~~~ CARTRIDGE BELTS ~~~

Cartridge belts or belly boxes were black leather belts worn around the waist with a single row of twelve attached 2” long vertical tubes that were used to contain cartridges for the carbine. An attached leather flap would cover the tubes and keep them from getting wet, falling out or igniting when the carbine was being fired. A variation that was used in the early was a wooden block containing 17 holes to hold the cartridges. This block was attached to a leather waist belt and was also covered with a leather flap for the same reasons mentioned above. The wooden cartridge box would be the preferred container for this unit because of the larger amount of cartridges being able to be carried and because it is documented to our time period. Both types however, are acceptable and can be constructed within this unit. There may be some 18th century suppliers that carry these items.

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