-you for the in-depth info. It's all as clear as the Ohio River at flood stage LOL. Covcave is what to look for.Thank-you all very much.You tupe of people are what makes collecting fun.You don't care to share your knowledge,freely.I surely would have thought that a big publication such as M/T would also do that.I was wrong.By the way,I live 2 stones throw away from the Ohio R. and it is so high,that I can almost see the entire tugboat overtop of the divide wall on Rt. 52
Terry

[John Sukey]

Funny thing, those CW-Span/Am canteens look just like my Boer War canteen;)

Of course the Brits called it a water bottle.

[alibi]

The story of canteens used during the War with Spain start with Civil War contract canteens that were "re-covered" by primarily Watervliet Arsenal (1875-1890) and Rock Island Arsenal (1875-1898). The re-covering and later double covering started with recommendations by the Infantry Equipment Board published in 1875 in Ordnance Memorandum No. 19 and which was often referred to in correspondence regarding this equipment, i.e. "Cup, O.M.#19" and etc. There were during those years several changes to the manner in which the canteens were re-covered and the straps that may or may not be applicable to your question except to say that O'Donnell's book is useful to identifying some of the details of the work the Ordnance Department did to bring these canteens to current standard(s). It is clear that some of the volunteer units that were federalized into service in 1898 brought with them the canteens that the units had been equipped with prior to the War.

The most identifiable of the Civil War canteens is the Corrugated pattern, many of which were re-covered and double covered through the entire program. Some of the Civil War canteens double-covered in 1898 can only be identified by the form and/or the contractor identification embossed into the spout. In 1863 the contractors were required to mark their products with identification and many embossed the spout with their identification, which of course identifies the canteen as of Civil War vintage.

When responsibility for individual equipment was transferred to the Ordnance Department both Watervliet Arsenal and Rock Island Arsenal were established with equipment to manufacture field equipment that consisted of leather belts, cartridge boxes, cartridge belts, duck haversacks w/straps, blanket bags w/straps, bayonet scabbards, meat cans, tin cups, canteen straps and re-covering or double covering canteens remaining in storage from the Civil War. However, these arsenals were not the only facilities that re-covered, double-covered or repaired canteens. Watervliet Arsenal in 1891 was converted to a gun factory and ceased all manufacture of individual equipment in 1890.

Circa 1891 R.I.A. started to remove the three original strap loops on the canteens and soldered the triangular wire loops to the canteens with clips of tin plate material. Apparently at about the same time R.I.A. changed from stenciling the "U.S." to one cover to printing the "U.S." with a style of letters that were more gothic than Roman in style. It appears that in 1898 R.I.A. changed the style of the "U.S." to the more familiar Roman style that was used long afterwards on almost all field equipment. So the first indicator of War with Spain manufacture is the style of the "U.S." but this is not conclusive.

R.I.A. in March 1898 commenced manufacture of canteens that are very similar in appearance to the last of the double-covered Civil War canteens and applied the Roman letter style "U.S." to one cover. R.I.A. also contracted with five manufacturers and new canteens made on contract may also be mistaken for Civil War double-covered canteens. One or two of the contractors stenciled the "U.S." and one assembled tin spouts to their product. (At least one Civil War contractor made canteens with tin spouts and it is easy to confuse a double-covered Civil War tin spout canteen with a War with Spain tin spout canteen) Two of the contractors only made the metal part of the canteens and R.I.A. assembled the covers to these canteens.

Two months after R.I.A. commenced manufacture and contracted new canteens, Frankford Arsenal reported on hand 100,000 "unserviceable" Civil War canteens that were promptly shipped to R.I.A. for re-covering. R.I.A. had open requisitions to supply canteens and sent without modification 30,000 of these canteens for issue to militia troops. R.I.A. also immediately started double-covering the remaining 70,000 Civil War canteens, so was simultaneously manufacturing new canteens and re-covering Civil War canteens. From examples examined it appears that many of the 70,000 double-covered canteens the original jack chain was retained, which may have been intentional for identification. At about this time Columbia Arsenal reported recovering 20,000 canteens.

R.I.A. continued to manufacture new canteens of this pattern until December 1902 when the indentation of the back was adopted and all of the various patterns of these canteens thereafter had this feature.

Identification:

A. Not a War with Spain canteen per se, may have been used during the War: Civil War canteens double-covered prior to 1898.

B. May be a War with Spain canteen used during the War: New canteens manufactured by R.I.A. (Large quantities manufactured after the War)

C. War with Spain canteens issued to militia troops and may have been used during the War with Spain: Unaltered Civil war canteens.

D. War with Spain canteens probably issued during the War or the occupation of Cuba, Porto Rica, and the Philippines including the Philippine Campaign: 1. New canteens manufactured by contractors, 2. Civil war canteens double-covered by R.I.A. and Columbia arsenals in 1898.

One of the identifying factors for a canteen or any piece of field equipment is the unit and personal markings, which can be helpful in determining the approximate vintage the equipment was used. It seems to have been fairly common practice for the soldiers to hand print their name and sometimes other information onto the equipment which may also assist in identifying when the item was issued. The markings applied during the War with Spain are quite distinctive from the marking usually applied during the American Civil War and I have examined a few Civil War canteens that were obviously marked during the War with Spain.

Canteen strap: The strap was tanned collar leather, 7 to 8 ounces per square foot, dyed black. 1.125 inches wide and 56 inches long. The strap was adjustable on both ends with brass hooks that engaged holes punched into the strap at intervals. The strap fastened to the canteen triangular loops by brass double wire hooks. Leather keepers were provided that were lapped and sewn with a double row of stitches. This same strap was made contemporaneously in fair (undyed) leather for the Marine Corps.