Civil War Soldier’s Writing Kit

Civil War Soldier’s Writing Kit – With the onset of the Civil War, many of those who enlisted in the armies of both the North and South, were away from home for the first time for a protracted period of time; writing home, whenever possible, became a mainstay of camp life. A myriad of different writing kits quickly came on the market to provide departing soldiers a means of having writing supplies close at hand, wherever camps would be set up. We have had one or two of these writing kits, somewhat comparable to this example. This kit is constructed of a decoratively embossed, dark green cloth cover, over sturdy pasteboard, creating a book-like appearance. The kit opens to reveal the interior halves, one exhibiting two walnut, rectangular boxes on either side of the kit; these boxes were designed to hold items for the soldier – remaining in one of the boxes are several pen nibs; in the other is the key that locks the box and the original inkwell, which fits snugly into a small, square compartment – the inkwell still contains remnants of the original, period ink, albeit now dried. Each of the boxes has a sliding wooden lid; on the interior side of one of the lids, the war period, soldier owner, penciled, along the length of the lid’s interior, a ruler, with 1” and .5” marks. In the center of this section of the kit, between the two boxes, are two pouches for holding stationery; in one of these pouches are two period pieces of note paper. At the top of this section is the original, ink pen, tucked into a fabric loop. On the opposite side of the kit is a fabric sided, paper file holder, which still has a blank, Civil War U.S. Army Ordnance form. This kit remains in overall excellent condition. The kit measures: Width – 10.5”; Height – 8.5”; Depth – 1.25”