Muskets, Carbines & Repeating Rifles - Long Arms of the Civil War

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, neither the North, nor the South was prepared to engage in a major war. Decades of relative peace had left limited stockpiles of small arms, the rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers. As tens of thousands of men volunteered to fight alongside their friends and neighbors, those arms stockpiles were quickly exhausted.

Purchasing agents for the Union and Confederacy began buying up every European arm 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 long-arms, including antiquated weapons dating back to the War of 1812.

Meanwhile, American gun manufacturers, Sharps, Colt, Remington, and the United States armory at Springfield, all quickly expanded rifle production. The 1855 introduction of the rifled barrel, which had spiraling grooves running down the barrel that caused the bullet to spin and travel long distances more accurately, made older smoothbore muskets obsolete.

Loading a Musket Like a Civil War Era Soldier

1577939358438.png
A muzzle-loading rifle required 9 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) prime [place priming cap]​
(9) shoulder-arms [musket is loaded and ready to fire]*​
[The next steps would be Ready / Aim / Fire / then Repeat the sequence as commanded.]​
Trained soldiers were expected to complete these steps in 20 seconds and be able to fire three aimed bullets per minute!

* A note on the historic practice of "shoulder arms": Today's Reenactors & Live Fire Ammunition Shooters tend to frown on wandering around with loaded guns for safety's sake! In practice, instead of going to "Shoulder-Arms", a soldier, or someone portraying a person doing this movement will likely go directly to the "Ready" position and prepare for "Aim & Fire".


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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 Springfield's 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.

1577937665237.png

1861 ENFIELD RIFLE, .577 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. 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 Springfield's offered.

1577937810525.png

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.

1577937837552.png

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. Minié.

1577937900425.png
1577937911872.png

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.

1577937953639.png
1577937963977.png

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.

1577937998109.png

“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.

1577938025736.png

1861 MUSKETOON, .577 CAL.

The 1861 Enfield carbine that was a popular muzzleloader used by Southern Cavalry and Artillery units.

1577938048465.png
1577938056318.png

1862 WHITWORTH, .45 CAL.

Sir Joseph Whitworth of England created a muzzleloading 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.

1577938085655.png
1577938104556.png

1863 SPENCER REPEATING CARBINE, .52 CAL.

1577938094956.png

1863 SPENCER REPEATING RIFLE, .52 CAL.

Yankee officers cited the Spencer as one of the single greatest 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.

1577938164852.png
1577938172408.png

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

1577938194096.png

1861 BLUED IRON FRAME HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL. RIMFIRE

1577938211047.png

1863 MILITARY HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL. RIMFIRE

The forerunner of all Winchester lever actions, the Henry was referred to by Confederates as that "...D*mn 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.

1577937699624.png
1577937708656.png

1863 REMINGTON CONTRACT RIFLE, .58 CAL. (a.k.a. "The Zouave")

On April 18th, 1863, Remington began shipping the Government an approved order of 10,001 rifles of what the Army called it's "Harpers Ferry Pattern" Rifle in Official Documents. Produced between 1862 and 1865, the Remington was never actually issued to any documented units during the American Civil War. That may be because the Army had already standardized on the Springfield Rifle.

However, there have been at least three claims that Remington Contract Rifle remains have been identified after being recovered from excavation sites in the Petersburg area. If these claims come from real wartime rifles, it's been speculated that one or more late war units was issued Remington Rifles on a temporary basis, later to be replaced with Springfield Rifles as they became available. However, there couldn't have been many instances, if this was the case. Any evidence of this may also be further hidden by confusion of this rifle pattern with the Mississippi Rifle, and/or the Harper's Ferry Rifle, and any researcher looking for evidence needs to watch out for any or all of these identifying names....

Most of these rifles may have been simply crated up and put into storage at Watervliet Arsenal in New York, perhaps as a reserve for the defense of Washington, DC, if the Rebel army had ever attempted to attack the city directly. Many of these "nearly mint" guns made it into the hands of reenactors in the 1950's and 1960's.

In addition, around 1961, the very first reproduction Civil War musket was introduced, it was a copy of the Remington Contract Rifle, but if it had been sold as a "Remington", it would have legal complications. So, to solve this marketing problem, the reproduction guns were sold as "Zouave Rifles", associating them with the colorful uniforms and the "Elite" reputation of the period Zouave Units. The nickname, "Zouave", became so well known it was applied to originals too, but it should really only apply to the reproduction version of the gun.

MORE LONG ARMS OF THE CIVIL WAR

While this article has explored quite a few different long arms from the era, it is by no means an exhaustive listing of arms used or issued during that time period. For a listing with additional information, and future additions, please see the:
 
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Some details.
The manual of arms you posted is for using a smoothbore musket, not a rifle musket.
The manual of arms for rifles use "load in nine times" (and don't have the "cast about" part)

The Enfield is not Cal 58 and it did not use the 58 cal ammunition made for the springfield. It was the other way around the CSA stopped making 58cal cartridges and only made enfield cartridges.

The ZOUAVE really should not be on the list. They where never issued to any units during the war.
 
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It is interesting to note that, as the ROTC training I received near the end of the last millennium that is indelibly fixed in my memory, the World War II-Korean War U.S. rifle caliber thirty M-1 weighs 9.5 pounds unloaded & without bayonet. I'm guessing that when loaded & with bayonet attached it was about equal to the Spencer. I might add that the Spencer is perfectly balanced & very easy to shoot accurately. Oddly, mounted men preferred the rifle over the carbine. The rifle balances perfectly just ahead of the trigger guard, so would ride very easy across a saddle. The worn place on the surviving Wilder's Lightening Brigade pieces attest to that.

There is a Whitworth rifle in the box with all the traps at the Civil War museum in Kennesaw, Georgia. Included is a pair of dark green glasses. I suppose they were intended as sunglasses. Does anyone know if that is the case or was there some other purpose for green lenses?

Good post.
 
A comprehensive manual for the loading of Civil War rifled muskets is:


Ranger Jim Lewis at Stones River National Battlefield used the lessons learned during decades of NPS black powder programs to refine the load in nine time drill. It maintains the historic drill with only slight modifications to enhance safety. The website contains a comprehensive store of information about 19th Century black powder weapons.

The manual is very detailed. It includes everything from the name of every part to how to assemble & disassemble a rifle to how to stand when going through the drill. It is a public document that you are free to download & keep on file.
 
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Some details.
The manual of arms you posted is for using a smoothbore musket, not a rifle musket.
The manual of arms for rifles use "load in nine times" (and don't have the "cast about" part)

The Enfield is not Cal 58 and it did not use the 58 cal ammunition made for the springfield. It was the other way around the CSA stopped making 58cal cartridges and only made enfield cartridges.

The ZOUAVE really should not be on the list. They where never issued to any units during the war.
I didn't catch that I grabbed the wrong manual of arms, I can make an adjustment to that. I'm not an infantry guy, so that's not something I'm intimately familiar with. I'm into bigger stuff that goes boom normally.

I put .577 in the Enfield description, I have no idea why I put .58 up in the header with the title. Looks like I messed up the Musketoon also for the same issue....

Yes, part of my notes on the Zouave got chopped off and didn't get included, ok, I need to fix that! I'm including it because they were ordered and delivered to the government, the missing line I wrote said something to the effect that the guns were never issued, and may have been intended to be held in reserve for the defense of Washington, DC. I'll have to find my notebook when I get home...
 
This can't be right for the Enfield: "American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. ammunition used by both Union and Confederate armies."

Maybe this should read: "Union Soldiers could pickup and use Confederate Ammo without fear of a jam, but Confederate Soldiers could not do the same thing. This was because the Union made bullet would jam in Enfield bores, since the Enfield had a slightly smaller bore size than the Union Springfield."

Something like that....
 
A comprehensive manual for the loading of Civil War rifled muskets is:


Ranger Jim Lewis at Stones River National Battlefield used the lessons learned during decades of NPS black powder programs to refine the load in nine time drill. It maintains the historic drill with only slight modifications to enhance safety. The website contains a comprehensive store of information about 19th Century black powder weapons.

The manual is very detailed. It includes everything from the name of every part to how to assemble & disassemble a rifle to how to stand when going through the drill. It is a public document that you are free to download & keep on file.
Okay, using this as a refence I updated the 9 steps, I'm still keeping it simplified for now, in this post, but may go into more detail another day.

I think the statement I posted under the 9 steps is accurate.
 
Maybe this should read: "Union Soldiers could pickup and use Confederate Ammo without fear of a jam, but Confederate Soldiers could not do the same thing.
both sides used plenty of enfields and springfields and other guns, so this would not be a US vs CS issue.
At least not until maybe 64 when the Springfield finally was becoming the typical guns used by union forces and the csa had limited their cartridge production to the enfield cartridge.
 
both sides used plenty of enfields and springfields and other guns, so this would not be a US vs CS issue.
At least not until maybe 64 when the Springfield finally was becoming the typical guns used by union forces and the csa had limited their cartridge production to the enfield cartridge.
Yeah, I think I'm just going to leave that statement out completely, it's not needed in the context of the article.

So, I updated the Zouave section, but I moved it to the bottom. You'll be surprised to know that it now has the largest notes section of all the guns on the list because it's an odd gun. Honestly I'm keeping it on there because it's odd, I mean, we don't remove the Rodman Cannons from our Civil War Artillery listings just because they were never used, so I dunno, and it's an interesting mystery gun, even if those findings at Petersburg are erroneous....

I was tempted to add Colt Contract Muskets to this list too, but too much too many, and I'll get around to Individual listings at some point anyway.....
 
It's nice to see the Smith, Sharps, and Spenser carbines - but that only scratches the surface of known types used; what about Burnside, Gallagher, Cosmopolitan, etc., etc., etc.? In something as short as this article I really don't think they're necessary to include, but they might at least be mentioned.
 
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, neither the North, nor the South was prepared to engage in a major war. Decades of relative peace had left limited stockpiles of small arms, the rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers. As tens of thousands of men volunteered to fight alongside their friends and neighbors, those arms stockpiles were quickly exhausted.

Purchasing agents for the Union and Confederacy began buying up every European arm 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 long-arms, including antiquated weapons dating back to the War of 1812.

Meanwhile, American gun manufacturers, Sharps, Colt, Remington, and the United States armory at Springfield, all quickly expanded rifle production. The 1855 introduction of the rifled barrel, which had spiraling grooves running down the barrel that caused the bullet to spin and travel long distances more accurately, made older smoothbore muskets obsolete.

Loading a Musket Like a Civil War Era Soldier

View attachment 340782A muzzle-loading rifle required 9 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) prime [place priming cap]​
(9) shoulder-arms [musket is loaded and ready to fire]*​
[The next steps would be Ready / Aim / Fire / then Repeat the sequence as commanded.]​
Trained soldiers were expected to complete these steps in 20 seconds and be able to fire three aimed bullets per minute!

* A note on the historic practice of "shoulder arms": Today's Reenactors & Live Fire Ammunition Shooters tend to frown on wandering around with loaded guns for safety's sake! In practice, instead of going to "Shoulder-Arms", a soldier, or someone portraying a person doing this movement will likely go directly to the "Ready" position and prepare for "Aim & Fire".


View attachment 340757View attachment 340758
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 Springfield's 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.

View attachment 340759
1861 ENFIELD RIFLE, .577 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. 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 Springfield's offered.

View attachment 340762
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.

View attachment 340763
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. Minié.

View attachment 340764View attachment 340765
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.

View attachment 340766View attachment 340767
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.

View attachment 340768
“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.

View attachment 340769
1861 MUSKETOON, .577 CAL.

The 1861 Enfield carbine that was a popular muzzleloader used by Southern Cavalry and Artillery units.

View attachment 340770View attachment 340771
1862 WHITWORTH, .45 CAL.

Sir Joseph Whitworth of England created a muzzleloading 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.

View attachment 340772View attachment 340774
1863 SPENCER REPEATING CARBINE, .52 CAL.

View attachment 340773
1863 SPENCER REPEATING RIFLE, .52 CAL.

Yankee officers cited the Spencer as one of the single greatest 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.

View attachment 340775View attachment 340776
1861 CASE HARDENED IRON FRAME HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL. RIMFIRE

View attachment 340777
1861 BLUED IRON FRAME HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL. RIMFIRE

View attachment 340778
1863 MILITARY HENRY RIFLE, .44 CAL. RIMFIRE

The forerunner of all Winchester lever actions, the Henry was referred to by Confederates as that "...D*mn 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.

View attachment 340760View attachment 340761
1863 REMINGTON CONTRACT RIFLE, .58 CAL. (a.k.a. "The Zouave")

On April 18th, 1863, Remington began shipping the Government an approved order of 10,001 rifles of what the Army called it's "Harpers Ferry Pattern" Rifle in Official Documents. Produced between 1862 and 1865, the Remington was never actually issued to any documented units during the American Civil War. That may be because the Army had already standardized on the Springfield Rifle.

However, there have been at least three claims that Remington Contract Rifle remains have been identified after being recovered from excavation sites in the Petersburg area. If these claims come from real wartime rifles, it's been speculated that one or more late war units was issued Remington Rifles on a temporary basis, later to be replaced with Springfield Rifles as they became available. However, there couldn't have been many instances, if this was the case. Any evidence of this may also be further hidden by confusion of this rifle pattern with the Mississippi Rifle, and/or the Harper's Ferry Rifle, and any researcher looking for evidence needs to watch out for any or all of these identifying names....

Most of these rifles may have been simply crated up and put into storage at Watervliet Arsenal in New York, perhaps as a reserve for the defense of Washington, DC, if the Rebel army had ever attempted to attack the city directly. Many of these "nearly mint" guns made it into the hands of reenactors in the 1950's and 1960's.

In addition, around 1961, the very first reproduction Civil War musket was introduced, it was a copy of the Remington Contract Rifle, but if it had been sold as a "Remington", it would have legal complications. So, to solve this marketing problem, the reproduction guns were sold as "Zouave Rifles", associating them with the colorful uniforms and the "Elite" reputation of the period Zouave Units. The nickname, "Zouave", became so well known it was applied to originals too, but it should really only apply to the reproduction version of the gun.
This Is a useful article and a good jumping off point for those new to the CW, I definitely think CWT could do with more articles like this. Your post is the sort of thing that I was looking for when I first became a member. Please include more stuff like this, perhaps something on tactics, uniforms, artillery etc. I appreciate that we have many threads covering the things that I mentioned but I honestly believe new members would appreciate that type of format.
 
It's nice to see the Smith, Sharps, and Spenser carbines - but that only scratches the surface of known types used; what about Burnside, Gallagher, Cosmopolitan, etc., etc., etc.? In something as short as this article I really don't think they're necessary to include, but they might at least be mentioned.
That's my intention for the full table:

I'll need to find a way to coordinate the two threads at some point.... This thread is like the primer, the other threads will have more complete information....
 
This can't be right for the Enfield: "American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. ammunition used by both Union and Confederate armies."

Maybe this should read: "Union Soldiers could pickup and use Confederate Ammo without fear of a jam, but Confederate Soldiers could not do the same thing. This was because the Union made bullet would jam in Enfield bores, since the Enfield had a slightly smaller bore size than the Union Springfield."

Something like that....
It is interesting that you mention Confederates picking up Union bullets. At Petersburg, the AoNV paid soldiers by the pound to pick up spent Union bullets that could be melted down & recast.
 
I am working with the State Historical Society and they have an artifact that is mainly the barrel and receiver from a Sharps rifle. The accession record indicates this was found at a very significant Indians wars battle that happened a over 150 years ago. The metal is very corrode. The tang is to corroded to even think about reading a serial number. The rear sight had been knocked off and there is a number on the barrel where the sight is supposed to be. My question is did Sharps barrels have serial number on the barrel under where the rear sight was placed and if so is there a place to try to find when it was made. Thanks in advance. Mike
 
I know next to nothing about the Western Confederate armies but had been under the impression that the most common shoulder arm among the Confederates there was the smoothbore musket. Is that true?

Thanks to anyone who cares to comment.

John
 
I know next to nothing about the Western Confederate armies but had been under the impression that the most common shoulder arm among the Confederates there was the smoothbore musket. Is that true?

Thanks to anyone who cares to comment.

John
No it’s not true, below is a link to archeological dig report at Wilson Creek Battle in 1861 that show the had all types of weapons including Model 1855. From the OR “The seizure of the Little Rock Arsenal in February 1861 by Arkansas troops also netted the southerners over 10,000 stands of arms. The list of captured ordnance stores noted include 250,000 musket cartridges, 520,000 percussion caps, four bronze cannon supposedly from Capt. Braxton Bragg’s Mexican War battery, 5,625 M1822 flintlock .69- caliber muskets, 53 M1822 muskets converted to the percussion system, 357 M1842 .69- caliber percussion muskets, 900 M1855 .58-caliber percussion rifled muskets, 54 M1841 “Mississippi” percussion rifles, 125 M1817 common rifles, 2 M1847 musketoons, 267 Hall carbines, and 2, 864 Hall flintlock rifles (OR Series I, Volume III, pg 579-580). http://npshistory.com/series/archeology/mwac/tech/109.pdf
 
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