1875 "Modified" Camp Box (Foot Locker) Specs

GENERAL ORDERS            WAR DEPARTMENT,                                                          ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, No. 56.                                                           Washington, April 30, 1875.      The Quartermaster's Department will provide, in all permanent bar- racks, a box or foot locker for each soldier in which to store his full dress uniform and extra clothing.      The box or locker will be of the following dimensions:                                  Length, 24 inches, In the clear.                                  Breadth, 12 inches, In the clear.                                  Height, 10 inches, In the clear. To be constructed of pine three-fourths of an inch thick, with iron hinges ten inches in length and one inch and a half in width, together with suit- able staple and hasp.      Each man to provide his own padlock.  The boxes will be permanent fixtures of the barracks.      BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:                                                                  E. D. TOWNSEND,                                                                           Adjutant General.

Making an Army Footlocker

Ordance Memo #19 (ca. 1874) made allowance for enough wood for each soldier to have a footlocker for storing his personal articles.  The memo only gives the inside dimensions, states the wood should be pine, and the outside painted sky blue.  A hasp and hinges would be firnished.  Soldiers usually personalized such items to whatever extent they could get away with.  Generally they pained their name on the inside of the lid at the least.  Often they added a checkerboard to the inside of the lid as well.  Handles, a tray, anything else that made it more functional and more personal could be added so long as the additions were "within the limits of military discipline".  A rather vague phrase that leaves one with considerable leeway.  Basically it meant that as long as no NCO or officer objected it was okay. You will need the following minimum materials:      Two small unplated steel or brass hinges with screws (not phillips)      One medium sized unplated steel or brass hasp with screws (again not phillips)      One 24" X 12 3/4" pine boards* (lid)      One  23" X 11" pine boards* (bottom)      Two 10" X 24" pine boards* (front and back)      Two 11" X 10" pine boards* (left and right sides)      Five 12 1/2" X 4" pine boards* (ends and runners)      Approximately twenty-four 3/8" brass screws (not phillips)      Sky blue (oil-based) paint      Wood Glue When constructing the footlocker it is recommended that you apply a small bead of glue to the edges of the board before screwing them together.  This will help seal your box also and prevent mildew and morning condensation from seeping into the footlocker and ruining items contained within. *Remember: These are the inside dimensions.  The actual dimensions will depend on the thickness of the pine you use.  One half inch is a common thickness for pine and is recommended.

Footlocker Specs Continued...

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