RIFLE MUSKET

 A term adopted in 1855 to designate those shoulder arms

that retained the outside dimensions of the old muskets

but that had rifled barrels (Shields, 210). "The rifle

differs from the rifle-musket in having a shorter and

stouter barrel, a sword-bayonet, in the mountings, which

are made of brass instead of iron, and in having its

barrel browned," says the West Point text of 1867

(Benton, 317). This distinction between the two types

is not precisely observed. The Official Records atlas

plate on weapons (CLXXIII) shows a weapon that answers

the description of the UNITED STATES RIFLE, Model 1855

("Harpers Ferry"), complete with sword-type bayonet,

and labels it "Harper's Ferry Rifled Musket "Immediately

above this illustration is a longer weapon, with a

"musket bayonet," labeled "Springfield Rifled Musket."





UNITED STATES (FLINTLOCK) MUSKET, Model 1822

 Due to a shortage of weapons, this Revolutionary War

type weapon was used to some extent at the beginning of

the Civil War. It was a smoothbore, muzzle-loading

flintlock musket, caliber .69, that used a paper

cartrldge. A powder flask was used to fill the primer pan.

Effective at about 100 yards, it could be fired at a rate

of two shots per minute and misfired about one out of six

times. The Confederates used this weapon as late as the

end of 1862 in the East (Alexander, 53); several Confederate

regiments were armed with muskcts at Mill Springs, Ky.

(January 19, 1862), where the rainy weather made them

virtually useless.



UNITED STATES PERCUSSION MUSKET, Model 1842

 About 150,000 of these were available in the Civil War

It "falls into an odd category, chiefly because it was

our first regulation percussion shoulder weapon and also

our last smoothbore shoulder weapon" (Shields, 62). An

improvement over the Model 1822 by the substitution of

a percussion cap for the flintlock, it had the same

caliber and range, a slightly better rate of fire, but

only one misfire in 166. This weapon "made up the bulk

of the Confederate armament at the beginning, some of

the guns, even all through 1862, being old flintlocks

[Model 1822].... Not until after the battle of Gettysburg

was the whole army in Virginia equipped with the rifled

musket" (Alexandcr, 53-4).



UNITED STATES RIFLE, Model 1841

 ("Mississippi," or "Jager"/"Yager" rifle)

The first general issue US Army rifle designed and

manufactured for the percussion cap system, this was a

.54 caliber rifle, 48 3/4 inches in over-all length and

weighing about 9 3/4 pounds. The barrel had seven

grooves, was coated with brown lacquer, and had a fixed

rear sight and a brass blade front sight. All furniture

except the iron swivels was brass. Originally made to

use a paper cartridge and spherical lead ball, after

introduction of the Minie bullet in 1850 most of the

rifles were modified to .58 caliber.

  There was no provision on the original model for a

bayonet. The altered weapons were equipped with an

adjustable rear sight and various mounts for a

22 l/2-inch saber bayonet. A number of variations of this

rifle are to be found. The Harpers Ferry Armory made

25,296 of these rifles between 1846 and 1855, after having

prepared the pattern weapons in 1841. The Springfield

Armory made 3 ,200 in 1849. Remington made 12,500 before

the Civil War and the same number during thc war. Other

contractors were Robbins, Kendall and Lawrence; Robbins

and Lawrence; Tyron; and E. Whitney. Total production of

the Model 1841 was 101,096 from all the above sources.

  The rifle was so effective that it was honored with the

name Jager, after the German huntsmen or light infantry

units. lt was called also the "Mississippi Rifle" after

being issued in 1847 to Jefferson Davis' 1st Mississippi

Regiment.



UNITED STATES RIFLE MUSKET Model 1855

 Adoption of the Minie Bullet by thc US in 1855 marked

a big advance in the effectivenes of military rifles.

The above model was a 58 caliber muzzel-loading, rifled

bore weapon that used the new Maynard Tape primer system.

It was five feet in length. Without the bayonet it weighed

about nine pounds two ounces. About 47,000 were produced

at the Springfield Armory between January 1, 1857 and

December 31, 1861 (Gluckman, 228-9).





UNITED STATES RIFLE, Model 1855 ("Harpers Ferry")

 Differed from the United States Rifle Musket, Model

1855, mainly in that its barrel was 33 instead of 40

inches long. It can be distinguished from the former

weapon also by the fact that the "Harpers Ferry" had

only two iron bands holding the stock to the barrel,

whereas the longer "Springfield" had three.



UNITED STATES RIFLE MUSKET, Model 1861

 With the slightly modified 1863 models, this was the

principal infantry weapon on both sides. The Springfield

Armory manufactured about 800,000 during the war, and

other sources furnished almost 900,000 more. The

Confederates captured approximately 150,000 (Fuller and

Steuart, 43). These figures include the 1861 and the

two 1863 models.

 The Model 1861 was fundamentally the same as the Model

1855 except that the percussion cap had replaced the

unsatisfactory Maynard Tape. Its over-all length was

56 inches, 3 7/8 inches shorter than the 1855. The .58

Minie bullet continued to be used in the Model 1861,

and the barrel length remained 40 inches. It weighed

about 9 3/4 pounds with its 18-inch triangular bayonet.

At its maximum effective range of 500 yards, under ideal

conditions, 10 shots would make a 27-inch pattern.

Extreme range was about 1,000 yards. lt could be fired

about six times per minute. The Springfield Armory made

265,129 of these Model 1861 rifle muskets between

January 1 1861 and December 31, 1863. Three contractors,

Colt, Amoskeag, and Lamson, Goodnow and Yale, made special

models patterned after the Springfield.

 The Model 1861 rifle was also made for artillery use.

It was shorter, the usual barrel length being 33 inches.



UNITED STATES RIFLE MUSKET, Model 1863

 Essentially the same weapon as the Model 1861, but

slightly simplified to make manufacture easier

The Springfield Armory produced 273,265 between

January 1, 1863 and December 31, 1864 (Gluckman, 232).



UNITED STATES RIFLE MUSKET Model 1863, Type 2.

 Modification of the Model 1863 (above) brought the

weapon back to approximately the same design as the

Model 1861 (Shields, 75). The arm is of interest as

the last US muzzle loader. The Springfield Armory

produced 255,040 between January 1 1864 and December

31, 1865 (Gluckman. 232).

Civil War Information and Statistics