The Cook & Brothers Shotgun Bayonet

… Another interesting tidbit- Ferdinand’s wife’s brother, John Wesley Wilcox of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, may have placed the last cannon at the battle of Appomattox and was about to fire before a confederate yelled “stop! We have surrendered!” John Wesley went to Athens after surrender and while there a young lady (a refugee from Charleston) offered to sew buttons on his coat, as the Yankees had stolen them all. After she had finished he thanked her and left, went down the road a ways, stopped, and then went back “and married that pretty girl.” They were married for more than 50 years. John Wesley Wilcox’s son was the first rear admiral ever lost at sea during WWII.
I'm not exactly disputing your account, but only wanted to suggest another possibility: Immediately postwar due to the poverty of the South and general shortage of everything including items of clothing, Federal authorities allowed former Confederates to continue wearing their uniforms IF they removed all traces of anything military which often included buttons, especially brass ones containing letters CSA or state seals, etc.
 
I ask, why wouldn't it be? For the time, 2 barrels vs 1. And a powerful buck and ball round or buckshot at close range is nothing to turn your nose up to. I figure that's why the trench gun was a shotgun, up close and personal in close quarters. Add a bayonet to that and I think it's a self evident option. What could be some cons to its use?
Since you've already mentioned the use of trench shotguns in WWI, the problem with attaching a bayonet to one would be thereby making it more awkward and unwieldy in tight quarters, like a trench. That was a principal reason the German army moved from the G98 rifle of WWI to the K98k of WWII: the shorter length was more practical for the kind of close-quarter fighting that had developed since the more open battlefields of 1914 and it was thought the slightly lesser range of the shorter rifle was more than made up for.
 
Ferdinand W.C. Cook was born on July 23, 1823 Harry Cook and Ann Bradwin Wright Cook. He was baptized William Charles Ferdinand Cook in St. Mary’s Church, Islington, London. At the age of 9, Ferdinand emigrated to America with his father and older brothers Henry (18) and Theodore (16), on board the ship Ontario. The ship arrived in New York City on April 17, 1833, about 3 months shy of Ferdinand’s tenth birthday. Murphy & Madaus note that Ferdinand Cook was 16 when he reached America, but this is not correct, and it is possible that they used the census records for brother Theodore to establish that age. In 1834, the rest of the family, including his mother Ann and brothers Arthur (15), Francis (13) and Frederick (5) immigrated to America as well and joined the Cook family in New York. It was in New York that Ferdinand, Francis and Frederick received their training in metal work and engineering, as all three worked for the "Novelty Iron Works" (formerly Stillman & Co), which was a large and well established engineering and industrial manufacturing company in the city. Along with their education, this on-the-job training gave all of them a real knowledge and skill with the engineering and manufacturing of heavy industrial equipment, foundry work, castings, and military armaments; the top-quality workmanship that Novelty Iron Works was known for in New York. While he was employed at Novelty Iron Works Ferdinand visited New Orleans in the early part of the 1840s, functioning as a sales agent for the customers of the company in that region. These were mostly businesses in the sugar and cotton industry. The allure of New Orleans must have been great, as Ferdinand moved there in 1845 and in 1849 married a local woman, Mary Jane Wilcox. In 1852 Ferdinand’s younger brother Frederick joined him in New Orleans and by 1855 his brother Francis had as well. The threesome established the Belleville Iron Works in Algiers, LA where they concentrated on manufacturing large-scale industrial machinery and agricultural equipment. This type of industrial engineering and manufacturing was practically unknown in the south, which had relied for decades upon northern manufactures for their machinery. The Cooks even dabbled in the manufacture of small arms and artillery, and as early as May of 1856 they had corresponded with US Secretary of War Jefferson Davis about the possibility of establishing a national foundry for the manufacture of canon and arms in New Orleans. While he was making his own business successful, Ferdinand remained a sales agent for the Novelty Iron Works, but by had 1861 resigned from that position. Brothers Ferdinand and Francis also spun off their small arms portion of the Bellville Works sometime in late 1860 or early 1861, establishing the Nashua Iron Company for the production of arms. This company was established on Canal Street in New Orleans proper, across the Mississippi River from their Algiers factory.
Yes, My friend had a Cook & Bros. SG & Bayonet marked, Mobile, Ala. After closing their facility in N.O. Now moving from N.O. to Athens, GA. one would not go up the Miss. River. One would have to travel overland. So, I don't know how many were marked Mobile, but at least one I know of before set up in Athens, GA
 
Now moving from N.O. to Athens, GA. one would not go up the Miss. River.
Nope, before the Federal capture of New Orleans forced the Cook brothers to relocated further south. It is believed that firm produced about 2,200 long arms in New Orleans, most of which were rifles, with a much smaller number of carbines and musketoons produced as well, prior to their forced evacuation in April of 1862. The Cooks took as much machinery, finished parts and raw materials as they could and escaped by river to Vicksburg, MS and then traveled via wagon to Selma, AL. The Cooks then moved on to Athens, GA and established their new factory there.

Without seeing the bayonet in question I can't see J Conning buying a blade from anyone as they were in the sword business. The J Conning mark on any CS blade is always suspect as it is one of the top 5 CS markers marks to be faked
 
As I understand it buck and ball was used to repel a massed attack or a cavalry charge against entrenched troops. I did not think dismounted cavalry were often in the position of "holding the line." It is also my understanding that cavalry shotguns were often cut down to as little as twelve inches so range would be a problem.
 
I'm not exactly disputing your account, but only wanted to suggest another possibility: Immediately postwar due to the poverty of the South and general shortage of everything including items of clothing, Federal authorities allowed former Confederates to continue wearing their uniforms IF they removed all traces of anything military which often included buttons, especially brass ones containing letters CSA or state seals, etc.

oh I’m sure that’s along the lines of what really happened- but family stories here in the South tend to get exaggerated over time to blame the dastardly Yankees as much as possible! I think I found that story from an account John Wesley Wilcox gave at his fiftieth wedding anniversary.
 
Since you've already mentioned the use of trench shotguns in WWI, the problem with attaching a bayonet to one would be thereby making it more awkward and unwieldy in tight quarters, like a trench. That was a principal reason the German army moved from the G98 rifle of WWI to the K98k of WWII: the shorter length was more practical for the kind of close-quarter fighting that had developed since the more open battlefields of 1914 and it was thought the slightly lesser range of the shorter rifle was more than made up for.
Perhaps, but maybe with a knife size bayonet, but as far as cavalry, I dont think that would be TOO much of a problem as Most fighting of the war was not in trenches, or at least as small of trenches as ww1. Besides, a springfield with a bayonet is a lot longer than a shotgun with one.
 
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here’s the armory in Athens around 30 years after the war

the building is still used by The University of Georgia for the facilities management division

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After the war, Chicopee Mills bought the property - there’s a story that when they expanded they found a bunch of unused Cook and Brother rifle barrels that they used as rebar in the new concrete!

in the late 70s a grad student wrote a thesis on the armory, but Ive not been able to find a copy of the full paper. I got a copy from the anthropology department of a shortened version — the student had identified several areas in the surrounding area at the armory that he felt warranted xcavation and study, but to my knowledge, nobody’s ever really gone searching — I’m not sure what all could be found, but fascinating to speculate
 
Very interesting threads here; guns modified for cavalry use, Cook & Brother bayonet adaptations, and other uses of Cook style bayonets. I'd like to touch on all 3, and since a picture is worth 1000 words, here goes.
altered/modified for Cav. usage.
a P53 Enfield cut down to a "blanket gun".
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Need a swivel for that shoulder strap? Here's one Rebels idea on a cut down double.
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Last but certainly not least, an ID'ed, P53 Barnett Enfield cut to a Cav.Carbine. The next 3 are for the "Georgia Girl"
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I'll get to the bayonets tomorrow.
 
As everyone knows, when the CW broke out the South was woefully short of military grade weapons. The immediate solution was soldiers bring their long guns and shotguns with them. As early as August of 1861 the shotguns long term use was foreseen; Captain of Ordnance Wm. R. Hunt wrote to the Secretary of War from Memphis, recommending that contracts be let for 10,000 sword bayonets for double barreled shotguns. Nearly a year later Hunt wrote to Secretary of War J. P. Benjamin, “Colonel Forrest, the most efficient cavalry officer in this department, informs me that the double barrel shotgun is the best gun with which the cavalry can be armed.”
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Arming cavalry with shotguns was one thing but infantry needed a bayonet. In order to fit a bayonet to a shotgun the maker needed the shotgun in order to affix the bayonet lug to the shotgun in order for the bayonet to fit it.

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Cook & Brother of New Orleans provided many of these. Below is a receipt from Cook & Brothers that received 12 shotguns from Co. M, Chalmette Regiment and the invoice from Cook & Brothers for the work.

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The Cook & Brothers bayonet is hard to find but a Cook & Brothers shotgun bayonet is VERY Rare. They are not makers marked but the C&B bayonet is easily recognized by the pattern and serial #.

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You can find many CW era photos of Confederate soldiers with a shotgun but finding one with a bayonet is impossible. Hopefully we can get @Lanyard Puller to chime in.

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Wow! You wouldn't want to have that thing coming your way! It looks more like a dirk than a bayonet.
That's a lot of shotgun, I might be inclined, if possible, to shorten the barrel to lighten it some, and increase the spread of buckshot. Getting hit by any of those balls is about equivalent to a 9mm roughly, and I think buckshot shells carry 9 per shell or thereabouts.
Liking this.
 
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