Union Cartridge Box which was an early battlefield pickup at Petersburg

This is really a true battlefield recovered artifact; it is a .58 caliber Union Cartridge Box with one tin remaining. It is one of two that I acquired from a Petersburg, Virginia collection. On the back of the box the soldier carved slits in the leather so it could be used with a belt. This one, like the other, was an early pickup from the Petersburg, Virginia Battlefield in the area of the Crater.  

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. One of the original buckles which came off is still with the box. Leather and cloth had the least survival rate of battlefield relics.