When the american civil war broke out in april 1861, neither the north about 360,000 small arms nor the south about 240,000 had enough weapons to fight a major war. The us m1855 rifle musket saw significant use during the american civil war, as it was the most advanced us made rifle musket in production when the hostilities broke out. If you have any questions about this or any of the other weapons at the civil war arsenal. Hess, a prolific civil war historian, is an important contribution to civil war literature. Armory richmond, civil war guns, civil war long rifles, civil war stories, confederate weapons, richmond rifle musket and tagged 1861 richmond high hump, 1861 richmond rifle musket, 1862 richmond rifle musket, civil war guns, confederate guns, confederate long rifles, confederate rifles, cs armory. When it leaves the muzzle of the musket at a velocity of fps it immediately begins to drop due to the force of gravity.
Musket, rolling block, sharps rifle,civil war type, indian wars era style, folding 3 leaf rear sight. Firing lines that were much more than a hundred yards apart could not inflict very much damage on each other, and so troops which were to make an attack would be massed together, elbow to elbow, and would make a run for it. Hess university press of kansas september 2008 288 pages, 8 illustrations, 6 x 9 modern war studies cloth isbn 9780. The crimean war 18531856 saw the first widespread use of the rifled musket for the common infantryman and by the time of the american civil war 18611865 most infantry were equipped with the rifled musket. An understanding of civil war small arms and ammunition requires knowledge of a number of technical terms, covered in the glossary at the end of the essay. The musket still has crisp action and a strong main spring and lots of original rifling. The confederacy would copy the springfield 1861, later manufactured in. They held a wad of tow the fiber of flax, hemp or jute. The confederacy would copy the springfield 1861, later manufactured in richmond, va. The heart of the book is the study of the rifled musket in battle. Hess forcefully challenges that claim, offering a new, cleareyed, and convincing assessment of the rifle musket s actual performance on the battlefield and its impact on the course of the civil war. This is the classic style that would have been used with the large caliber bore military muskets.
The incredible value of his book is setting a context for discussion and providing a sound basis for debate. Loading, firing live and blanks, cleaning, and storage are also covered. Some of these were, muskets, canons, spears and pikes. Many guns were used in the civil war, including rifles, handguns, muskets and bullets. This enfield replica has all the features of the original, including a onepiece, oilfinished stock, blue barrel. This enfield replica has all the features of the original, including a onepiece, oilfinished stock, blue barrel, originalstyle barrel bands, and brass nose cap. The union depended upon them heavily at least through the battle of gettysburg, and the confederacy relied upon these arms for the entire duration of the war. This is a very nice midwar civil war musket that will make a nice addition to someones civil war display. Would you recommend this book to a reader with little knowledge of. Full length enfield two band barrel civil war musket. Firing lines that were much more than a hundred yards apart could not inflict very much damage on each.
For sure, no one fully used new possibilities of these weapons during civil war, not everyone even had rifled musket, but some changes had to happen. Thomas thomas publications, po box 3031 gettysburg, pa 17325, 1990 96 pp. This is an original gun worm for a civil war era model 1816 pattern. The confederates imported more enfields during the course of the war than any other small arm, buying from private. Mass production was beginning to leave its indelible mark on american.
The civil war musket wasnt the type of weapon that should have been used at all during the civil war. There are a total of 45 civil war rifles 1861 1865 in the military factory. If your referring to the muzzle loading musketrifle. The book details the pistols, revolvers, carbines, rifles, longarms, artillery, swords and edged weapons used in the conflict, and reveals fascinating stories and facts about each type. This was highlighted by a changeover in shoulderfired weapons from smoothbore firearms that had to be loaded through the muzzle each time a shot was fired to rifledbarrel firearms, some of which loaded at the breech. The war between the north and south remains the most bloody conflict in american history with over 625,000 souls claimed. Good condition with additional base and flat screw, not sure if original or reproduction. For decades, military historians have argued that the introduction of the rifle musketwith a range five times longer than that of the smoothbore musketmade. Covers all aspects of cw period military weapons revolvers, muskets, carbines, etc. One reason is the aerodynamics of the big roundball itself. In 1808 the us entered into contracts with a number of companies to manufacture muskets. Thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions about this 1861 richmond rifle musket or any of the other weapons in the civil war arsenal feel free to contact me at. Civil war gun parts musket prussian potsdam original brass upper nose band. By 1861, the united states was in the middle of an industrial revolution.
Us springfield 1865 musket lockplate civil war trapdoor enfield. Small arms of the civil war american battlefield trust. The us m1855 rifle musket saw significant use during the american civil war, as it was the most advanced us made. Many weapons were used in the the civil war from knives to swords along with a variety of firearms, including rifles, pistols, muskets, and repeating weapons. The rifle musket in civil war combat student of the american civil. Asked in us civil war, history of england, china in ww2. Oh and how larger is the average rifle of the day to the carbine.
This post continues the civil war theme of last week with a look at how the musket was used and also what might happen if a person was hit. Many technological advances in weaponry occurred during the civil war, rendering the. Feb 24, 2016 with this new bullet rifle could be loaded with same speed as smothbore musket. A good book which challenges conventional wisdom about the effectiveness of rifles on civil war battlefields, the rifle musket in civil war combat. The civil wars deadliest weapons were not rapidfire guns or giant cannon, but the simple riflemusket and the humble minie ball. By the time the smoke had cleared and the veterans headed back to their homes, the american civil war had exacted a terrible human cost. The musket itself is not accurate for a variety of reasons. The model 1835 is sometimes considered to be its own model number, but is often. The kid wants a civil war musket of all things not a fully automatic high capacity loudenboomer 1547. Civil war, and was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. This musket could have belonged to any one of them. For decades, military historians have argued that the introduction of the rifle musketwith a range five times longer than that of the smoothbore musket made. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz.
Model 1863 musket combination tool original civil war. The authors use thirty years of experience to answer the question of which european weapons were used in the civil war and which were not. The imported muskets, rifles, carbines, revolvers and. The rifle musket in civil war combat university press of kansas. This came from corky hueys collection several years ago, who was an advanced civil war collector and authority on confederatemarked english weapons. If your referring to the muzzle loading musket rifle. The british enfield rifle muskets were purchased in large numbers.
Earl hess brackets his fine work, the rifle musket in civil war combat by proclaiming the general statement that the rifle musket did not revolutionize warfare. This is a very nice mid war civil war musket that will make a nice addition to someones civil war display. By the mid16th century, this type of musket went out of use as heavy armor. The standard and most common shoulder weapon used in the american civil war was the springfield. Many contemporaries were impressed with the new weapon s. Sep 01, 2008 a good book which challenges conventional wisdom about the effectiveness of rifles on civil war battlefields, the rifle musket in civil war combat is a must read for anyone interested in civil war or 19th century tactics, sniping military marksmanship, or the evolution of infantry equipment and tactics. An understanding of civil war small arms and ammunition requires knowledge of a. Information and articles about civil war guns, a weapon used in the american civil war. A musket is a muzzleloaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating heavy armor. Aug 04, 2011 civil war weapons showcases studio photographs of the weapons used to fight the war between the states, along with illustrations and beautiful color paintings. The inaccuracy of muskets journal of the american revolution. They are not title i weapons thus are not governed by the gca or nfa. The model 1835 was produced by the springfield armory, and was also produced by the harpers ferry armory and other contractors. The stock was of walnut, and the overall length of the musket was 56, with the gun weighing in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces without the bayonet.
He makes a good argument toward his point but hides the wealth of information about his subject by trying to be an iconoclast. Engagingly written and meticulously researched, his book will be of special interest to civil war scholars, buffs, reenactors, and gun enthusiasts alike. Muskets were matchlocks until flintlocks were developed in the 17th century, and in the early 19th century flintlocks were replaced by percussion locks. Some of the new weapon technologies used in the civil war include rifled gun barrels, the minie ball and repeating rifles. Debunking a civil war myth outdated tactics youtube. By the end of 1853, the enfield riflemusket was approved by the war. Civil war muskets and riflesfall creek suttlery lds. Musket, muzzleloading shoulder firearm, evolved in 16thcentury spain as a larger version of the harquebus. Federal law does not prohibit selling, even interstate, an antique firearm to a minor. The civil wars singleshot, muzzleloading musket revolutionized warfareor so weve been told for years.
These were used for the cleaning out of the musket bore. Confederatemarked enfield p53 musket this is a very nice untouched example of a confederate pattern 1853 three band rifled musket manufactured by barnett of london. The gun and bayonet are accompanied by a brief printout on. The enfield 1853 rifle musket was also used by both the north and the south in the american civil war, and was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war, surpassed only by the springfield model 1861 rifled musket. As the war escalated those arms stockpiles were quickly diminished. Powerbelt copper 50 cal hollow point rifle bullet, 245 grain, 50ct. They are not title i weapons thus are not governed by.
With europe in the midst of the napoleonlc war, the government wanted to encourage domestic manufacture of military muskets. This was highlighted by a changeover in shoulderfired weapons from smoothbore firearms that had to be loaded through the muzzle each time a shot was fired to rifledbarrel firearms, some of which. Hess forcefully challenges that claim, offering a new, cleareyed, and convincing assessment of the rifle muskets actual performance on the battlefield and its impact on the course of the civil war. These were far more accurate than smoothbore muskets and had a far longer range, while preserving the muskets comparatively faster. The smooth bore musket was a very inaccurate short range unreliable weapon. The model 1861 rifle musket was the classic arm of the civil war infantry soldier. This musket saw service by both the union and confederate troops during the civil war. Civil war weapons showcases studio photographs of the weapons used to fight the war between the states, along with illustrations and beautiful color paintings. In this video, i use earl hess book, the rifle musket in civil war combat to argue against the commonly held belief that the weaponry outpaced the tactics used during the civil war. Colonel willets died in 1926 and his extensive collection of personal items, weapons, civil war memorabilia and uniforms was sold at an estate sale in 1999. Nicely priced us springfield model 1855 rifle musket.
The musketry books also recommended that, whenever the grease around the. This is a long awaited book for the hobby and new reenactors. Civil war weapons the civil war, the civil war history. Stockpiles of rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers were limited. The only reason it was used at all was simply due to the fact that both sides already had so many thousands of them in their inventory to begin with. The civil war witnessed a technological revolution in weaponry. Infantry tactics at the time of the civil war were based on the use of the smoothbore musket, a weapon of limited range and accuracy. Hess forcefully challenges that claim, offering a new, cleareyed, and convincing assessment of the rifle muskets actual performance. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android.
The civil war s singleshot, muzzleloading musket revolutionized warfareor so weve been told for years. Get the best deals on civil war rifle when you shop the. Many of his points are aimed at reversing generally accepted views and can be contested. Brown bess and charleville 17151865 weapon by stuart reid, steve noon, et al. Get the best deals on civil war rifle when you shop the largest online selection at. Small arms and ammunition essential civil war curriculum. The gun and bayonet are accompanied by a brief printout on the service of willetts and there is an image of him as well.
In 1866 the us army adapted the metallic cartridge 5070 single shot rifle. Read standard catalog of civil war firearms by john f. During the english civil war, the cavaliers used a variety of weapons. Will accept paypal or possible other forms of payment. An important, welldocumented book that provides the first systematic study of the rifles true impact on the battlefield. The enfield 1853 riflemusket was also used by both the north and the south in the american civil war, and was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war, surpassed only by the springfield model 1861 rifled musket. With this new bullet rifle could be loaded with same speed as smothbore musket.
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