The blockaded South suffered a severe leather shortage. In order to relieve this shortage and direct available leather towards shoes, which Stonewall was using up at an unprecedented rate, rifle slings were made from linen canvas. Making the most of what was at hand, three and three quarter inch wide canvas was folded thrice and stitched down each edge. Usually, small amounts of scrap leather were then sewn on, to form the end loop and adjustment strip. I say usually, because that would be the norm for a standard linen sling, but in the case of this rare painted canvas sling, even the loop is made of painted linen. A iron wire keeper was then sewn onto the end to serve as adjuster, and a thin piece of leather sewn on to serve as a support for the adjustment holes in the sling. The completed product was totally Confederate made and was serviceable.

It is often assumed that the differing lengths of a carbine and a rifle-musket would require different length slings, but though the carbine and rifle-musket lengths differ greatly, the sling swivels are approximately the same distance apart.

The painted canvas sling shown here is by far the rarest of the Confederate manufactured slings. Columbus, Georgia was the manufacture point of the vast majority of all of the Confederacy’s painted canvas accoutrements. Columbus produced canvas percussion cap boxes, slings, cartridge boxes, belts, knapsacks and haversacks.

Slings are not normally a collecting category in itself, in fact I think I am one of the few who ever had a sling collection, (which I did for research purposes) but this would be the ultimate sling to mount on a Georgia produced or carried arm.

This particular example is in very good condition. It is only the second painted canvas sling I have encountered in forty years.