A short stack of Civil War wooden ammunition crates - rope handles, stencilled markings on the side, iron-strapped corners. The currency of an artillery battery. Period: American Civil War, Battle of Gettysburg, 1-3 July 1863.
Union and Confederate ammunition crates shipped paper cartridges for small arms and fixed/separated rounds for artillery. Each Napoleon battery consumed dozens of crates per engagement. The wood standardised on US Army patterns; Confederate crates often used captured Union packaging.
Painting tips
- Wood: warm brown with sepia wash; lighter drybrush on edges.
- Iron straps: dark steel with rust.
- Rope handles: pale tan.
- Stencils: pale off-white or faded yellow block letters.
Historical sources & further reading
- Civil War ordnance packaging studies
- US Army ordnance regulations 1861
⚠ Small parts. Not suitable for children under 14.





