Canteens of the American Revolution

A man will retain things for the preservation of his own life longer than he will retain things for the taking of life…In other words, the soldier will include his canteen as one of his best friends. 

Lt. Colonel Philip Reade, History of the Military Canteen, 1901.

Simple in design but critical to hydrate a soldier on the move, the canteen has been a vital part of military operations for centuries. From the American Revolution to the brink of World War I, canteens in America came in two versions; wood that was round and barrel-shaped, referred to as ‘wooden bottles,’ and those of tin flasks – more common among British and German troops and the later nineteenth century. Gourds and skins were rare and found among frontier militia. Cow horns were of use, but fashioned only as drinking cups. All canteens had metal or wooden rings for detachable straps slung over a soldier’s shoulder.  By 1776, tin was of limited supply in America which was forced to rely solely on manufacturing wooden canteens. Yet wood shortly became favored over metal containers because of their low expense, available materials, and air cellular insulation that reduced heating; many wooden examples survived and are found in museums and collections.

The word canteen did not come into common use until the mid-18^th century. It was derived from Latin canto or corner; Italian cantina, meaning cellar or vault; and the French cantine, denoting a sutler’s shop for military supplies – also a small case for carrying bottles of wine.  

The earliest canteens or water containers were found among ancestral hunter-gathers. At the Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa, decorated ostrich eggshells with punctured holes for drinking were unearthed dating 60,000 years ago. Glass, in use since 1,500 BC, transported liquids in woven baskets carted or slung over one’s shoulder. Romans carried water skins on their march. Examples of wooden canteens are found among European armies as early as the 7^th century. In thirteenth century China, early Ming Dynasty, a recipe for a compound clay, when fired at extremely high temperatures, produced a white ceramic porcelain container used for water. Fashioned with rings to accommodate a leather sling, it was similar in shape to modern canteens.

During the American Revolution, some canteens were hand crafted by its carrier; however, among both British and American forces, canteens were largely supplied by their governments. Parliament included canteens as part of a British and German regular’s kit or gear. This included loyalist partisan troops trained and equipped as regulars. When protests against British policies spawned talk of open rebellion, newly elected Provincial Assemblies and Congresses emerged in the thirteen colonies. They soon established a military arm called Committees or Councils of Safety. These legislators began stockpiling arms, ammunition, and critical supplies to equip an army.

Hingham, Massachusetts (on the coast, around 18 miles south of Boston) was known for its woodworking skills. It was also the home of early patriot Colonel, later Major General, Benjamin Lincoln. In 1774, when the Massachusetts Committee of Safety began gathering a cache of military needs, Lincoln knew just the place to supply canteens. By April 14, 1775, just five days before the spark that ignited the war (the Battle of Lexington and Concord, April 19^th), 15,000 canteens were shipped from Hingham and stored in the Town of Concord at the home of Ephraim Potter; care of Hingham’s woodworkers.

During the Siege of Boston, the wooden canteens cached at Concord were divvied out to supply depots and to the troops surrounding Boston; what was to become the Continental Army. Throughout the siege, Hingham continued to produce canteens. General George Washington, on July 4, 1775, shortly after having assumed command of the Continental army, asked for an inventory of stored munitions and supplies. The list included an astounding 13,000 canteens.

Like Hingman to the north, Peytonsburg, Halifax County, Virginia manufactured wooden canteens for the American southern army. Coopers throughout the colonies were also contracted to fill supply needs. By the time the war officially ended in 1783, documents list an ample number of wooden canteens in rebel storage depots. Many of these canteens found service nearly thirty years later in the War of 1812.

There were two styles of wood canteens used during the American Revolution; the cheesebox – a single strip of wood bent and nailed into two circular ends, and the drum-shaped – similar to a cooper’s small barrel with staves, wood or iron bands, and circular drum heads. The date of manufacture was often carved into the heads (drums) and were painted to seal and protect the wood. Paint also served to personalized each canteen with the owners’ initials, insignias, and regiment or company etched across the drum. Many wooden canteens that survived have the markings ‘W’ or ‘VV’ etched into the drum. Colonel J. Craig Nannos of the American Society of Arms Collectors believes the letter or letters had a particular purpose writing, “I feel confident there were not many soldiers with these initials in military service and believe it is a protective or good luck symbol.[1]

Cheesebox Style Canteens were known as wooden bottles, the term cheesebox is of modern use by collectors because of the similar design to antique circular cheeseboxes. Unlike cheeseboxes with a removal top, both ends of the canteen were nailed closed. These canteens were predominately produced in the New England and New York regions by cedar coopers; also called white coopers with manufacturing experience in domestic use products. This canteen was simply a strip of lightweight cedar (also white pine or ash), usually around 3 to 4 inches wide, that was steamed, bent around and pegged and nailed to itself, then nailed onto two circular heads, about 7 inches in diameter. A hole was drilled to fit a stopper or tompion (musket plug) that when removed, allowed one to drink from and fill the canteen. Few tompions have survived.

Many of these canteens had two small iron wire loops on the sides and one on the bottom to be slung with a thin piece of linen cording, commonly called a line. There were also examples with three leather tabs nailed to the hoop so that either a line or a thin leather strap could be attached. They were cheap to make and were probably strong enough to withstand a season of campaigning before needing to be replaced. Documentation proves this design was being produced as early as the 1750s which would place their use during the French and Indian War (1754-1763).[2]

Drum-Shaped Style Canteens were often crafted by coopers and formed the shape of small barrels or buckets. At the time of use, these canteens were colloquially known as rundlets, rum kegs, or swiglers. Typical design: Ten thick staves, often of oak but also white pine, of various widths with a length of around 3 to 4 inches. A hole was bored into one stave with a slightly raised lip or border.[3] A stopper or tompion plug was fitted to the hole. Two drums, diameter at their largest point around 7 ¼ inches, were attached to the staves by interlocking wooden or iron hoops, small iron rivets peened through overlapping rims, with even smaller nails or wooden pegs fastened to the sides. The hoop was nailed to itself and the drums.

Tin Canteens were issued to British & Hessian (German) troops throughout the war. Tin was readily available in Europe and was shipped to the colonies with other quotas of military gear. But tin canteens were only available to American soldiers early in the war. A significant shortage of tin in 1776 forced Committees of Safety and Congress to procure wooden bottles. By 1777, canteen production in America was exclusively of the wooden design.

American Revolution Photographer Ken Bohrer has a wonderful collection of reenactment photos featuring canteens. Because tin was rare in America during the war, mainly British forces were equipped with metal canteens. The following photos are by Ken Bohrer at American Revolution Photos.

Water Usage. An 18^th century soldier required a set amount of water usage per day. In housed barracks, with water closets and baths, 25 gallons of water per day was needed. Without baths, the number reduced to 10 gallons a day. In camp, 5 gallons per head was required.  On the march, for drinking and cooking, 6 pints a day was needed, increasing in a hot climate to 8 pints. Wooden canteens during the American Revolution contained 3 pints of liquid; therefore, soldiers would need to fill it twice a day while on the move. British and German tin canteens carried more water than their American wooden counterparts. British kidney shaped canteens held four pints or a quart. German oval shaped canteens could hold up to two quarts and included an attached cup for pouring.

Wooden Canteens were prominent among American forces throughout the war. Many survived usage thirty years later during the War of 1812. The following excellent reenactment photographs are by Ken Bohrer at American Revolution Photos.

Wealthy officers were known to carry leather pouches designed with slats, allowing glass containers to carry not just water, but rum and other spirits. General George Washington had at least three such satchels presently on display at the Mt. Vernon estate and museum.

Historically, drinking horns were elaborately decorated and mainly used for ceremonial purposes. In war, soldiers fashioned simple horns not as canteens, but as cups. Often, during camp boredom, they etched their initials and crude designs along the sides. In the American Revolution, cow horns were carried to store gun powder called ‘powder horns.’ Yet many were cut with an added bottom to be used as cups; simply called horn cups.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, metal canteens made from tin or brass became common. These canteens were far more durable than their predecessors and could withstand the rough conditions soldiers faced during war. They also allowed for easier storage and transport of water. With the outbreak of World War II, the United States introduced a new design for the canteen, transitioning to aluminum as the primary material. These canteens were typically issued with a canvas cover that provided insulation, helping to keep the water cool in hot climates. The U.S. military’s canteen design saw further updates during the Vietnam War with the introduction of plastic canteens, which were lighter and less prone to rust.[4]

Michael Barbieri, long-time Revolutionary War reenactor, historian, and researcher, and a Mount Independence volunteer, takes a look at remains of canteens found in archaeological investigations over the years at the Mount Independence State Historic Site. Mt. Independence State Historic Stie, Collections Stewardess Project.

Autodesk provides detailed instructions on how to construct a wooden drum shaped canteen similar in barrel shape design with wooden staves and metal hoops. Construction of Drum-shaped Canteen.

TO READ MORE ON CANTEENS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING BOOKS

OF SIMILAR INTEREST ON REVOLUTIONARY WAR JOURNAL

Coopers Had the Colonists Over a Barrel: 18th Century Barrel & Cask Production in America

Redcoats and Patriots: British and Continental Soldiers of the American Revolution

Colonial Pocket & Folding Knives – History of the Barlow Knife

Life in the Continental Army Camp During the American Revolution

Knives of the American Revolution

Washington’s Spyglass of the American Revolution: Including a Brief History

How Did Revolutionary War Soldiers Write Home? Powdered Ink & the History of Iron Gall Ink

Tomahawks and Hatches: Part 3 of 3 – Use in the American Revolution

Cooking in Washington’s Continental Army: Dutch Ovens & Recipes

The Continental Army of The American Revolution: “A Drunken, Canting, Lying, Hypocritical Rabble”

Beer and Patriotism Were Both Brewing During the American Revolution

Resources

Autodesk Instructables   “Wooden Staved Canteens.”

Bohy, Joel.  “Canteens of the American Revolution.”  Warwick Beacon, warwickonline.com  Dec. 22, 2022. 

“Canteen.”  George Washington’s Mt. Vernon Museum Collection. 

“Canteen.”  Monmouth County Historical Association. 

Earle, Alice Morse.  Home Life in Colonial Days.  1898:  Reprinted 1974: The Berkshire Traveller Press, Stockbridge, MA.

Fort Ticonderoga Council of the Arts.  “Canteens.” 

Fratus, Matt.  “Why the Canteen Persevered in the Age of the CamelBak” Coffee or Die Magazine  Feb. 21, 2023.

Hatoum, Amer. “The History and Practical Use of Military Canteens: A Timeless Essential.” Gear Up Surplus.  May 2, 2025. 

International Military Antiques.  “Original U.S. American Revolutionary War Cheesebox Canteen Marked New York in Tacks.”

Nannos, Colonel J. Craig and Kessler, Rex K., M.D.  “American Military Canteens of the Revolutionary War.”  American Society of Arms Collectors. 

“Original American Canteens.” The 2^nd PA ‘The Regiment’ The 43^rd of Foot.

Reade, Philip Lt.-Col.  History of the Military Canteen.  1901: Printed by C. J. Burroughs, Chicago, IL.

Endnotes

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[1] Nannos.

[2] Bohey.

[3] Nannos.

[4] Hatoum.