Billinghurst Requa Battery gun

Mike Serpa

Major
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
The granddaddy of the machine gun. The multi-barreled Billinghurst-Requa Battery gun of 1862.
8b08952v.jpg

LOC #8b08952v

The Billinghurst Requa Battery gun was an early rapid-fire gun used during the American Civil War. It was invented by a Dr. Josephus Requa (1833–1910), a dentist by profession, who had at the age of 16 spent three years as an apprentice to William Billinghurst (1807–1880).

The gun consisted of twenty-five heavy .58 caliber rifle barrels, each 2 feet (0.61 m) long and mounted together in a secure frame, which could be elevated for range. The frame was then mounted on a two-wheeled carriage. Ammunition was loaded as a long clip of twenty-five rounds, which were fired by a single percussion cap in a single volley. With a crew of three, it could be reloaded and fired seven times a minute, giving a rate of fire of 175 rounds per minute. The .58 caliber bullets were conical and weighed approximately one ounce. It was also possible to adjust the spread of the guns to make them diverge for use at close range.

In 1861 on the suggestion of an Albert Mack, Requa began thinking about the design of a rapid-fire gun. Requa talked with Billinghurst, who he remained friends with and came up with a scale model of a design by 11 July 1861. After it was received favorably, Billinghurst and Requa decided to build a full-scale prototype, which cost approximately $500 to build.

Requa met with General James Wolfe Ripley on 22 April 1862 to propose the idea. Ripley however dismissed Requa with the argument that such a weapon would consume expensive ammunition at such a rate that it would cause logistical problems. Requa then approached President Abraham Lincoln on 1 May 1862, who listened to Requa's explanation of Ripley's dismissal. He gave Requa a note which said: Gen. Ripley, please see Mr. Requa A. Lincoln, May 1, 1862.

Ripley, however, would not move from his position. Requa went back to Lincoln, who then ordered Ripley to arrange a demonstration of the weapon. Two tests were arranged on 12 May 1862 and 24 May 1862 with favorable results. Requa and Billinghurst needed financial backing to proceed with production of the weapon, and arranged for a public demonstration of the weapon as proof to backers. This was conducted on 12 August 1862 at Rochester, New York. At the demonstration, the gun blasted holes in a wooden barrel target setup 1,800 feet (550 m) away in the Genessee River. The backers were impressed, and contracts were drawn up to produce 50 units. A patent numbered 36,448 was also issued on 16 September 1862.

The battery was never officially accepted into service, however it saw action at the siege of Port Hudson, Fort Sumter and Siege of Petersburg as well as the Battle of Cold Harbor.

After the war a final test of the gun was conducted at the Washington Arsenal in August 1864, with a report issued in 1866 indicating that the gun was reliable and performed well during the testing. As a result, an additional five guns were ordered.

However advances in firearms technology soon rendered the weapon obsolete. ~ wikipedia
 
I would have called it "the Devil's Flute". It seems like attaching a snappy name to something makes it more memorable & marketable. Think about all the artillery pieces with cool names. The Dictator, Whistling Dick, Swamp Angel, Widow Blakely...
 
There are a few really great photographs in the 39th Illinois book I've never seen before. I found a Haas and Peale photograph of which the Library of Congress does not have a negative of:

haas and peale1.jpg


Here is a similar Library of Congress H&P shot titled "Morris Island, South Carolina. Battery Brown. Burst Gun.":

haas and peale2.jpg
 
My wife's GG grandfather was Dr. Joseph Requa and she has always wanted to see one of his guns in person. I started another thread here in search of where we might find one to view. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/new-member-saying-hi-where-is-her-gun.145721/

We know from family lore that one was donated to the military museum at West Point but a few years back when we contacted the museum we learned the gun was on loan to the Smithsonian. I just made contact again with the curator at WP and her gun is back at the WP museum and we will be invited to view it some time in early June after the graduation services are finished and things calm down. I have also ordered a book or pamphlet regarding the history of this gun from joesalter.com with much of the info in this publication provided by my wife's cousin Margret De Francisco. We live about 50 miles west of WP and come to learn the curator for the museum lives right down the road from us just 8 miles.
I plan to take photos once we see the gun and hope to lay eyes on the letter from President Lincoln to Gen. Lee instructing him to contact Grandpa Joe about the gun. I will post any pictures in the above thread but not sure if double posting them here would be acceptable or not.

GaryL
 
Speaking of photos, has anyone besides me noticed that the background of the one in the OP contains the famous so-called organ in the U.S. Armory at Springfield? It's a gun rack containing hundreds of M.1861 or M.1863 Springfield rifle-muskets from the war! It's no longer full, but still contains many of them; or at least it did twenty-five years ago or thereabouts when I visited there.
 
Speaking of photos, has anyone besides me noticed that the background of the one in the OP contains the famous so-called organ in the U.S. Armory at Springfield? It's a gun rack containing hundreds of M.1861 or M.1863 Springfield rifle-muskets from the war! It's no longer full, but still contains many of them; or at least it did twenty-five years ago or thereabouts when I visited there.
Beat me to it James N. Was just about to mention them and saw your post.
 
Speaking of photos, has anyone besides me noticed that the background of the one in the OP contains the famous so-called organ in the U.S. Armory at Springfield? It's a gun rack containing hundreds of M.1861 or M.1863 Springfield rifle-muskets from the war! It's no longer full, but still contains many of them; or at least it did twenty-five years ago or thereabouts when I visited there.

I noticed it.
 
Speaking of photos, has anyone besides me noticed that the background of the one in the OP contains the famous so-called organ in the U.S. Armory at Springfield? It's a gun rack containing hundreds of M.1861 or M.1863 Springfield rifle-muskets from the war! It's no longer full, but still contains many of them; or at least it did twenty-five years ago or thereabouts when I visited there.
Wow! I thought they were cooling tubes for a giant radiator or something like that.
 
My wife's GG grandfather was Dr. Joseph Requa and she has always wanted to see one of his guns in person. I started another thread here in search of where we might find one to view. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/new-member-saying-hi-where-is-her-gun.145721/
...
I plan to take photos once we see the gun and hope to lay eyes on the letter from President Lincoln to Gen. Lee instructing him to contact Grandpa Joe about the gun. I will post any pictures in the above thread but not sure if double posting them here would be acceptable or not.

GaryL
Since your other thread is in the "Meet & Greet" forum, it might be better to post additional material here, or in a new thread in the "Weapons and Ammunition" forum. It would make them easier to find in searches & less cluttered with "welcomes." -- just a suggestion.
 
The granddaddy of the machine gun. The multi-barreled Billinghurst-Requa Battery gun of 1862.
View attachment 105798
LOC #8b08952v

The Billinghurst Requa Battery gun was an early rapid-fire gun used during the American Civil War. It was invented by a Dr. Josephus Requa (1833–1910), a dentist by profession, who had at the age of 16 spent three years as an apprentice to William Billinghurst (1807–1880).

The gun consisted of twenty-five heavy .58 caliber rifle barrels, each 2 feet (0.61 m) long and mounted together in a secure frame, which could be elevated for range. The frame was then mounted on a two-wheeled carriage. Ammunition was loaded as a long clip of twenty-five rounds, which were fired by a single percussion cap in a single volley. With a crew of three, it could be reloaded and fired seven times a minute, giving a rate of fire of 175 rounds per minute. The .58 caliber bullets were conical and weighed approximately one ounce. It was also possible to adjust the spread of the guns to make them diverge for use at close range.

In 1861 on the suggestion of an Albert Mack, Requa began thinking about the design of a rapid-fire gun. Requa talked with Billinghurst, who he remained friends with and came up with a scale model of a design by 11 July 1861. After it was received favorably, Billinghurst and Requa decided to build a full-scale prototype, which cost approximately $500 to build.

Requa met with General James Wolfe Ripley on 22 April 1862 to propose the idea. Ripley however dismissed Requa with the argument that such a weapon would consume expensive ammunition at such a rate that it would cause logistical problems. Requa then approached President Abraham Lincoln on 1 May 1862, who listened to Requa's explanation of Ripley's dismissal. He gave Requa a note which said: Gen. Ripley, please see Mr. Requa A. Lincoln, May 1, 1862.

Ripley, however, would not move from his position. Requa went back to Lincoln, who then ordered Ripley to arrange a demonstration of the weapon. Two tests were arranged on 12 May 1862 and 24 May 1862 with favorable results. Requa and Billinghurst needed financial backing to proceed with production of the weapon, and arranged for a public demonstration of the weapon as proof to backers. This was conducted on 12 August 1862 at Rochester, New York. At the demonstration, the gun blasted holes in a wooden barrel target setup 1,800 feet (550 m) away in the Genessee River. The backers were impressed, and contracts were drawn up to produce 50 units. A patent numbered 36,448 was also issued on 16 September 1862.

The battery was never officially accepted into service, however it saw action at the siege of Port Hudson, Fort Sumter and Siege of Petersburg as well as the Battle of Cold Harbor.

After the war a final test of the gun was conducted at the Washington Arsenal in August 1864, with a report issued in 1866 indicating that the gun was reliable and performed well during the testing. As a result, an additional five guns were ordered.

However advances in firearms technology soon rendered the weapon obsolete. ~ wikipedia
Was the Gatling gun more effective? Was it used during the war or is that just in the movies? How effective was either weapon ? Why were they not used more often since their use would have reduced the Union losses? Imagine a Gatling at Gettysburg against the Confederate charge!
 
Was the Gatling gun more effective? Was it used during the war or is that just in the movies?
The gatling was not officially adopted by the US Amy during the War, but it was used in a few incidents.
There are many threads on this site about the Gatling Gun. Here's one:
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/gatling-gun-patent-and-would-it-have-shortened-the-war.108907/

Although on a modern carriage, this video will give a good idea of the Requa Battery gun in action.

 
There are a few really great photographs in the 39th Illinois book I've never seen before. I found a Haas and Peale photograph of which the Library of Congress does not have a negative of:

View attachment 106695

Here is a similar Library of Congress H&P shot titled "Morris Island, South Carolina. Battery Brown. Burst Gun.":

View attachment 106696
With the ability to produce artillery as these , is there any question as to why the Union forces were able to lay such a barrage on Confederate forces. How effective was these artillery pieces and what battles were they used esp. since they could not be moved to participate in certain battles. Above all this demonstrates the industrial strength to the Union in relation with the minor ability of the Confederacy to even produce the weapons they did.
 
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