1863 Springfield Rifle

[Cap'n Dan]

My Grandfather's favorite rifle was a "Spring Band" Enfield Rifle which he traded for with a rebel soldier (dead) after the Battle of Gettysburg. He wrote that it was a great rifle and very easily cleaned. He carried it throughout the remainder of the War. It looks as if the 1863 Springfield has similar bands around the barrel. Grandfather lost his first cousin, Jesse Smith, pvt., 3rd Indiana Cavalry and several good friends and comrades with his 7th Indiana Infantry Regiment.

 

[UCVRelics]

The 1863 came in 2 flavors the type 1 which did not have the spring load barrel bands and the type 2 did. The Type II modifications were introduced in 1864 to correct deficiencies of the Type I design, namely the tendency of the bands to work loose.

Type 1

Type 2

 

[WJC]

My Grandfather's favorite rifle was a "Spring Band" Enfield Rifle

Do you happen to have any photos you can share?

 

[johan_steele]

There are several possibilities of what arm is referenced. A Windsor made Enfield is one possibility but it must also be understood many men didn't know an Enfield from a Lorenz so without pictures it would be difficult to identify.

 

[Booner]

........ Grandfather lost his first cousin, Jesse Smith, pvt., 3rd Indiana Cavalry and several good friends and comrades with his 7th Indiana Infantry Regiment.

My GG grandfather and GG granduncle were also in the 3rd Indiana Cavalry. ( Companys "A" and "C").

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Cap'n Dan]

John Nelson Hubbard, pvt., Company A (Dearborn Co.), 7th Indiana Infantry Regiment had a brother, Silas Rosin Hubbard and several cousins in Company D (Dearborn Co.), 3rd Indiana Cavalry (6 Companies), 1st Brigade. The morning of 1 July 1863, 3 miles west of Gettysburg, they were attacked by Heth's artillery and the Battle of Gettysburg had commenced. His cousin, Jesse Smith was one of the first soldiers killed by a rebel shell. His body was carried to the cabinet maker shop of Mr. Swope, who promised that his burial would be marked. "Poor Jesse ! All will miss him so much." I will post the complete dispatch of an embedded reporter for the Madison Daily Evening Courier, dated July 23, 1863 on the Gettysburg forum. My Grandfather survived the War. He became a lawyer and judge in Grayson, KY and passed on 19 Sep 1927. Jesse's twin, Charles died 3 Jun 1926 in Shawnee, Johnson County, Kansas.

 

[Lanyard Puller]

Cap' Dan; Another T-28 pilot {or perhaps an AT-28D ???}
Don't want to stir up a hornets nest here but the CS did get a very few of the type Enfields {"Spring Band" Enfield Rifle "} you describe. A photo of the lock plate and the muzzle area with the band would be mucho helpful. You post yours and I'll post mine. So far I think it's an Enfield that looks like a Springfield or vice-versa.
D

 

[Craig L Barry]

There were absolutely type II (a/k/a hardband) P53 Enfields in use during the US Civil War. They can be identified in period images. There were just not nearly as many produced compared to the type III which were much more commonly encountered.

It has been often commented on how as the Civil War-era US models continued to evolve into "improved" versions they began to feature design elements already found on the P53 Enfield. This is actually because of the Colt Special Model of 1861.