Is "Percussion Musket" a generic term?

[kepi]

What exactly is a "percussion musket" on this list? Is it a generic term or is this a specific model?


38th Mississippi Infantry:

219 Percussion Muskets
0 British Muskets
0 Enfield Rifles
40 Mississippi Rifles
0 Austrian Rifles
180 Bayonets
247 Cartridge Boxes
250 Cap Boxes
243 Waist Belts
185 Shoulder Belts
229 Bayonet Scabbards
7379 Musket Cartridges
0 British Musket Cartridges
0 Enfield Cartridges
1600 Mississippi Cartridges
0 Minnie Cartridges
0 Austrian Cartridges
0 Elongated ball .69 Cartridges
14405 Percussion Caps
269 Knapsacks
235 Haversacks
226 Canteens
226 Canteen Straps
15 Wipers
12 Screwdrivers
6 Ball Screws
http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-36119.html

 

[kepi]

Given 1600 Mississippi Cartridges are listed, I'm guessing the 219 percussion muskets listed are M1841 Mississippi rifles.

 

[johan_steele]

Likely m1816 conversions as the Mississippi rifles are mentioned separate. As well as the listing of musket cartridges. French or Belgian would be .71 & English .75.

 

[kepi]

Likely m1816 conversions as the Mississippi rifles are mentioned separate. As well as the listing of musket cartridges. French or Belgian would be .71 & English .75.

1816 converted to use a cap?

 

[johan_steele]

1816 converted to use a cap?

Yes as they were rather plentiful early war. Spare flints would be listed if unaltered.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Whomever originally compiled the list knew exactly what they were doing, because they very carefully differentiated between different types of "Rifles". The "219 Muskets" go with the "7379 Musket Cartridges", as well as the Mississippi Rifles and Mississippi Cartridges. What I do find very interesting is that they took the time to list "0" amounts of items they did not have.
J.

 

[kepi]

Yes as they were rather plentiful early war. Spare flints would be listed if unaltered.

Awesome! Thanks so much!

 

[kepi]

Yes as they were rather plentiful early war. Spare flints would be listed if unaltered.

Another question.
Did it shoot a .69 ball?

 

[kepi]

I'm trying to determine what my GG-Grand father may have used up until Vicksburg.
The 38th was mounted afterwards, so that's another hunt.

 

[johan_steele]

Another question.
Did it shoot a .69 ball?

.69 buck n ball. By the time of Vicksburg they likely had the p53.

M1816 are rather plentiful & not too spendy.

 

[kepi]

.69 buck n ball. By the time of Vicksburg they likely had the p53.

M1816 are rather plentiful & not too spendy.

Thank you.
I'm leaning a lot!

 

[major bill]

There were several different ways of converting these older flintlock to percussion.

 

[Craig L Barry]

The term has a variety of meanings, other than the obvious one (meaning the percussion system of ignition). They way it is used here seems to suggest they mean muskets (rather than rifles) converted to percussion.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Let me give the "219 Percussion Muskets" another spin....perhaps they were Model 1842 Muskets! All of which could have easily been 15+ years old at the time.
J.

 

[kepi]

Let me give the "219 Percussion Muskets" another spin....perhaps they were Model 1842 Muskets! All of which could have easily been 15+ years old at the time.
J.

That seems more logical

 

[johan_steele]

Possible arms carried by the 38th Mississippi in this inventory.

M1841 Rifle and one or all of these: M1816, M1840, M1842.

 

[johan_steele]

I would question the M1842 simply because that by the time the 38th was raised in the summer of 62 most of the M1842 would have already been issued out to regiments raised earlier. I would also question the likelihood of an M1840 Percussion Conversion but that would be due to the considerably smaller number produced and again being of newer manufacture the likelihood of those stocks being issued out to regiments raised earlier.

I would do some serious looking to see if I could find any reference at all to the arms carried by the 38th Mississippi Infantry. I believe there is at least one official history of the regiment as well as a couple diaries out there.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

And all of this is what makes this page so enjoyable!
J.

 

[kepi]

I found an account that suggests the 38th may have used an Endfield Carbine in 1865

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Can you cite the exact account?
J.