30 



AKMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



form ; and the United States Government, in 

 their contracts for muskets made with private 

 parties, in 1861, requires that all shall be made 

 of the Springfield pattern, with all their parts 

 interchangeable with these. 



The impending danger of a foreign war near 

 the close of the year, together with the urgent 

 necessities of the country, rendered it the part 

 of prudence for the Government to adopt ex- 

 traordinary measures for receiving supplies of 

 arms. Every year the waste by loss and de- 

 terioration is estimated at 33 per cent, of all in 

 use ; and with European Governments it is 

 found expedient to keep the arsenals stocked 

 with at least as many as are in the hands of 

 the army. Consequently the War Department 

 at that time issued proposals for the manufac- 

 ture of large numbers of muskets in separate 

 contracts of 25,000, 30,000, 50,000, etc., each, 

 as well to meet immediate demands as to be 

 prepared for extraordinary and unforeseen fu- 

 ture emergencies. The consequence of this 

 will soon be the establishment of private armo- 

 ries adequate to the supply of all the arms that 

 can be required for the country. The price of 

 these is $20 each, the minimum sum offered in 

 response to previous proposals presented by 

 the Government. The price paid for the infe- 

 rior foreign arms imported has varied from $5 

 to $30 each, the low rates being for old smooth- 

 bore muskets of the Prussian and Austrian ser- 

 vice, and the higher prices for Enfield rifles. 

 Most of these have been altered to bring them 

 to the great simplicity and efficiency of the 

 American arms. The Maynard, or percussion 

 tape primer, has been dispensed with, and per- 

 cussion caps are exclusively used. The only 

 arms furnished to the infantry are the simple 

 musket and bayonet, with cartridges prepared 

 for service at the armories. 



A few companies of sharp-shooters have been 

 furnished with revolver rifles of superior con- 

 struction, fitted with telescopic sights adapted 

 for execution at long distances. Colt's and 

 Sharp's rifles are selected for this purpose. The 

 former are manufactured at the great establish- 

 ment of the late Col. Colt, at Hartford, which 

 is unsurpassed in extent and in the perfection 

 of its machinery, and has a capacity to furnish 

 more than 1,000 firearms, including rifles, car- 

 bines, and pistols, per day. The principle of 

 Colt's revolvers is well understood to consist 

 in a revolving breech of 6 chambers, which are 

 brought in turn in line with the barrel by each 

 successive working of the lock. Sharp's rifle 

 is a breech-loading and self-priming piece, the 

 barrel made of cast steel bored out. The breech 

 is secured by a sliding cut-off or block of metal, 

 which being drawn down by the guard to 

 which it is attached, exposes a cavity on the 

 upper side extending into the barrel. The car- 

 Bridge is laid into this, and its rear end is cut 

 off by the edge of the block on pushing this 

 up to its place. The escape of the gases is 

 prevented by a ring, so fitted in the face of the 

 slide and against the end of the barrel, that 



when the discharge takes place, this ring is 

 forced closely against the barrel. Flat disks 

 of copper, containing percussion powder, are 

 used for priming, one being shoved forward 

 upon the nipple by the movement of the lock, 

 or percussion caps are used if preferred. The 

 rifle was invented by Mr. C. Sharp, of Phila- 

 delphia, about the year 1852, and has been 

 manufactured, together witii pistols of a simi- 

 lar construction, upon an extensive scale, in 

 the works of C. Sharp & Co., near Fairmount, 

 Phila. The principal establishment for their 

 manufacture at present is that of the ' Sharp's 

 Rifle Manufacturing Co.," at Hartford, Conn. 

 All the materials used in their manufacture 

 are made in the buildings, even to the screws 

 that fasten the parts together. 



Cavalry. The fire-arms furnished the U. S. 

 cavalry are of no regular pattern. They consist 

 of a revolver, carbine, and pistols, the varieties 

 of which supplied by private armories are very 

 numerous, and soon after the commencement 

 of the war . the productions of these were 

 altogether monopolized by the U. S. Govern- 

 ment. 



The carbine is a weapon intermediate be- 

 tween the rifle and pistol in weight and length, 

 is usually breech-loading, and is sometimes 

 furnished with a bayonet in the form of a 

 sword. This has also an ordinary handle, 

 and is carried as a side-arm, for which pur- 

 pose it is well adapted, having a curved cut- 

 ting edge as well as a sharp point. Those in 

 common use, and which have been favorably 

 reported upon by boards of officers, are Burn- 

 sides', Sharp's, and Maynard's. They are of 

 steel barrels, which taper uniformly from 

 breech to muzzle. The first, invented by Gen. 

 A. E. Burnside, was formerly manufactured at 

 Bristol, R. I., and is now made by Charles 

 Jackson, at Providence, R. I. The chamber 

 of this carbine opens by turning on a hinge ; 

 the cartridge is introduced with its case of 

 sheet-brass, which in the explosion packs the 

 joint, and prevents the escape of the gas. This 

 arm is recommended on account of its strength, 

 its perfectly tight joint, and water-proof car- 

 tridges ; but it is objected to on account of 

 its cost, and the difficulty of obtaining the 

 cartridges. Sharp's carbines, made by the 

 " Sharp's Rifle Manufacturing Company," Hart- 

 ford, Conn., is like the rifle alrea'dy described. 

 Maynard's carbine, manufactured by the May- 

 nard's Arms Co., Washington, D. C., has a fixed 

 chambered piece, with the joint closed by a 

 metallic cartridge case. Carbines, pistols, and 

 muskets are manufactured to considerable ex- 

 tent for the army, at the works of Messrs. 

 Remington, at Ilion, Herkimer Co., N. Y. 

 Of the repeating pistols issued to the cavalry 

 and to the light artillery, the following are 

 among the most popular : Colt's ; Savage's, 

 made at Middletown, Conn. ; Smith & Wes- 

 son's, made at Springfield, Mass. ; Warner's, 

 at New Haven, Conn. ; and Allen's, at Wor- 

 cester, Mass. Savage's pistol, which is a six- 





