Robert Gray
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2012
The Agar gun (or Ager) was an early rapid fire machine gun developed during the US Civil War. The weapon was nicknamed the Coffee Mill Gun, and was also called the Union Repeating Gun. During the war, inventors were encouraged to create new and better weapons. The Agar machine gun was one of about fifty or so hand-cranked machine guns developed during this period. It was named after its inventor, Wilson Agar (sometimes spelled Wilson Ager). The gun was so named because the cr...ank and the ammunition hopper on the top of the weapon gave it a look similar to that of a common kitchen coffee grinder.
In 1861, the Agar machine gun was demonstrated to President Abraham Lincoln, who was so impressed that he ordered all ten available weapons to be purchased immediately, at a cost of $1,300 each, which was a very high price at the time. Later in the same year, General McClellan ordered an additional fifty weapons, at a reduced cost of $735 each. General Butler purchased two guns at $1,300 each, and in the following year General Fremont also purchased two, paying $1,500 for each.
The guns were condemned by the Ordnance Department for using too much ammunition to ever be practical, and saw little use on the battlefield. They were often deployed to remote locations to guard bridges and narrow passes. The guns often performed poorly in the field. The single barrel design proved vulnerable to overheating, and the weapon was also prone to jamming. The special steel tubes used to hold the cartridges were heavy and expensive. Later cartridges would use brass, but this was not widely available during the time that the Agar machine gun was used. The gun's range was also criticized. It was about 800 yards, which was roughly the same as the range of the rifle-muskets used by infantry. A longer range weapon would have been preferred.
Because of the way it was used in battle, the Agar machine gun, like most machine guns of the period, was never able to show its potential. In 1865, the few remaining guns were sold for $500 each. [Wikipedia]
The second image shows an Ager gun in the possession of the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry at Camp Northumberland near Washington in February 1862. [Library of Congress]
In 1861, the Agar machine gun was demonstrated to President Abraham Lincoln, who was so impressed that he ordered all ten available weapons to be purchased immediately, at a cost of $1,300 each, which was a very high price at the time. Later in the same year, General McClellan ordered an additional fifty weapons, at a reduced cost of $735 each. General Butler purchased two guns at $1,300 each, and in the following year General Fremont also purchased two, paying $1,500 for each.
The guns were condemned by the Ordnance Department for using too much ammunition to ever be practical, and saw little use on the battlefield. They were often deployed to remote locations to guard bridges and narrow passes. The guns often performed poorly in the field. The single barrel design proved vulnerable to overheating, and the weapon was also prone to jamming. The special steel tubes used to hold the cartridges were heavy and expensive. Later cartridges would use brass, but this was not widely available during the time that the Agar machine gun was used. The gun's range was also criticized. It was about 800 yards, which was roughly the same as the range of the rifle-muskets used by infantry. A longer range weapon would have been preferred.
Because of the way it was used in battle, the Agar machine gun, like most machine guns of the period, was never able to show its potential. In 1865, the few remaining guns were sold for $500 each. [Wikipedia]
The second image shows an Ager gun in the possession of the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry at Camp Northumberland near Washington in February 1862. [Library of Congress]
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