The Same Canteen

"We Drank from the Same Canteen," an epitaph that could be inscribed across the headstones of veterans from any war, but seemed especially significant to Union veterans of the American Civil War. A poem written by Private Miles O'Reilly entitled "The Same Canteen" inspired the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) a fraternal order of Union veterans, to utilize the slogan in their encampments and activities following the war. A small commemorative pin was issued that featured sentiment, and can be found trading in today's collecting circles.

A Civil War history enthusiast myself, I have longed to have one of these fine pins, but could not bring myself to spend the amount of money these little jewels seem to command in the marketplace. The originals are on average about two and a half inches in diameter. My wife and I have a small art and pottery studio that we work in, and this summer, we were very fortunate to entertain a recent art student graduate from Tennessee Tech to come and work with us. I spoke with her about an idea for recreating one of these special canteens, and a collaboration began.

Although the old G.A.R. canteen pins were the inspiration, my thoughts were to create a double sided canteen that would commemorate the Civil War in a broader perspective. With this in mind I designed symbolic crossed flags of a nation divided, to be used on one side of the canteen, and on the opposite side, I wanted a symbol of which I perceived to be the indisputable outcome of this war with the inscription, "one nation-under god- indivisible."

Our artist in residence was an accomplished artisan by the name of Mallory Rose from Tullahoma, Tennessee. A graduate in 2012 from Tennessee Tech University, she masterfully created a fantastic commemorative work using the design.

 

 

Mallory hand built the canteen using speckled stoneware clay. It is 7x1/4" in diameter, 9" to the top of the drinking spout in height, not to include the stand, which is incorporated at the base. The artwork is inscribed free hand into a white under glaze and then color washed to bring forward the relief. The red and gray glazes were then added before firing. You will notice that on both faces of the canteen there are indentations as if the canteen were dented from use. The speckled clay when fired, gave the appearance of rust bleeding through the paint on an old canteen. Finishing touches applied to the canteen were a woven cotton strap made using an "inkle loom" by spinner weaver artist Annie MacHale of Soquel, California and a natural bark stopper from cork oak trees.

Annie's fabulous woven sashes and straps can be found at the following link: iWeaveSashes

The "Rose" canteen, as I have named this artwork in honor of Mallory, has become the pride of my patriotic collection.  The poem that inspired this fine piece of artwork on my behalf is as follows:

The Same Canteen

By Private Miles O'Reilly 

There are bonds of all sorts in this world of ours,
Fetters of friendship and ties of flowers,
    And true lover's knots, I ween;
The girl and the boy are bound by a kiss,
But there's never a bond, old friend, like this,
    We have drank from the same Canteen!
    
It was sometimes water, and sometimes milk,
And sometimes apple-jack "fine as silk;"
    But whatever the tipple has been
We shared it together in bane or bliss,
And I warm to you, friend, when I think of this,
    We drank from the same Canteen!
    
The rich and great sit down to dine,
They quaff to each other in sparkling wine,
    From glasses of crystal and green;
But I guess in their golden potations they miss
The warmth of regard to be found in this,
    We drank from the same Canteen!
    
We have shared our blankets and tents together,
And have marched and fought in all kinds of weather,
    And hungry and full we have been;
Had days of battle and days of rest,
But this memory I cling to and love the best,
    We drank from the same Canteen!
    
For when wounded I lay on the center slope,
With my blood flowing fast and so little hope
    Upon which my faint spirit could lean;
Oh! then I remember you crawled to my side,
And bleeding so fast it seemed both must have died,
    We drank from the same Canteen!