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This is a very rare unmatched pair of original Model 1833 Artillery Stirrups, rare to the point that even the most experienced military horse equipment collectors have never owned one, much less a pair. Produced during the antebellum era when the artillery branch was comparatively small, and those few that were in inventory in 1861 having been subjected to the rigors of the four years of the Civil War, the odds were stacked against any pair surviving intact and together.
When the cast brass Model 1833 Stirrup was introduced, it was produced in two separate patterns – this pattern with a 1.35” wide stirrup strap loop for the Dragoons, and a second pattern with a 1½” wide stirrup strap for the artillery – the width of the strap loop on the pair of stirrups offered here. The width of the stirrup strap loop has been the one feature that differentiated the two patterns. The Model 1833 Artillery Stirrup remained in service unchanged until the army adopted the Model 1863 Artillery Stirrup mid-war – for all intent and purposes the same style of stirrup save for the stirrup strap loop being reduced to a 1.35” width on the new stirrup.
This was THE US Army Artillery Stirrup from the mid-1830’s, through the Mexican War, and through the first two years of the Civil War. While intended for issue with the Artillery Driver’s Saddles, these brass stirrups were favored by officers from all branches of the army, and would certainly have been used by officers on both sides of the conflict on their private purchase saddles during the Civil War.
This is definitely an unmatched pair, having the identical shape and same degree of patina. They show very little wear, having survived in excellent condition with no damage or defects, and only one acquired a deep natural, very attractive patina. The tread still has the “v” shaped chisel cuts that afforded the Artilleryman traction on the stirrups. The stirrups stand 5 ¾” tall, are 4 ¾” wide, and the treads are 1 ½” deep.
As a pair, this is a very nice offering from an old collection, and these are prime specimens with the arsenal identification.
The Heavy cast brass stirrup that shows one side of the stirrup is stamped “US” and. “Watervliet Arsenal NY” and the inspector’s initials “PVH”. The other one is just stampedp “US” with the “S” backwards!!
