Laidley Cavalry Forge Harness
The following is from from Report of the Chief of Ordnance to The Secretary of War for The Year 1881, Washington: Government Printing Office. 1881.
APPENDIX 15
DESCRIPTION OF HARNESS MANUFACTURED AT ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL,
FOR THE LAIDLEY CAVALRY FORGE,
BY MAJOR W. D. FLAGLER, ORD
HARNESS FOR ONE LEAD-HORSE.
Saddle.-Cavalry, with stirrup-straps, stirrups, and web girth; singletree attachment on rear, riveted through arc of saddle (rivets 1 inch by ¼ inch), and screwed on to the cantle with ¾ inch No. 12 iron screws.
One 1-inch square riveted on center of arc in rear, for attaching backstrap; rivets Nos. 8 and 9; 2 tugs, each with 1-inch buckle, and standing loop sewed into the rings on the side bars in front of the pommel.
Bridle, artillery. —Off-horse, with coupling strap.
Leg guard.-Artillery.
Traces.-Two traces made of two thicknesses of leather, sewed with two seams, 3/8-inch thick, with cockeyes and S’s on one end, fastened with rivets ¼-inch by ¾-inch. Holes punched in other end to buckle into breast strap.
Breast strap.-One body single leather, with under edges reduced so as not to gall the horse; 1 lay, containing in fold on each end two loops, and 1 1½-inch barrel-shaped roller trace buckle; 2 side straps sewed into 1¼.inch rings; these rings sewed between the lay and body of the breast collar, 7½ inches from each end; lay to be reduced ¼-inch in width between the side straps.
Crupper.–One dock made of leather folded lengthwise, with edges turned in; 1 ¾-inch buckle with loop sewed on each end; 1 body, the rear end split into two billets 8 inches long to buckle into the dock; 1 back-strap; the rear end is sewed on, the body, forming a lay, which has a 1-inch buckle and three standing loops; an opening is made between the lay and body 11 ½ inches from the ends of dock billets for the loin strap to pass through.
Loin strap.-One loin strap, made of single leather, with holes punched in each end to buckle into the trace loops.
Trace loops.-Two trace loops, made of single leather, folded sufficiently to admit 1 loop and buckle 7/8-inch.
Single-tree pad.-One loop sewed on back with opening for back-strap to pass through and return; 1 leather lining sewed on back and filled with goat’s hair.
HARNESS FOR ONE WHEEL-HORSE.
Bridle-One artillery briddle [sic], off-horse, with coupling-strap and link.
Saddle.-One artillery valise saddle, having a brass frame with rollers, firmly fastened across the saddle 7 inches from the top of the pommel by eight brass screws, 1 5/8-inch; No. 9 leather; 1 back-band made of two pieces of leather sewed together with two seams, to pass through frame and buckle into shaft tugs.
Shaft tugs.-Two shaft tugs made each of one piece of leather, folded and sewed, with one loop, having in one end a 1½-inch buckle, in the other end the upper triangle of the hook attachment.
Shaft-tug billets – Two billets, made of single leather, and sewed in the lower triangle of hook attachment.
Belly-band.–One belly.band, made of single leather, the buckles 1 ½ inch, fastened on each by chapes with one loop, and set far enough back for the projection to act as a safe.
Collar.- One artillery collar.
Hames.-One pair of artillery hames, with loops made in the bottom 1 1/8-inch wide by 3/8-inch deep, for hame strap; 2 safes sewed around the hames under the joint loops to protect the collar; 2 hame straps 1 collar strap.
Hame tugs-Two hame tugs, each made of one piece of leather doubled and stitched on a safe, containing in the fold on one end the hame cock-eye, on the other end the cockeye of chain for shaft attachment; thickness of hame tug, 0.375-inch.
Breeching-Two breeching straps, firm leather, each with 1 ¼-inch buckle, and two loops in the fold, and one slide loop; 1 breeching body, single leather, under edges reduced as on breast strap 1 lay; l D 1 3/8-inch by 2 inches in each end of the fold, and sewed on to the body with two seams; width of lay between tugs reduced ¼-inch to correspond with breast strap; 4 breeching tugs, made of two thicknesses of leather, and sewed on to safes, each with three loops and 11-inch buckle; two of the tugs to be sewed on to D at each end of the lay, the remaining two to have 1-inch squares in the bottom and sewed between the lay and body 7 ½ inches from each end; 2 hip straps of single leather to buckle into the breeching rings.
Crupper.-Made the same as for the lead-horse, with the exception of having two openings between the lay and body at distances of 10 ½ to 12 ½ inches from billet end, for hip straps to pass through.
Dimensions of parts of Laidley forge cart harness manufactured at Rock Island Arsenal.
Number | Width | Buckles | ||||
Cut | Finished | Number | Width | |||
LEAD HARNESS | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | ||
Saddle tugs | 2 | 1 | 5.5 | 2.25 | 2 | 1 |
Traces | 2 | 1.5 | 72 | 72 | ||
Loin straps | 1 | 0.875 | 60 | 60 | ||
Trace loops | 2 | 0.875 | 13.5 | 6.25 | 2 | 0.875 |
Breast strap | ||||||
Body | 1 | 2.25 | 43.25 | 43.25 | ||
Lay | 1 | 1.5 | 51 | 42 | 2 | 1.5 |
Side straps | 2 | 1 | 22 | 19.25 | ||
Crupper | ||||||
Dock | 1 | 4 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 2 | 0.75 |
Body | 1 | 1.75 | 18 | 18 | ||
Back strap | 1 | 1 | 42 | 42 | 1 | 1 |
Single-tree pad | ||||||
Loop | 1 | 2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
Back | 1 | 3 | 6.25 | 6.25 | ||
Lining | 1 | 3.25 | 6.25 | 6.625 | ||
WHEEL HARNESS | ||||||
Saddle back band | 1 | 1.5 | 36 | 36 | ||
Shaft tugs | 2 | 1.5 | 9 | 3.75 | 2 | 1.5 |
Shaft-tug billets | 2 | 1.5 | 15 | 12.5 | ||
Belly-band body | 1 | 2 | 25 | 25 | 2 | 1.5 |
Hames | ||||||
Hame safes | 2 | 7 | 12.5 | 9.75 | ||
Hame tugs | 2 | 1.5 | 29 | 13 | ||
Hame-tug safes | 2 | 2.875 | 11.25 | 11.25 | ||
Hame straps (bottom) | 1 | 1 | 22 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
Breeching straps | 2 | 1.25 | 72 | 62 | ||
Breeching | ||||||
Body | 1 | 2 | 42 | 42 | ||
Lay | 1 | 1.25 | 51 | 43.5 | ||
Tugs | 4 | 0.875 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 0.875 |
Tug safes | 4 | 2 | 6.5 | 6.5 | ||
Hip straps | 2 | 0.875 | 48 | 48 | ||
Crupper | ||||||
Dock | 1 | 4 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 2 | 0.75 |
Body | 1 | 1.75 | 18 | 18 | ||
Back strap | 1 | 1 | 50 | 50 | 1 | 1 |