This is a fantastic piece from the War of 1812 era. This is a wood drum soldier's canteen. This pattern is often referred to as the "Cheese box" canteen since they look like the shape of the old wooden boxes that they would age cheese inside of. This one has a very nice untouched look. It still retains a fine amount of the original greenish blue tone paint on the outside. On the front side of the canteen it has the "2" in white paint. This is the marking from the 2nd regiment. On the other side, it has the remnants of the "US" markings still visible. It still has the original small wooden nails holding the wooden pieces together with the three brass nails to keep the side strap intact. It measures 6-1/2 inches across the body and is 2-1/2 inches thick. This is a wonderful piece of early American history.