Large Civil War Tin Camp Coffee Pot, as in books and museums

This is another great piece being offered, it is an original large tin Civil War Camp Coffee Pot. This coffee pot is typical of what the Civil War soldiers would have used in camp. It measures 10” high and the diameter at the bottom is 9”. It has a hinged lid (separated) and a flat rolled-tin base, correct for the era. All the seams are soldered, along with the spout.

The Civil War soldier would consider coffee as his most important staple, right up there with his tobacco. When the soldiers awoke in the morning, the first thing would be to get the fires going for coffee, at the end of a march, the same thing, and again at the evening campfires. There are examples in the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum.

This size coffee pot would have been used by several soldiers who were part of a "mess". They would take turns making the coffee. A period photograph of a camp scene shows an almost identical example of this pot (see pictures). A similar example of this pot is in "The Civil War Collectors Encyclopedia", by Francis Lord (see pictures). In my book "The Civil War Soldier - His Personal Items", I go into more detail about the importance of coffee and coffee pots.

This pot remains in remarkable condition for its age and would be very difficult to upgrade – a truly great patina. Remnants of these coffee pots are a common find in Civil War campsites. This is a great opportunity to add a hard to find personal item to your Civil War collection. It would go great in a soldier’s camp display or part of a soldier’s personal effects.