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318

Scarce M1912 US Cavalry Ration Bags

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Scarce M1912 US Cavalry Ration Bags
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Lot includes: Two M1912 Ration Bags: As one of the evolutions in the series of saddle trials and development undertaken by the Ordnance Department during the early 20th Century, the timely approval and issue of the Model 1912 Trial Saddles to a number of regular army cavalry units for testing in the field coincidentally as the deteriorating political situation in Mexico threatened the security of the southern border of the United States, guaranteed the trial equipment's place in US military history.   Designated in 1912 as the model name suggests, and developed, manufactured and made available for issue by 1916, the majority of the cavalry units that Gen. Black Jack Pershing led south across the border in March of that year on his “Punitive Expedition” were mounted on the Model 1912 Trial Saddles.  The months spent in Mexico provided the opportunity for such personalities as Pershing, Patton, Eisenhower and a host of others to not only hone their military skills, but unknowingly begin their assent onto the world stage to fulfill the roles they would play during the following thirty to forty years. This happenstance of timing, and the association with such famous personalities, secured for the Model 1912 Horse Equipment's what may have been an otherwise unattainable niche in Ordnance Department history.    This set of Model 1912 Service Saddle Ration Bags as they were titled by the army, served the dual functions of a pair of saddle bags, attaching to the saddle across the rear of the cantle, or when reconfigured, served as the soldier’s pack when he was dismounted.  This set has been disassembled and reassembled into the configuration in which it would be attached to the saddle. The knapsack version this is the way the soldier would carry the set on his back when dismounted.  The configuration for mounting the ration bags is shown below in the photographs of the plates in Ordnance Department Manual Description and Directions For Use And Care of Cavalry Equipment Model of 1912 printed in 1916.      The front of both flaps is stamped “US”, and the interior of each flap is stamped “P.B & CO. 1917”.  The original leather laces for lacing the outer flaps of the two ration pockets together when the bags are worn in the dismounted configuration are both present and full length.  The four heavier original thongs for securing his blanket to the bags are likewise present and full length. Complete sets of the Model 1912 Ration Bags, once available, are no longer easily found on the market, and certainly not in this “new old stock” unissued condition.  This is an excellent set to complete your Model 1912 Service Saddle that could never be upgraded.   **Having survived in excellent condition, the set was never issued and has not suffered any of the effects of poor storage in the years that followed that damaged so much of the early 20th Century equipment. The canvas duck is very clean with no wear, stains or other damage. All of the metal fittings are present with all of the original blackened finish present and intact.** One Model 1912 Bacon Bag Issued with the Model 1912 Ration Bags: This scarce accessory to the Model 1912 Ration Bags (saddle bags) is seldom found in collections due to a low survival rate, and as it is not pictured in the 1912 Cavalry Equipment's Manual, if you are not familiar with what one looks like, you have difficulty in recognizing it when encountered.  The Model 1912 Ration Bags, which doubled as the soldier’s saddlebags when mounted and his backpack when dismounted, carried the soldier’s personal effects and food rations. This Bacon bag, as described in the manual on page 26, “is an accessory of the ration bags and is intended to carry the portion of a trooper’s haversack ration of bacon remaining after he has broken open the can and consumed some of it. Place the bacon in the bag without the can…The enamel lining of the bag has been analyzed and found harmless.” This Model 1912 Bacon Bag shows no evidence of issue or use.  Measuring 7.5” by 5.5”, the bag has the full length draw string, and still retains the complete enamel lining which prevented the bacon grease from soiling the other contents of the ration bags.  This is an excellent specimen of a scarce component of the Model 1912 Cavalry Equipment's and one that is very difficult to find to complete your Model 1912 Ration Bags.   **The enamel lining has crazed due to storage and exposure to temperature changes through the years, and has lost some of its shiny surface, but the lining is complete. Overall in excellent condition.** $300-$500
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