CIVIL WAR, MODEL 1855 RIFLEMAN?S BUCKLE AND SLIDE, VINTAGE The model 1855 rifleman?s buckle consisted of a two-piece interlocking belt plate/buckle and two belt slides. Included here is both sides of the buckle and one keeper/slide. The slide has a hole on the top which allow the regulation infantry knapsack to hook into. This feature helped support the knapsack up on the shoulders. These innovative buckles copied the French 1847 Chasseur-a-pied buckles, and indeed their whole belt design. The wide belt was intended to support not only a cartridge box worn on the waist, but also the heavy brass-hilted saber bayonet adopted for use with the Model 1855 rifle. The buckle is two-piece, using a simple wide tongue and with each side having wide bars through which the wide belt passes, but also a central bar with stud that engages the adjusting holes on a narrower billet sewn inside the belt, to keep the belt and buckle together on each side. The whole system was part of the trend toward light infantry, with the elimination of the cartridge box sling intended to ease the soldier?s load, and with a brass slide on either side of the buckle with a small hole at top to engage the J-hooks on the ends of the knapsack straps to equalize and balance things. These buckles were regulation in the prewar U.S. army for what was envisioned as a ?corps of foot riflemen,? with the 9th and 10th U.S. infantry taking the lead, and were widely worn by militia units equipping themselves as riflemen, though the distinction was rapidly lost as the .58 caliber rifle musket became the standard longarm. They nevertheless show up in lots of Civil War photographs. Construction: Male half: cast brass, integral tongue; Female half: cast brass with applied belt loop bars; Slides: cast brass. Condition: Very good. There are no cracks, breaks or repairs. Approximate size: 60 x 71 mm., slide heights: 79 82 mm. References: Examples of similar rifleman buckles are pictured and described in the following reference books: "American Military Belt Plates" by Michael J. O'Donnell and J. Duncan Campbell, on pages 534 and 535, Plate 903 (solid cast tongue). "Civil War Artifacts" by Howard Crouch, page 190, item 3. "Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of The Civil War" by Stanley S. Phillip, page 22, item 1. "Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of the Civil War 1861-1865 with Supplement" by Stanley S. Phillips on page 25, items 3, 4, 5 6. "Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1874", by Sydney C. Kerksis on page 72, figure 66. "Field Guide to Excavated Federal Plates" by Daniel J. Peters on page 18, plate No. 15. "Civil War Artifacts of the Western Campaigns" by Charles S. Harris, pages 28 224. According to "American Military Belt Plates" by Michael J. O'Donnell and J. Duncan Campbell on page 534, these buckles were a "French design copied from the 1847 chasseur a pied accoutrements with a frog for the sabre bayonet of the Model 1855 rifle and slides which linked with the 1855 pattern knapsack. Rendered obsolete by the Model 1861 rifle accoutrements, but extensive early war use confirmed by photographs and excavations." On page 535, Plate 903, "Although superseded by the 1861 rifle accoutrements and large US waist belt plates, thousands of these French-style interlocking plates were imported or fabricated at government arsenals. They were authorized by Marine Corps riflemen and several Army of the Potomac regiments were issued these with French-made uniforms." International Buyers Please Note: We do not ship outside of the United States! No Exceptions. In addition, we will not ship to third party shippers or any other international shipping hubs such as International Shipping (EIS), EIS 110 INTERNATIONALE BLVD, GLENDALE HEIGHTS IL 60139-2080, or ACI Express Shipping. No buying agents such as Intercommerce America. No international buyers, no freight forwarding companies, no gift addresses, no non U.S. citizen buyers, and no non U.S. based forms of payment. If you place a bid, or make a purchase, we will cancel your bid, and or cancel your purchase! If you wish to make a purchase, you will have to find someone located within the United States to make the purchase for you. They would be responsible to send the package to you.