Original U.S. American Revolutionary War Era Cheesebox Canteen with Original Green Paint & Stuck Cork

Original Item. Only One Available. While the Continental Forces certainly preferred lightweight tin water vessels like those carried by the British soldier, stocks of that metal dried up even before the Revolution was a year old as the British blockade of American seaports tightened. By the spring of 1776, with the summer campaign ahead, the availability of canteens of any kind was essentially gone and Congress turned to the production of wooden canteens to issue its troops. Of course wood was abundant in America and the only metal the colonies could produce, iron, was far too heavy to use for this purpose. Two styles emerged: the “drum” and “cheesebox.” Even with rushed production efforts, the army remained urgently in need of canteens through that summer. It was not until well into 1777 that production had finally reached a point where the Continental Army was able to fulfill the needs of its rank and file and actually begin building up a stockpile. However, even with an improving system of supply, the availability of canteens varied throughout the war.

Made by "cedar coopers" (also called "white coopers") with experience in making compact articles for domestic use, the "cheese box" canteen was simply a strip of cedar formed around circular sides of the same wood. Small iron rivets were peened through the overlapping rim and even smaller nails or wooden pegs fastened it to the sides. It appears that the "cheese box" style was locally produced predominately in the New York and New England area.

This is a phenomenal example of a larger Cheesebox canteen measuring a 7 1/2” diameter with a height of 2⅛”. This example appears to retain its original green paint which is wearing along the edges. There were originally three small leather loops for the canteen carrying strap, all three are lost to time. The crude construction of the iron rivets speaks volumes to the age of this piece, which almost certainly dates to the 1770s & 1780s. This example has fantastic iron rivet alignment at the end of the stave. There is a very faint set of initials on one side, L.C.. There is a cork in the mouth, but it’s likely not the original cork. There is an old museum number on one side, 938.

We have only ever had a few Revolutionary War canteens listed in the past, as they do not come up often and are highly prized by their owners. These rarely ever come up for sale in the modern day, so don’t miss out on this great example. Comes ready for further research and display.