The henry gave birth to the 1873 winchester, the gun that won the west. They were shipped to french forces for use in the francoprussian war 18701871. Jan 03, 2004 first into, and last out, of so many battles of the peninsular war, they came from a regiment, then known prosaically as the 95th of foot, but renamed the rifle brigade after the battle of waterloo. Rifle america by philip sharpe, first edition abebooks. Both gave the infantry a tremendous advantage on the battlefield. This handbook is intended as a guide for all soldiers of the regular army, national guard, and national army who arearmed with the rifle, and should be used to supplement the instruction which they will receive from their organizations. Early in the war, confederates used civilian arms including shotguns and hunting rifles like the kentucky or hawken due to the. On the domestic front, world war ii brought newcomers that are here examined.
Upson wrote a book entitled with sherman to the sea that is a collections of his civil war letters, dairies and reminiscences. Jan 16, 2019 the henry rifle saw limited service in the american civil war as well as the indian wars and was produced in an equally limited number of examples. 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. Until now, most books on civil war firearms have tended to focus almost. America was engulfed in the searing flames of the civil war, and the first henry rifles were in the hands of union soldiers by mid 1862. Small arms of the civil war american battlefield trust. There were many stories of battles being won because they were armed with the henry rifle. The spencer repeating rifle is used by the 5th and 6th michigan cavalry. Calibre is the diameter of the bore in inches or millimetres, and the full title of a rifle gives other information. Repeating rifles saw use in the american civil war during the early 1860s, and the first repeating air rifle to see military service was the windbuchse rifle. Following the election of abraham lincoln in 1860, a bitterly divided america engages in civil war. The second amendment is one of americas most hotly contested laws, with critics claiming the authors of the constitution implied protection for ownership of muskets alone. The model 1859 rifle was 52 caliber, was 47 inches long, and weighed 8 34 pounds, while the carbine was. The civil war is often to referred as the first modern war in history as it included the most advanced tec.
The information on the rifles usage at new orleans, the converted austrian rifles and that 6,000 carbines were made was all new to me. Before the invention of the selfcontained cartridge projectile. Smoothbore muskets, some of which were still used during the civil war, were generally unreliable at any range more than 75 yards. For a civil war soldier, owning a henry rifle was a point of pride. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz.
Those virginia cavalry regiments that took part in the great beefsteak raid, captured over 200 of the 1st dc cavalrys henry rifles, they also captured a supply of ammunition. A history of the first repeating rifles, historian joseph. The fast and the furious a quick history of civil war repeating rifles by 19 september, 2017 3 comments soldiers of the 7th illinois. Soldiers handbook rifle score special course c abebooks. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The sharpshooter battalions of the army of northern virginia. The spencer carbine was one of the most popular firearms of the civil war. When spencer signed his new rifle up for adoption right after the civil war broke out, the view. No other weapon came close to inflicting as much damage as the rifle.
A history of the first repeating rifles weapons in history. Civil war rifles were the main weapon used by both sides during the war. Spencer rifle carbine leveraction repeating firearm. The henry rifle used the lever action and the cartridge technology to allow highly accurate, powerful, rapidfiring guns. Patented in 1860, the henry gave a single man the firepower of a dozen marksmen armed with muzzleloading muskets.
A history of the first repeating rifles, historian joseph g. They were far superior to the smoothbore muskets that were used previously in pretty much every conceivable way. The confederates occasionally captured some of these weapons and ammunition, but, as they were unable to manufacture the cartridges because of their dire. However, historical evidence suggests a completely different reality, proving that gunmakers and lawmakers were looking for ways to develop and improve the actions and capacities of firearms well beyond the musket. Historical timeline 18661899 winchester repeating arms. This is more than just a gun book about one of the most famous rifles of the civil war. Very pretty1863 dated remington military rifle with matching production dates. Pistols too, and for that matter, shotguns, clubs, pikes, sticks and stones, etc.
Information and articles about civil war guns, a weapon used in the. John dore of the 7th new york library of congress these riflemuskets were chiefly percussion weapons. An understanding of civil war small arms and ammunition requires knowledge. The basics of rifle shooting book by national rifle association. Theodore upson used a henry repeating rifle when he was with general sherman and making the famous march to the sea. It contains a lot of specific detail regarding specific henry rifles. Add to cart save 25% on every book by joining our book club. The spencer repeating rifles and carbines were early american leveraction firearms invented.
Though the muzzleloading percussion cap rifle was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the union and confederate armies, many other firearms, ranging from the singleshot breechloading sharps and burnside rifles to the spencer and the henry rifles, two of the worlds first repeating. The spencer repeating rifle was first adopted by the united states navy, and later by the united states army, and it was used during the american civil war, where it was a popular weapon. These weapons include edged weapons such as knives, swords, and bayonets, firearms such as, rifledmuskets, breech loaders and repeating weapons, various field guns such as artillery, and new weapons such as the early grenade. Henry who conceived the first practical, lever action repeating rifle. The use of linder carbines in south america was also nice but obviously needs more work to clarify there use in the war of the triple alliance.
The confederates occasionally captured some of these weapons and ammunition, but, as they were unable to manufacture the cartridges because of their dire copper shortage, their utilization of the weapons was. Because of this, the process by which arms were manufactured was just as important as the weapons themselves. Its an independently owned space to track and share your reading, and to celebrate books with other readers. The winchesters technological family tree runs through the henry rifle, used during the civil war, and on back to 1849, when inventor walter hunt patented the volition repeating rifle. The american civil war was a time of great advances in weaponry.
Cost, availability, reliability, and logistics are all factors limiting the use of repeating rifles particularly in the south. A new historical series featured only on this channel bringing to life with vivid recreations, sound and editing documentaries on the history of. Fred is also very interested in civil war sharpshooters, and is the author of shock troops of the confederacy. Little information on the later models of military models used in the indian wars.
During the war, a variety of weapons were used on both sides. 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. Deconstructing the antigun second amendment musket myth. Small arms and ammunition essential civil war curriculum. The brass framed rifles could fire at a rate of 28 rounds per minute when used correctly, so soldiers who saved their pay to buy one often believed. 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. Brownells is your source for rifle shooting books,books at brownells parts and accessories. This one weapon accounted for most of the casualties during the entire war. Although it was never officially adopted for service by the union army, many soldiers purchased henry rifles with their own funds. The confederates occasionally captured some of these weapons and ammunition, but, as they were unable to manufacture the cartridges because of their dire copper shortage, their utilization of the weapons was limited. Aug 29, 2016 edited at the army war college, november 1917, corrected to may 1, 1918. Issued late in 1863, the spencer carbine had a demoralizing effect on the confederate soldiers. During the american civil war, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Nonfiring replica of 1860 civil war henry repeating rifle.
This essential overview of the legendary guns and armsmakers of the civil war era includes. Excellent research on one of the most obscure designs of the civil war. Repeating rifles enabled the shooter to fire multiple shots without having to reload. The fast and the furious a quick history of civil war. Even after spencer persuaded lincoln to intervene, ripley dragged his feet. Repeating rifles were a significant advance over the preceding singleshot breechloading rifles when used for military combat, as they allowed a much greater rate of fire.
This also spurred the rise of the french third republic and the arrival of the lebel boltaction service rifle, the worlds first smokelesspropellant cartridge rifle. Aug 06, 2009 it is estimated that of the henry repeating rifles used in the civil war the confederacy used about 10% of them. There are a total of 45 civil war rifles 1861 1865 in the military factory. Early models of the leveraction repeating rifle prove highly effective in battle and set the stage for further post war development. Bilby unfolds the fascinating story of how two new england inventors, benjamin henry and christopher spencer, each combined generations of cartridge and rifle technology to develop reliable repeating rifles. Benjamin tyler henry received a patent on his level action repeating rifle in 1860. Apr 03, 2014 the available volume is dale olsons the burgess long range repeating rifle model 1878 and other related stories, published just a few years ago in appropriately wyoming. Portrait of christopher miner spencer from the book commemorative biographical record of. The american civil war, fought between the union and confederate forces, took place from 1861 to 1865. Spencer repeating rifle garners civil war contracts. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. The rifle fired an allnew cartridge from a thenhefty ammunition count contained under the barrel and had certain famous gunsmith names associated with her origins including that of horace smith.
Repeating rifle, rifled shoulder arm typically designed with a springloaded tubular or box magazine holding metallic cartridges, each of which is fed into the chamber or breech by a lever, pump, bolt, or semiautomatic mechanism. Jan 23, 2012 because ripley reported to the secretary of war, not a general, he was immune from the boards orders. The henry rifle was patented in 1860 by benjamin tyler henry. In a stroke, the henry rifle and spencer rifle and. For the price, it is a good reference, although i suspect the unavailable book samuel maxwells lever action magazine rifles, derived from the patents of andrew burgess. The civil war was the first time in history that armies relied upon the mass production of weapons. Christopher spencer, a connecticut yankee, successfully invented the spencer repeating rifle and later the spencer carbine. Sep 01, 2008 the civil war s singleshot, muzzleloading musket revolutionized warfareor so weve been told for years. List of weapons in the american civil war wikipedia.
Subscribe to tocwoc a civil war blogs feed via rss or email to receive instant updates. Two years later, the civil war broke out henry began production for military use by union soldiers. The two most common repeater rifles available during the civil war were the spencer and henry rifles. The war between the north and south remains the most bloody conflict in american history with over 625,000 souls claimed. Christopher miner spencer, 19thcentury arms manufacturer. I like getting a curated list of the book deals im interested in without having to spend hours combing. This book is for those who want to know the origin of the henry rifle. It is, however, also interesting to read about the difficulty selling the henry to the military during the civil war, considering that the semiautomatic repeater was unique.
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