U.S. M1863 MODIFIED, BRIDLE CURB HORSE ARTILLERY BIT AND CURB CHAIN, POST CIVIL WAR

There is a prevailing misunderstanding as to the identity of the original Model 1863 Artillery Bit as it presented during the Civil War, and the modifications to the bit that were ordered after the war.  The Model 1863 Bit was originally produced as a brass faced bit with the dome shaped, brass shell lead filled decorative bosses bearing the intertwined USA.  The brass facing, a holdover from the earlier Dragoon Period, did not survive well in service and as the underlying iron began to corrode, the thin brass sheeting would break away.  After the war, the army having long recognized corrosion as a significant problem, had the time and resources to seek out a solution and they began experimenting with plating – both tin and nickel –  on firearms, bits, and a number of fittings associated with horse equipment.   

As a result of the 1868 Ordnance Board, the following order regarding bits was issued as part of Ordnance Memoranda No. 9:       

“TINNING ARTILLERY AND CAVALRY BITS – The Board recommend (sic) that all new artillery and cavalry bits should be tinned, and that all old bits requiring repairs or cleaning should likewise be tinned, instead of bluing or replating.” 

In the process of refurbishing the Model 1863 Artillery Bits then in service, the decorative “USA” bosses had to be removed.  The thin brass shell likely did not survive being removed in a condition that would be acceptable to be reattached.  The more substantial cast brass “US” bosses in use on cavalry bits were far more durable, were much easier to attach, and were available in quantity, so as the artillery bits were refurbished, or new bits were produced, the cast “US” bosses replaced the “USA” domed shells.  This process yielded the bit shown on the accompanying photograph.

The experimentation with plating yielded limited positive results, and the army’s dissatisfaction resulted in the effort being soon abandoned.   

As a result of the short period in which the bits were tin plated, few plated specimens of the Model 1863 Artillery Bits, or the Model 1859 and Model 1872 Cavalry Bits, survive today.  Most of these Civil War era bits which were modified for continued use in the early Indian War years are found today with patinated bare iron, with a very few of those in particularly good condition retaining one degree or another of the original blue finish.   

In 1887 the artillery adopted the Model 1874 Shoemaker Bit then in use by the cavalry and the Model 1863 Artillery Bit was declared obsolete.

Both bosses and artillery rings are present along with "US" stamped on the shank adjacent to the port and marked U.S. on the port. This one is a fine non-excavated example. It is complete and even has the curb chain. The metal is in fine shape. It has both of the original cast brass "US" rosettes intact on the side and they have a beautiful patina. We have used some zip ties to hold the curb chain in place.

This will be shipped via United Parcel Service (UPS)