Original Item. Only One Available. This is an exceedingly rare M1874 McKeever Cartridge box for the Trapdoor Springfield 45/70 rifle or carbine with embossing for U.S.M.C., which is one of the the period embossings for the U.S. Marine Corps. We have had models marked USM and USMC, and both were used during this period for the Marine Corps. The box is in stellar condition with very few flaws, and is one of the rarest pieces of 19th Century Marine Corps field gear we’ve offered!

This McKeever cartridge box measures 6 ⅝" x 4 ¼”. The front side is embossed U.S.M.C., indicating issue to the United States Marine Corps. This side of the box shows a heavy amount of leather cracking and crazing, but the embossing is still clear. The back belt loops are in good shape but show signs of cracking, as well as the tab that closes the box. The metal bar at the bottom is in good condition. On the interior, the box looks perfectly preserved, with T.L. written on the interior, likely the initials of the Marine who carried this. There is a very faint inspection stamp on the leather flap, the letters are there but are too difficult to read.

The sleeve on the right side of the interior that would hold a small metal rifle tool is missing the tool. The rivets on the interior, the knob, and the metal swivel bar show signs of verdigris.

This is an incredibly scarce piece of early Marine Corps field gear! Comes ready for further research and display.

From the earliest European visitors to the Westward Expansion of the United States, settlers often encountered the American Indians. Though many of these meetings were peaceful, the cultures often clashed, resulting in hundreds of battles and skirmishes between the Natives and encroaching pioneers upon their lands. The pioneers weren’t the only ones to clash or have conflicts with the Native tribes, the U.S. Army did as well. Though confrontations with the Natives virtually occurred ever since the first European explorers and settlers set foot in the “New World”, the “Indian War period” is primarily referred to as occurring between 1866 and 1890. These many conflicts are often overshadowed by other periods of U.S. history like the American Civil War for example.

By the early 20 century, the American-Indian Wars had effectively ended, but at a great cost. Though the Natives helped colonial settlers survive in the New World, helped Americans gain their independence and ceded vast amounts of land and resources to pioneers, tens of thousands of Native and non-native lives were lost to war, disease and famine, and the Indian way of life was almost completely destroyed.