This ammunition box for a 24 pound siege gun is constructed with square nails. “Friction primers Paper cartridges St. Louis Arsenal” “24 PD Siege Gun SPH Case” is stamped on the front of the box.
The St. Louis Arsenal was a major supplier of weapons and ammunition to Union forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theatre.
The box was allegedly found in a barn in Springfield, Missouri. Springfield was a major supply depot for the Union army during the war. Reports indicate the town was lightly defended, so John Marmaduke attacked Springfield in January 1863 in hopes of obtaining supplies for the Confederate army and disrupting Union operations in Arkansas.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30166
