Civil War Weapons - Rifle-Muskets
The standard and most common shoulder weapon used in the American Civil War was the Springfield .58-caliber rifle-musket, Models 1855, 1861, and 1863. In July 1855, Secretary of Ware Jefferson Davis authorized the production of a new .58 caliber rifle musket. The U.S. Army adopted this weapon to replace the .69-caliber smoothbore musket and the .54-caliber rifle. This is the first rifled weapon produced for general issue used by the U.S. Army. A rifle version was also produced to replace the M1841 Rifle.
In appearance, the rifle-musket was similar to the smoothbore musket. Roth were single-shot muzzIe-loaders, but the rifled bore of the new weapon substantially increased its range and accuracy. Both the rifle and the rifle-musket were equipped with the Maynard patented priming system which used a roll of caps in a compartment in the lock, that advanced when the weapon was cocked.
The rifling system chosen by the United States was designed by Claude Minie, a French Army officer. Whereas earlier rifles fired a round, nonexpanding ball, the Minie system used a hollow-based cylindro-conoidal projectile sIightly smaller than the bore that could be dropped easily into the barrel. When the powder charge was ignited by a fulminate of mercury percussion cap, the released powder gases expanded the base of the bullet into the rifled grooves, giving the projectile a ballistic spin.
The Model 1855 Springfield rifle-musket was the first regulation arm to use the hollow-base, .58-caliber Ii&x% bullet. The slightly modified Model 1861 was the principal infantry weapon of the Civil War, although two subsequent models in 1863 were produced in about equal quantities. The Model 1861 was 56 inches long overall, had a 40- inch barrel, and weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces. It could be fitted with a 2l-inch socket bayonet (with an l-inch triangular blade, 3-inch socket) and had a rear sight graduated to 500 yards.
The maximum effective range of the Springfield rifle-musket was approximately 500 yards, although it had killing power at 1,000 yards. The round could penetrate 11 inches of white-pine board at 200 yards and 3 114 inches at 1,000 yards, with a penetration of 1 inch being considered the equivalent of disabling a human being. Range and accuracy were increased by the use of the new weapon, but the soldiers’ vision was still obscured by the clouds of smoke produced by its black powder propellant.
To load a muzzle-loading rifle, the soldier took a paper cartridge in hand and tore the end of the paper with his teeth. Next, he poured the powder down the barrel and placed the bullet in the muzzle. Then, using a metal ramrod, he pushed the bullet firmly down the barrel until seated. He then cocked the hammer and pIaced the percussion cap on the cone or nipple, which, when struck by the hammer, ignited the gunpowder. The average rate of fire was three rounds per minute. A well-trained soldier could possibly load and fire four times per minute, but in the confusion of battle, the rate of fire was probably slower, two to three rounds per minute.
In addition to the Springfields, over 100 types of muskets, rifles, rifle-muskets, and rifled muskets-ranging up to .79 caliber-were used during the American Civil War. The numerous American-made weapons were supplemented early in the conflict by a wide variety of imported models. The best, most popular, and most numerous of the foreign weapons was the British .577-caliber Enfield rifle, Model 1853, which was 54 inches long (with a 39-inch barrel), weighed 8.7 pounds (9.2 with the bayonet), could be fitted with a socket bayonet with an H-inch blade, and had a rear sight graduated to a range of 800 yards.
The Enfield design was produced in a variety of forms, both long and short barreled, by several British manufacturers and at least one American company. Of all the foreign designs, the Enfield most closely resembled the Springfield in characteristics and capabilities. The United States purchased over 436,000 Enfield-pattern weapons during the war. Statistics on Confederate purchases are more difficult to ascertain, but a report dated February 1863 indicates that 70,980 long Enfields and 9,715 short Enfields had been delivered by that time, with another 23,000 awaiting delivery.
While the quality of imported weapons varied, experts considered the Enfields and the Austrian Lorenz rifle-muskets very good. Some foreign governments and manufacturers took advantage of the huge initial demand for weapons by dumping their obsolete weapons on the American market. This practice was especialty prevalent with some of the older smoothbore muskets and comverted flintlocks. The greatest challenge, however, lay in maintaining these weapons and supplying ammunition and replacement parts for calibers ranging from -44 to .79. The quality of the imported weapons eventually improved as the procedures, standards, and astuteness of the purchasers improved. For the most part, the European suppliers provided needed weapons, and the newer foreign weapons were highly regarded.
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