Civil War era eyeglasses with carved wooden case, dated “1846” and partial ID

This is a cased pair of original Civil War era eyeglasses. The eyeglasses have a steel frame, and both lenses are intact with no cracks, but have some scratches. The frame has a little surface rust. They are in a hand-carved wooden case measuring 5 ¾” x 2 ¼” x 1”. Nicely carved on one side of the case is the date “1846” and on the other is what appears to be “K L J T”.

During the Civil War, although most soldiers were young men, there were still many who needed glasses, especially when reading with the lack of light in camps. In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items”, I have a similar example (see pictures). Also, there is an example in the Gettysburg NPS Museum (see pictures). Those glasses belonged to Capt. Richard C. Horner, Battery B, 2nd PA Heavy Artillery.

Eyeglasses were important for those with visual problems, so they were important to keep protected. A wooden case such as this would stand up to just about any harsh conditions. They would be ideal to display alongside a letter or with a soldier’s personal effects.