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Numerous repeating firearms were used during Civil War
Published: Sunday, May 28, 2006 4:12 PM CDT
Outdoors Corner
By Bob Sheldon, Guest Columnist
The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts where a significant number of repeating firearms were used. The most common repeating firearm used in the Civil War was the revolver in many makes and types. Some revolvers were purchased by the government for issue to soldiers, but many more were purchased by individual soldiers or their families. I couldn't cover all the different revolvers used in the Civil War even if I wrote a book so I will try to cover a few of them. You may have a revolver I missed, but that doesn't mean it wasn't used in the Civil War.
Colt is the most recognized name in Civil War revolvers and the Colt 1860 Army was the most issued revolver with over 127,000 being sold to the U.S. Government. The 1851 Navy Colt also saw much service and was built from 1851 until 1873, making it the longest produced percussion Colt. Many other Colts, including Walkers, Dragoons, 1861 Navy, 1849 Pocket, Colt-Root Side Hammer Revolver, and others were used in lesser numbers.
The Remington New Model Army was Colt's closest competitor with about 122,000 built. This large 44 caliber percussion revolver saw a lot of service in the 1863-1865 period. Other Remington revolvers used were 1861 Army and Navy Models, Remington-Beals and others.
A strange, but effective, revolver was the Savage-North figure eight revolver. This revolver, built by the Savage Revolving Firearms Co., took its name from the trigger assembly where there was a ring trigger that cocked the hammer below the trigger that fired the revolver. This trigger arrangement looked like the numeral 8 to many people. This 36 caliber revolver functioned well and about 12,000 were sold to the government. This revolver, with its large heart shaped trigger guard, never gained popularity like the Colt and Remington.
The Starr Arms Co. revolver was a sturdy 36 or 44 caliber gun in either single or double action. This was a large some what bulky six-shot revolver weighing about three pounds. Around 45,000 were purchased by the government.
The Whitney revolver, built by Eli Whitney Jr., was a 36 caliber revolver with an eight-inch round barrel. Around 11,000 Whitney revolvers were purchased by the U.S. Government. The Whitney revolver seems to have been one of the main revolvers copied in Confederate Arsenals.
The Rogers and Spencer was a 44-caliber octagon barrel revolver. This was a nice looking revolver with wide flared grip, but it appears that few of the 5,000 purchased by the government were ever issued. Many surviving specimens appear in too good of condition to have seen heavy field service.
Captain C.S. Pettingill's revolver was a true hammerless percussion revolver. This was a strange looking revolver since all popular revolvers of the time had a hammer. There have been many models of concealed hammer revolvers, but true hammerless revolvers are almost unknown even today. Only about two thousand Pettingill revolvers were purchased by the U.S. Government.
The Joslyn Firearms Co. revolver was another large octagon barrel, 44-caliber percussion revolver in the three-pound range. This was a side hammer revolver as the hammer was pivoted from the side of the frame instead of the center of the frame as most revolvers. Only about 1,000 of these revolvers saw Civil War service.
Cartridge revolvers of the Civil War were mostly purchased from France. The Lefaucheux pin fire revolver was the most common. In the pinfire system, the percussion cap was inside the brass cartridge case and the firing pin came out of the side of the case. This ignition system was popular in France until World War I. Twelve thousand of these Lefaucheux revolvers were used by Union Troops.
Other revolvers purchased from France included the Perrin pin fire and the Raphael cartridge revolver. Smith & Wesson revolvers in 22 or 32 rimfire were carried as a backup by both soldiers and officers. These were model 1, 1-1/2, or 2-spur trigger revolvers with the hinge on the top of the frame. The barrel tipped up and the cylinder was removed for reloading.
South of the Mason-Dixon Line, there were several small factories that turned out small quantities of revolvers. Most of these revolvers were copies of the Colt or Whitney revolvers, except that the frames were sometimes made from brass instead of iron. These companies included Augusta Machine Works, T.W. Cofer, Columbus Firearms Mfg. Co., J.H. Dance & Brothers, Leech and Rigdon, Rigdon-Ansley, Kerr Patent Revolver, Schneider and Glassick, George Todd Revolver, Tucker-Sherrard and Co., and others. These makers turned out from less than 100 to a few thousand revolvers.
The LeMat was an original southern design with a nine or 10-shot cylinder revolving around a 63 caliber barrel that acted as the center pin. The gun was sometimes called the “Grape Shot Revolver” as shot was usually fired from the center barrel. Dr. Jean LeMat of New Orleans designed the revolver, but they were built in Belgium, France and England. Less than 3,000 LeMat Revolvers were sold to the Confederacy and most were issued to high ranking officers.
Two of the better known southern revolvers were the Spiller and Burr and the Griswold and Gunnison revolver. The Griswold and Gunnison is a copy of the Colt revolver with a brass frame. About 3,700 Griswold and Gunnison revolvers were built making one of the more common C.S. revolvers. The Spiller and Burr was a copy of the Whitney Navy revolver with a brass frame. Around 1,400 Spiller and Burr revolvers were built.
With all these different revolvers in use, supplying parts must have been very difficult to get the right part to the right place. Revolvers and cartridge guns caused a complete change in the tactics of war. A soldier with muzzle-loading musket had to be standing up to reload his musket efficiently. A man laying down was at a great disadvantage trying to reload his musket, even with a paper cartridge while a man with a revolver or cartridge weapon could go right on shooting from the prone position with very little problem. A man in the prone position presents a very small target.
http://www.carthagepress.com/articles/2006/05/28/sports/03 bob.txt
Published: Sunday, May 28, 2006 4:12 PM CDT
Outdoors Corner
By Bob Sheldon, Guest Columnist
The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts where a significant number of repeating firearms were used. The most common repeating firearm used in the Civil War was the revolver in many makes and types. Some revolvers were purchased by the government for issue to soldiers, but many more were purchased by individual soldiers or their families. I couldn't cover all the different revolvers used in the Civil War even if I wrote a book so I will try to cover a few of them. You may have a revolver I missed, but that doesn't mean it wasn't used in the Civil War.
Colt is the most recognized name in Civil War revolvers and the Colt 1860 Army was the most issued revolver with over 127,000 being sold to the U.S. Government. The 1851 Navy Colt also saw much service and was built from 1851 until 1873, making it the longest produced percussion Colt. Many other Colts, including Walkers, Dragoons, 1861 Navy, 1849 Pocket, Colt-Root Side Hammer Revolver, and others were used in lesser numbers.
The Remington New Model Army was Colt's closest competitor with about 122,000 built. This large 44 caliber percussion revolver saw a lot of service in the 1863-1865 period. Other Remington revolvers used were 1861 Army and Navy Models, Remington-Beals and others.
A strange, but effective, revolver was the Savage-North figure eight revolver. This revolver, built by the Savage Revolving Firearms Co., took its name from the trigger assembly where there was a ring trigger that cocked the hammer below the trigger that fired the revolver. This trigger arrangement looked like the numeral 8 to many people. This 36 caliber revolver functioned well and about 12,000 were sold to the government. This revolver, with its large heart shaped trigger guard, never gained popularity like the Colt and Remington.
The Starr Arms Co. revolver was a sturdy 36 or 44 caliber gun in either single or double action. This was a large some what bulky six-shot revolver weighing about three pounds. Around 45,000 were purchased by the government.
The Whitney revolver, built by Eli Whitney Jr., was a 36 caliber revolver with an eight-inch round barrel. Around 11,000 Whitney revolvers were purchased by the U.S. Government. The Whitney revolver seems to have been one of the main revolvers copied in Confederate Arsenals.
The Rogers and Spencer was a 44-caliber octagon barrel revolver. This was a nice looking revolver with wide flared grip, but it appears that few of the 5,000 purchased by the government were ever issued. Many surviving specimens appear in too good of condition to have seen heavy field service.
Captain C.S. Pettingill's revolver was a true hammerless percussion revolver. This was a strange looking revolver since all popular revolvers of the time had a hammer. There have been many models of concealed hammer revolvers, but true hammerless revolvers are almost unknown even today. Only about two thousand Pettingill revolvers were purchased by the U.S. Government.
The Joslyn Firearms Co. revolver was another large octagon barrel, 44-caliber percussion revolver in the three-pound range. This was a side hammer revolver as the hammer was pivoted from the side of the frame instead of the center of the frame as most revolvers. Only about 1,000 of these revolvers saw Civil War service.
Cartridge revolvers of the Civil War were mostly purchased from France. The Lefaucheux pin fire revolver was the most common. In the pinfire system, the percussion cap was inside the brass cartridge case and the firing pin came out of the side of the case. This ignition system was popular in France until World War I. Twelve thousand of these Lefaucheux revolvers were used by Union Troops.
Other revolvers purchased from France included the Perrin pin fire and the Raphael cartridge revolver. Smith & Wesson revolvers in 22 or 32 rimfire were carried as a backup by both soldiers and officers. These were model 1, 1-1/2, or 2-spur trigger revolvers with the hinge on the top of the frame. The barrel tipped up and the cylinder was removed for reloading.
South of the Mason-Dixon Line, there were several small factories that turned out small quantities of revolvers. Most of these revolvers were copies of the Colt or Whitney revolvers, except that the frames were sometimes made from brass instead of iron. These companies included Augusta Machine Works, T.W. Cofer, Columbus Firearms Mfg. Co., J.H. Dance & Brothers, Leech and Rigdon, Rigdon-Ansley, Kerr Patent Revolver, Schneider and Glassick, George Todd Revolver, Tucker-Sherrard and Co., and others. These makers turned out from less than 100 to a few thousand revolvers.
The LeMat was an original southern design with a nine or 10-shot cylinder revolving around a 63 caliber barrel that acted as the center pin. The gun was sometimes called the “Grape Shot Revolver” as shot was usually fired from the center barrel. Dr. Jean LeMat of New Orleans designed the revolver, but they were built in Belgium, France and England. Less than 3,000 LeMat Revolvers were sold to the Confederacy and most were issued to high ranking officers.
Two of the better known southern revolvers were the Spiller and Burr and the Griswold and Gunnison revolver. The Griswold and Gunnison is a copy of the Colt revolver with a brass frame. About 3,700 Griswold and Gunnison revolvers were built making one of the more common C.S. revolvers. The Spiller and Burr was a copy of the Whitney Navy revolver with a brass frame. Around 1,400 Spiller and Burr revolvers were built.
With all these different revolvers in use, supplying parts must have been very difficult to get the right part to the right place. Revolvers and cartridge guns caused a complete change in the tactics of war. A soldier with muzzle-loading musket had to be standing up to reload his musket efficiently. A man laying down was at a great disadvantage trying to reload his musket, even with a paper cartridge while a man with a revolver or cartridge weapon could go right on shooting from the prone position with very little problem. A man in the prone position presents a very small target.
http://www.carthagepress.com/articles/2006/05/28/sports/03 bob.txt
