Question about 27th OVI rifles

[Frenchie]

Hello - I've been doing research on the 27th OVI and found that until at least 1862 they had over 700 m.1842 Springfields, .69 cal. rifled, as well as approximately 200 Enfields.

I cannot find anything else other than those two weapons for the regiment (at least using the resources I can have).

So my question is - could the 27th OVI have used the 1842 rifled musket until the end of the war? If they switched over to 1861 Springfields, I can't find a record of it.

Thanks for any help!

 

[UCVRelics]

Hello - I've been doing research on the 27th OVI and found that until at least 1862 they had over 700 m.1842 Springfields, .69 cal. rifled, as well as approximately 200 Enfields.

I cannot find anything else other than those two weapons for the regiment (at least using the resources I can have).

So my question is - could the 27th OVI have used the 1842 rifled musket until the end of the war? If they switched over to 1861 Springfields, I can't find a record of it.

Thanks for any help!

According to this they were issued model 1861 made by Whitney in July of 1862

Brigham's War: Letters from the 27th Ohio Infantry Pt. III

In July 1861, a company was raised by Captain Milton Wells in southeastern Ohio and went to Camp Chase at Columbus to join a new regiment. ...

dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com

 

[Frenchie]

According to this they were issued model 1861 made by Whitney in July of 1862

Brigham's War: Letters from the 27th Ohio Infantry Pt. III

In July 1861, a company was raised by Captain Milton Wells in southeastern Ohio and went to Camp Chase at Columbus to join a new regiment. ...

dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com

Thank you for that link. That is very interesting...and bizarre. I hadn't heard of either Greenwood muskets or the 1861 Whitney rifle before and had to do a little googling. The Greenwood muskets make sense - it appears they were made in the Cincinnati area and were therefore readily accessible. I think they were originally flints before being converted to cap-'n-ball. The Whitney rifles is a but more perplexing. There is a Navy Whitney which has a sword bayonet which we see described in the journal....why would infantry be given navy rifles? There is the 1861 Whitney rifle which looks almost identical to the 1861Springfield.

I'm curious if it is possible for companies within the same regiment to be issued different types of rifles?

 

[The Ninth Ohio]

Thank you for that link. That is very interesting...and bizarre. I hadn't heard of either Greenwood muskets or the 1861 Whitney rifle before and had to do a little googling. The Greenwood muskets make sense - it appears they were made in the Cincinnati area and were therefore readily accessible. I think they were originally flints before being converted to cap-'n-ball. The Whitney rifles is a but more perplexing. There is a Navy Whitney which has a sword bayonet which we see described in the journal....why would infantry be given navy rifles? There is the 1861 Whitney rifle which looks almost identical to the 1861Springfield.

I'm curious if it is possible for companies within the same regiment to be issued different types of rifles?

It was not uncommon, particularly early in the war, for flank companies to be issued rifles, to spread out the few available rifles at the time. Over time the federal government attempted to make each regiment have uniform caliber rifles. I don't know about the specific example of the 27th, Whitneys, etc. but it was definitely not unheard of. The Ninth Ohio began the war with two types of muskets and three types of ammunition - not to be upgraded until just prior to Tullahoma.

 

[Frenchie]

It was not uncommon, particularly early in the war, for flank companies to be issued rifles, to spread out the few available rifles at the time. Over time the federal government attempted to make each regiment have uniform caliber rifles. I don't know about the specific example of the 27th, Whitneys, etc. but it was definitely not unheard of. The Ninth Ohio began the war with two types of muskets and three types of ammunition - not to be upgraded until just prior to Tullahoma.

Thank you for the reply. The reason for my question, is I'm wanting to get into reenacting and I'd like to get the appropriate rifle. I know they had the 1842 rifled musket, but several of my friends are adamant that they would nit have carried this through the March South, and would have been issued a more updated system. I'm trying to confirm this as to whether or not i should just opt to get the 1861 Springfield or did they carry the 1842 rifled all the way through. The Whitney rifle really throws me off....no way I can get a repro of this but they do look very similar to the 1861 Springfield.
Your thoughts?

 

[johan_steele]

"Whitney rifle" can reference quite a few arms from M1816 percussion conversions & M1841 to M1861's and " good and serviceable" arms which are an absolute crapshoot of hodgepodge arms of varying quality.

 

[johan_steele]

The M1842 was in service with AoT units through early 1864. AoC through early/ mid 63. You would have to do some digging and my first suggestion would be getting hold of a research librarian at the Ohio State hysterical society. You might get lucky and the state has a considerable amount of info.

 

[Frenchie]

The M1842 was in service with AoT units through early 1864. AoC through early/ mid 63. You would have to do some digging and my first suggestion would be getting hold of a research librarian at the Ohio State hysterical society. You might get lucky and the state has a considerable amount of info.

Than you for the reply. I've been told that I should check with the historical research center in Columbus, Ohio. They have wierd hours unfortunately.

 

[drezac]

one item to consider is that early in the war, the States armed the troops going into federal service. So for early regiments, they may have been originally armed with whatever the state arsenal had on hand, until the Federal Gov. started to send arms to the state arsenals to give to troops going into federal service.

 

[Craig L Barry]

Interesting diary entry about how arms were issued:

"Some of our boys got Austrian rifles, some Enfield, and others Springfield. I got the Enfield, and Bob got the finest arm of the whole lot, a fine United States Springfield rifle. Training in the use of these weapons was startlingly belated and haphazard." - Pvt. Orrin W. Cook, Company B. 22nd Regt. Massachusetts Volunteers.