This wood ammunition box with lid is for .58 caliber rifle musket ammunition. The crate is stamped “Fabricated St. Louis Arsenal January 1865.”
Established in 1827 on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the St. Louis Arsenal was a major supplier of weapons and ammunition to the Regular Army and state militia forces. Weapons were also converted at the arsenal from parts supplied by private contractors.
In May 1861, fearing a Southern attempt to seize the arsenal, Captain Nathaniel Lyon moved most of the muskets there to Illinois. The St. Louis Arsenal was the largest arsenal west of the Mississippi River, and played a critical role in supplying arms and ammunition to Union troops.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30018
