Vermont Volunteers Civil War Muskets

[CLMN]

Civil War Muskets Used By Vermont Volunteers?

For the past two years, I have been trying to research the specific musket(s) that would have been issued to late recruits (late-1864/early-1865) to the Vermont Volunteers during the very last stages of the American Civil War. My research has turned up some good, sound theories... but still nothing concrete so far. Obvious strong candidates include genuine Springfield-manufactured 1861 muskets, contract-manufactured 1861 muskets, 1861 "Specials" (as made by Colt et al), Springfield 1863 Type I muskets and Springfield 1863 Type II muskets. Various opinions and documents I've gathered over this time enable a good case to be made for almost any one of the above... or others.

If there are any folks here with ideas, information or contacts that might be able to help me, I would appreciate hearing from you. Please contact me by PM or email if you do not wish to post the information or contact names publicly. Thank you.

 

[Jim K]

Or all of the above. As long as the ammunition was the same, uniformity of arms within a unit was not high on the worry list of CW commanders, or of the Ordnance Department, and of course no distinction at all was made on the basis of manufacturer.

Your best bet is unit histories and photographs. But be careful about photos. Most photos of individual soldiers (usually looking suitably warlike with revolvers, musket and big knife) were taken by photographers who also provided the weaponry. Group pictures are more reliable.

Memoirs can help, but most veterans were not gun collectors and rarely describe their weapons except in a general way.

Jim

 

[CLMN]

Thanks for replying Jim. I fully understand what you're saying. It is a difficult... if not impossible... quest. I am relying heavily on the fact that I am focused solely on the very late recruits, of which there were relatively few. These were replacement troops... the very last soldiers to join from Vermont and see battle. I'm hoping that fact can be exploited.

CLMN

 

[Jim K]

Lots of luck!

Jim

 

[CLMN]

Thanks Jim. I'll admit that I am hoping for something of a breakthrough in the way of someone having or knowing of a family heirloom or documentation of a particular musket having been issued in that very late timeframe.

Frankly, I would be most pleased to learn of a single documentable example of any of the following five muskets actually being issued in that (late-1864/early-1865) timeframe:

1) Genuine Springfield Armory-manufactured 1861 muskets
2) Contract-manufactured 1861 muskets
3) 1861 "Specials" (Colt or Colt-issued subcontract)
4) Springfield 1863 Type I muskets
5) Springfield 1863 Type II muskets

And in the case of contract-manufactured muskets, I am trying to find out if Windsor Vermont-based L.G. & Y produced any muskets that went directly to the Vermont Volunteers (i.e., rather than being shipped to, and redistributed, by the Springfield Armory).

I should be clear that I am not trying to prove the issuance of any one musket to the exclusion of others. If it turned out that many or all were issued within that timeframe, so be it! That will have answered my question.

CLMN

 

[Jim K]

Just FWIW, I doubt any contract arms went directly to any unit. The contracts called for delivery to a specific place (often Springfield Armory), in order for the contractor to be paid. The general rule was that a sub-inspector checked them at the factory, then a senior inspector had to pass them at the government facility, but that was not always done in the war emergency. In any event until the arms were delivered, inspected and approved, they weren't paid for, so the contractor didn't go handing them out to any "boys in blue" who happened to be marching by.

(Before someone starts in on those arms purchased by commanding officers, etc., note I said contract arms, not private purchase. And L.G.& Y., AFAIK, did not sell any muskets on private purchase.)

Jim

 

[CLMN]

Once again Jim, thanks for your input. If I am not mistaking, L. G. & Y. production was actually subcontracted from Colt (who, in turn, was subcontracted from the government/Springfield Armory). I'm not sure if or how this might affect your position. I'm not even certain it is entirely correct.

Clearly, my question (above) re: L. G. & Y. should have been more precisely worded and I apologize for that. But the concern is still the same: Is it possible that L. G. & Y. sold or otherwise transferred any muskets directly to the State of Vermont (for its late-recruited "Vermont Volunteers") in the very last days of the Civil War?

CLMN

 

[Jim K]

Same answer, I doubt it. No matter whether a company was a direct contractor or a sub-contractor, they would have a contractual obligation to deliver the product. There is a possibility of a production over-run and they could sell the extras, but that would have to be proven by documents, not just speculation on a possibility.

Did you research the state records? If the state purchased arms from LG&Y or anyone else, there should be a record. But if the unit was armed by the federal government, as was usually the case, the state records would be silent.

The usual procedure with a volunteer unit was that a unit formed up in a town or county. They did not bring their own arms nor were they issued arms at that point. Then they were sent as a unit to a camp of instruction (we would call it "basic training") where they got arms and did the regular training. But instead of being sent on to units piecemeal as would be the case today, they would be sent to the field as a unit. They usually wouldn't keep the arms they trained with; those would be kept for the next training cycle. The unit would be issued new (to them) arms before going into regular service, whether that was combat or some other form of service.

Again, barring some kind of documentary evidence, like a diary saying "we were all issued Model 1861 rifles made by xxx", I think you will have a long research project and might not find out much. As I said, the army kept no track of where specific contractor arms went and didn't even care much about models, as long as the ammunition was the same. A .58 rifle-musket was a .58 rifle-musket; no one cared who made it or even the model. And it is rare to see a soldier even mention the model of his rifle, let alone the maker, unless it was to complain that he had been issued a despised foreign musket.

Jim

 

[CLMN]

Hi Jim - I have gone through some Vermont archives and I have found records which appear to show the State of Vermont procuring muskets (being delivered muskets) from the Springfield Armory for their Civil War era recruits... albeit not in the same timeframe I am interested in. My search of the archives to date has barely touched the tip of the iceberg of what may be available. I understand that I have a lot more work to do.

But if your description is correct, the muskets actually carried into battle could have been issued to these late recruits elsewhere (out of state)... meaning they could have been almost anything that happened to be available. If true, that all but destroys my ability to identify the particular muskets issued to those very last recruits of the war. Game over!

CLMN

 

[Jim K]

I urge you to read up on the procedures to satisfy yourself, but I have described the general practice. Soldiers recruited in Vermont didn't just right shoulder arms and march off to Vicksburg or Cold Harbor. And nobody, then or now, would trust raw recruits with rifles until they had received training. (The local Army or Marine recruiting office in the mall doesn't hand out M4's and plane tickets to Afghanistan!)

And, yes, they ended up with anything that was available. If they were to go into combat, they got (if at all possible), standard .58 rifle-muskets (the troops usually used the term "rifle"). Rear echelon troops, like railroad guards, depot guards, prison camp guards, and other non-combat troops might get old Model 1842 muskets (rifled or not) or foreign muskets. The Union bought not only Enfields but thousands of old muskets from Germany, Austria, Belgium and France, not only to use but mainly to keep them from the C.S. purchasing agents.

Also, small arms were captured, and scavenged from the battle field, a big thing with both armies. Small arms were picked up, salvaged if possible, rebuilt as necessary, then re-issued. That is why so many Confederate soldiers ended up with Springfields (which were prized) and Federal troops found themselves with Enfields marked "C.S." Most of the ammunition issued to U.S. troops was actually .577 (and cases were so marked) and usable in both the Springfield and Enfield.

All of which is really beside the point. I do wish you luck, but in all honesty I think you will come up against a dead end.

Jim

 

[CLMN]

Thanks once again Jim. It goes without saying that your input here has been very helpful. You are bringing up good and valid points for me to research that none of the prior antique firearms or Civil War "experts" I've consulted with have ever even mentioned.

But once again I must remind you of my very limited focus. I am literally looking at the very last of the last recruits of the entire war... at a time when the end of the war was in sight and union supplies of small arms were, supposedly, more than adequate if not in outright surplus. I am talking about state volunteer recruits signed up so late that their companys had long since been dispatched into battle... with many of these late "fill-in" recruits never even leaving their respective states for lack of need. I am probably talking about the last few dozen men that signed up in Vermont and actually saw battle... probably only in the 3rd Battle of Petersburg if at all.

My only point is that this very last handful of state volunteer recruits may not have followed the same "route" to training and battle as the many thousands that went before them earlier in the war. In my view, this does whittle down the likely possibilities... although not yet enough to satisfy my curiosity.

CLMN

 

[Jim K]

All I can say is that I wish you luck in following that "dream." I hope there is something out there to support your ideas.

Jim