Musket Cartridge box found at the Crater in Petersburg in 1871 with original tag and initials (SOLD)

This is really a true battlefield recovered artifact; it is a .58 caliber Union Cartridge Box. An original note is stilled glued to the front flap with “Cartridge box re-covered from the Crater Battlefield in 1871 by Capt. A.L. Evans of Petersburg”. It also has a museum identification number “7”. The soldier carved his initials on the front outer flap with “D L D”.

The Battle of the Crater took place during the American Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg. It occurred on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General George G. Meade under the direct supervision of the general-in-chief, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant.

After weeks of preparation, on July 30 Union forces exploded a mine across from Union Major General Ambrose E. Burnside's IX Corps sector, blowing a gap in the Confederate defenses of Petersburg, Virginia.

The Confederates quickly recovered and launched several counterattacks led by Brigadier General William Mahone. The breach was sealed off, and the Union forces were repulsed with severe casualties, while Brigadier General Edward Ferrero's division of black soldiers was badly mauled.

Instead of being a decisive advantage to the Union, this precipitated a rapid deterioration in the Union position. Unit after unit charged into and around the crater, where most of the soldiers milled in confusion in the bottom of the crater. Grant considered this failed assault as "the saddest affair I have witnessed in this war." It may have been Grant's best chance to end the siege of Petersburg; instead, the soldiers settled in for another eight months of trench warfare.

Amazingly, this cartridge box which was found over 150 years ago survived in pretty good condition. Overall, it is still intact with the interior compartments, the strap loops on the back, and the brass finial. There are no tins inside, but it was a common practice with many soldiers to discard them for easier access to their cartridges. One of the original buckles which came off is still with the box.

Leather and cloth had the least survival rate of battlefield relics. There is only one "A L Evans listed in the Historical Data System, and that is Captain A. L. Evans who was commissioned into the Confederate States Army Adjutant General's Department.