Civil War Bullseye canteen repaired by soldier, dug Fredericksburg Battlefield

This is another interesting piece being offered, it is an excavated U.S. Model 1858 Bullseye Canteen. This canteen has melted lead repairs by the soldier to keep it serviceable. I seriously doubt a Union soldier would bother repairing it, replacement canteens were available. With Confederate soldiers there was always a shortage of supplies. It was dug years ago at the Fredericksburg, VA Battlefield.

On November 14, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind the town. On December 13, after pontoon bridges were laid, Union forces crossed the Rappahannock River under fire.

Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye's Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the failed campaign.

With this canteen, it is not really the aesthetics of it, but showing the ingenuity of the Civil War soldier, and to what extent he would go to keep his equipment serviceable. I am sure he tossed this one as soon as he found another. Actually, this canteen retains its original shape but has its share of rusted out areas, although still being solid. There is a thin twine attached to the canteen, probably used for hanging sometime in the past. The larger hole would be from water sitting in it, while the other half acted as a cover. In my recent book “The Civil War Canteen – Third Edition”, I have quite a few of these bullseye canteens pictured.