The common iron ‘barrel buckle’, or roller buckle, was referenced in the U.S. Ordnance Manual and other specifications for civil war horse equipment, such as the McClellan, the various artillery items, and quartermaster harness. A truly popular form of buckle hardware for leather straps and belts, it’s still very common today. The exact style of…
One of the most influential articles on the subject ever written, it is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the McClellan saddle.
Did you find some treasure while cleaning out the old barn or shed? Take a look at our new page to help in your McClellan Saddle Identification. This is a basic starting place for identifying your McClellan saddle – we’ll be adding more as time goes along.
When you look at the various reasons for the horse equipment trials and tests in the mid- to late-1850s, it becomes pretty apparent that one of the primary driving motives for searching for a new cavalry saddle was that the current issued regulation saddle, the Grimsley dragoon saddle of 1847, was no longer view favorably. …
A quick and easy collection of the various articles posted here, concerning the development of the first McClellan pattern military saddle. It’s a complex history, and this will help in following the process: Horse Equipment Trials of the 1850s – how did all this confusion come about? The failure of the Grimsley horse equipment pattern led…
