Purchasing agents for the Union and Confederacy began buying up every European rifle they could find and shipping them back to American ports. As a result, many volunteers during the first two years of the Civil War found themselves using a wide variety of rifles, including antiquated weapons dating back to the War of 1812. Meanwhile, American rifle and gun manufacturers--Sharps, Colt, Remington, and the United States armory at Springfield--quickly expanded rifle production. The 1855 invention of the rifled barrel--which had grooves running down the barrel that caused the bullet to spin as it fired out of the end--quickly made all smoothbore rifles obsolete.

Loading a Musket

A muzzle-loading rifle required 10 specific movements to prepare it to fire: (1) lower musket to ground, (2) handle cartridge, (3) tear cartridge, (4) charge cartridge, (5) draw rammer, (6) ram cartridge twice, (7) return rammer, (8) cast-about [return gun to firing position], (9) prime [insert primer cap], (10) cock the hammer and point the rifle. Trained soldiers were expected to complete these steps in 20 seconds and be able to fire three aimed bullets per minute.

1861 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE, .58 CAL.

The most frequently used rifle of the Civil War was the American-made Springfield rifle musket, a single-shot, muzzle-loading gun detonated with a percussion cap. Not only did it have the rifled barrel, which dramatically increased accuracy over a smoothbore musket, but it also was the first rifle to fire the famous .58 cal. Minié ball--an inch-long, bullet-shaped projectile, rather than a round ball as used in older muskets. The 39-inch-long rifled barrel made it possible to hit a target with a Minié ball as far away as 500 yards. By the end of the war, approximately 1.5 million Springfield rifle muskets had been produced by the Springfield Armory and 20 subcontractors. Since the South lacked sufficient manufacturing capability, most of the Springfields in Southern hands were captured on the battlefields during the early part of the war.

The precursor to the 1863 Springfield, the 1861 had the original 1855 style hammer that was used with the ‘55’s Maynard priming system.

1861 ENFIELD RIFLE, .58 CAL.

The second most widely used weapon of the Civil War was the British Enfield three-band, single-shot, muzzle-loading musket (above). It was also the standard weapon for the British army between 1853-1867. American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. ammunition used by both Union and Confederate armies. Originally produced at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, England, approximately 900,000 of these muskets were imported during 1861-1865. Many officers, however, preferred the Springfield muskets over the Enfield muskets--largely due to the interchangeability of parts that the machine-made Springfields offered.

1863 REMINGTON “ZOUAVE” RIFLE, .58 CAL.

On April 18th, 1863, Remington began shipping its Government order of 10,001 “Zouave” rifles. Produced between 1862 and 1865, the Remington was never actually issued to Zouave regiments, but for some reason the name “Zouave” was attached to this special rifle.

1863 C.S. RICHMOND RIFLE, .58 CAL.

Utilizing 1855 Rifle Musket parts taken from the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, the Confederacy manufactured this long arm at the Richmond Armory in Richmond, VA. Similar in design to the 1861 Springfield, the Richmond Musket utilized a different rear sight, brass buttplate and a brass forend cap.

1841 MISSISSIPPI RIFLE, .54 & .58 CAL.

This historic percussion lock weapon gained its name as a result of its performance in the hands of Jefferson Davis’ Mississippi Regiment during the Mexican War. The Mississippi is also known as the “Yager” (a misspelling of the German “Jaeger”). The rifle was obsolete by 1855. However, it had previously proven so effective that it was rebuilt to take the .54, then the .58 Cal. Minie.

SMITH CARBINE, .50 CAL.

The Smith was one of the most successful breech loading carbines of the Civil War. Its hinged breech action permitted quick and easy reloading while on horseback.

1859 SHARPS CAVALRY CARBINE, .54 CAL.

Popular with both sides during the War between the States, the Sharps was one of the first, and one of the best black powder breech loaders. Approximately 115,000 of these carbines and variants were made during the Civil War, and it was a favorite of cavalrymen of both the North and the South. It’s design carried over into the cartridge era with great success.

“BERDAN” 1859 SHARPS RIFLE, .54 CAL.

Col. Hiram Berdan formed his 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters Regiments early in the Civil War. The exploits of the green uniformed “Berdan’s Sharpshooters” soon gained them the reputation as the most formidable fighting unit in the Union Army. Legendary Union sniper “ California Joe” Head was the first sharpshooter to be issued the New Model 1859 Sharps rifle for test and evaluation. It proved so effective, Col. Berdan ordered 2000 rifles with the optional set triggers. In the hands of these marksmen, the “Berdan” 1859 Sharps rifle became one of the deadliest weapons of the war.

1861 MUSKETOON, .58 CAL.

The 1861 Enfield carbine that was popular with Southern Cavalry and Artillery units.

1862 WHITWORTH, .45 CAL.

Sir Joseph Whitworth of England created a rifle with a twisted hexagonal bore and then shaped bullets to match this bore. He patented his hexagonal bore in 1854.

A Confederate weapon in the Civil War, when outfitted with a telescopic site this firearm had an effective range of 1,500 yards. The twisted hexagonal bore imparted a steadiness of flight to its .45 caliber bullet, and made this rifle the favorite of Confederate sharpshooters. The Confederacy imported a small number of the rifles from the Whitworth Rifle Company of Manchester, England beginning in 1862.

1863 SPENCER REPEATING CARBINE, .52 CAL.

1863 SPENCER REPEATING RIFLE, .52 CAL.

Yankee officers cited the Spencer as one of the single greatist factors in winning the War. No confederate arm was a match for the .52 caliber Spencer, which fired seven shots from its magazine in less than thirty seconds. Because the repeaters weighed a hefty 10 pounds when loaded and took exotic primed rimfire cartridges, the conservative chief of ordnance James Ripley blocked their purchase until 1863.

1861 CASE HARDENED IRON FRAME HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL.

1861 BLUED IRON FRAME HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL.

1863 MILITARY HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL.

The forerunner of all Winchester lever actions, the Henry was referred to by Confederates as that "...damn Yankee rifle that can be loaded on Sunday and fired all week". About 14,000 Henry’s were made between 1860 and 1866 by the New Haven Arms Company. Quite a few company-size Union organizations, especially those from Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, carried Henry rifles, purchased at their own expense.

Although this rifle only saw limited action during the Civil War, 1,731 were delivered to the Army Ordnance Department at a cost of more than $36,000. They were chambered in .44 Henry, which was a rimfire cartridge with a copper case. The magazine held an astounding 15 rounds. A lever action simultaneously cocked the rifle, ejected the spent case, and put a fresh cartridge in the chamber.

Only two organizations, the 1st Maine and 1st District of Columbia cavalry regiments, were known to have been issued Henry rifles by the Army.