Non-excavated Civil War Hospital Department Bottle – Rare Emerald Green Color and Small Size

Non-excavated Civil War Hospital Department Bottle – Rare Emerald Green Color and Small Size – Although we have had some other USA Hospital Department Bottles before, this is the first emerald green tinted, short medicine bottle that we have had – they are considered quite rare. The bottles contained essential medicines for the Union Army surgeons – to include chloroform and ether. These bottles, starting in late 1862, were amongst standardized supplies for field and headquarters hospitals – the bottles were made only during the war period, from late 1862 to 1865; this example is embossed in a raised oval, with “U.S.A. / Hosp. Dept.” thereby indicating issue and use by the USA Medical Department during the Civil War. The bottles were constructed of blown glass and exhibit many air bubbles trapped in the glass body; the glass exhibits a “whittled” texture and sand marks, as well. There are a multiplicity of colors, although most found today are the clear or aqua type, with there are markedly more rare colors such as cobalt blue, emerald green, amber / apricot and puce; this example exhibits an obvious pontil mark on its base. Regardless of their color, all of these bottles exhibit flaws in the glass as a result of significantly more primitive glass manufacturing processes extant during the war; he lips of the bottles are somewhat crude, exhibiting a hand-tooled appearance as well. This example does exhibit some manufacturing flaws in the base – these are not cracks, but are indeed flaws in the glass induced during manufacture. The principal site of manufacture of these bottles was in Pittsburgh, although many were also made in St. Louis and Baltimore (the Baltimore Glass Works). Various excavations at post-Civil War sites have unearthed these bottles, indicating use of Civil War surplus medical supplies into the 1870s. Most of the bottles encountered today are about 9.5” in height; this example is not only a rare color, but is also a smaller size – H – 5.5”; Diameter – 2.5”