| 1875 "Modified" Camp Box (Foot Locker) Specs |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
| Helpful Hints |
When constructing the box, after the wood has been cut, assemble the box completely before painting. This will make certain that all your edges will line up and hopefully eliminate any unforseen problems that cannot be corrected once the footlocker is painted. Also, pre-drill each screw hole when doing this prior to its placement to assure yourself that the wood will not split. The optional end pieces should start 3" from the top of the assembled box (with lid attached). Four screws should be placed at the corner of each of these as well. In addition to this, two large holes should be drilled through both the end piece and the box itself (sides) once the end piece has been attached. This will later accomodate the rope handles, if this option is desirable. The rope holes should be located 2" in on each side of the end pieces, centered vertically. See the pictures below for a better idea of this information. Once the box is assembled and looks good and square, disassemble and paint each and every piece on all sides. This should be done at least twice to assure a good coating on everything. Once completely dry, reassemble each piece by using wood glue everywhere that one piece meets another (except the lid of course) and the screws used previously. Attach the hasp directly in the center of the box lid and the hinges starting at 3" from the outside edges. Again, please see pictures below for clarity. |
| Applying the Stencil |
Though not mentioned in the regulations, a nice way to decorate your footlocker, and to show off our regiment is to add the stencil below to the lid. This can be done fairly easily by following the instructions below: 1. Right click on the picture below and save the pic to your hard drive. 2. Open up a new MS Word document and insert a text box, stretching it the entire length and width of the page. 3. Insert the picture into the text box (stretching the picture as well if needed). You should now have a sideways picture of the sabers, regiment, and company that is nearly to the edge of all four sides of the paper (allowing for margins of course). 4. Print the document onto the thickest paper your printer can handle. 5. Use an exact-o knife to cut out everything on the picture (sabers, G, and 7) , thus making the stencil. 6. Place the stencil directly in the center of the footlocker's lid and trace it darkly with a pencil. 7. Finally, using black model paint and a small paintbrush, fill in the pencil markings. You then have your stenciled footlocker! I also recommend using the same technique to apply your last name (alias last name preferably) to the inside of the lid for identification. Using the "BOLD" function as well as "72" font, and "Wide Latin" type, the name should be placed 4" down from the top of the lid (hasp) when opened, centered horizontally. Again, please see the photos below for explanations or contact the web master at McCloud@US7thCavCoF.com for any questions. |
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