its various elements secured by two iron bands, the outer face being personalized with an incised "J H D 1865," a section of the original leather strap on the canteen is also incised "186_", two detached lengths of the strap (approximately 24 in. and 9 in.) are present, with the longer piece retaining a small iron buckle.

From the Estate of Charles C. Hendricks, Greensboro, NC. A letter from the executor of the Hendricks Estate writes, in part: "The initials scratched on the canteen are JHD which Mr. Hendricks said were those of his maternal grandfather, James Henry Davis who lived in the vicinity of Center Friends Meeting and is buried there...I have no knowledge of the role James Henry Davis played in the Civil War except that he was young at that time and grew up in a Quaker community which would make his involvement especially significant..." A copy of this letter will be included with the canteen.
7 3/8 in. diameter.
A James Henry Davis from Guilford County did indeed serve in the Confederate Army, albeit briefly. He enlisted in Co. "H," 27th North Carolina Infantry on November 8, 1864. Captured at Hatcher's Run, Virginia on April 2, 1865, Davis was imprisoned on Hart's Island in New York Harbor. He was paroled on June 18, 1865.
Tuttle/Matthews Auction held in Greensboro, NC on May 23, 2005

Lacking spout (or stopper) with a .5 in. area of loss to the edge immediately below the opening; pleasing patina to the iron elements; all sections of the leather strap are stiff and have crazed surfaces.