10 & Pg. We are especially looking for a rifle over SN 4000 as it would tell us if they started serial numbering at 16. 42-inch barrel that featured a patch-box with a push-button release. Perhaps he inspected and marked all guns that came through his hands at Schuylkill Arsenal after 1797 until he became Purveyor of Public Stores in 1800. I have such convincing proof of the advantage the short rifle has over the long ones (commonly used) in actual service as to leave no doubt in my mind of preferring the short rifle, with larger Calibers than the long ones usually have and with stiff steel ramrods instead of wooden ones the great facility which such rifles afford in charging, in addition to their being less liable to become foul by firing, gives a decided advantage to an equal skill and dexterity over those armed with the common long rifle.(13). Late in the 1794 contract a US (later letters specified UNITED STATES) marking was requested but since none have ever surfaced with either marking visible on the exterior, it appears the rifles were completed before this could be implemented making it difficult today to identify these rifles. Over time they were issued to a variety of states and even Indian tribes (as many as 600 to the Chickasaws during the 1793/94 period), leaving 911 rifles in stores on October 1,1802. Initially 908 rifles went to Ft. Pitt and 100 to Virginia. Dearborn orders Perkin to begin manufacturing "a suitable number.". Lighter charges also meant conservation of valuable powder. Considering the emergency under which these rifles were ordered, they probably were NOT budgeted for 1803. Neither Lewis nor Jefferson could act openly upon this change of plans for the safety of the expedition, plus, by making it a military venture, additional funding could come from the War Department. cit., Vol 1, pg. (28), Here even Moulton, probably the nations best versed scholar on the journey, makes a footnote that Ordway is specifically referring to a Model 1803 rifle. After that date barrels ofall lengths carried full octagon breeches to strengthen that area. Could it have been one of the rifles that were shortened and given to the Indians? Writers today lump these rifles into basically one class Model 1803, but the story is not that simple and needs to be told for future collectors and historians. It is believed that the Model 1792 Contract Rifle was quite possibly the rifle issued to the Lewis & Clark expedition from the Harper's Ferry Arsenal for the Expedition of Discovery. the upper end of the upper thimble should be a little Bell muzzled to receive the introduction of the ramrod more conveniently the aperture or cut in the sight near the Breech should be a little wider and a Brass ferrule placed on the end of the Stock near the tail pipe, to prevent that part of the Stock from splitting(18). Native American peoples. Horseman's Pistols, 15 Rifles, 15 Powder Horns and Pouches, 15 The first observation of this document is the amazing detail of the rifle, right down to actual measurements. 25. The use of interchangeable parts, a prerequisite for modern manufacturing, was perfected at Hall's Rifle Works at Harpers Ferry. For all powder charges, the following instructions were given Some hold that a quantity of powder equal to three times the full of the mould in which the ball is cast, is the proper charge; others four times the full of the mould; on this plan a ball of twenty to the pound would be fired with nearly a fourth the weight of the ball. Only if a pattern lock, complete with pan and mounting holes, was furnished to a gunsmith prior to production (such as was obviously done with the 15 extra locks made for Lewiss rifles)could any degree of interchangeability become possible.(15). The .520 calibre pure lead cast balls used for test shooting the Model 1800 rifles weighed in at 208 grains (pure refined modern lead). Both officers witnessed the Treaty of Greenville on August 3, 1795 that helped secure claim to the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. United States 1792 contract rifles are Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifles with a 42-inch long octagonal barrel in .49 caliber, with a patch box built into the buttstock. [3] He points to a "US" stamp on the barrel of a weapon known to have been a contract rifle. Another remarkable letter exists from Secretary Dearborn to Superintendent Perkin dated May 25, 1803. His use of the word glaized is interesting since it was a term used in British correspondence (spelled glazed) when referring to the fine rifle powder (SDS)used during the American Revolution in both the Ferguson and British Pattern rifled carbines (P76 rifles).(41). The U.S. M1814 rifle was designed by Robert T. Wickham. Morgans combined forces of riflemen went on to inflict great casualties among the British officers and artillerymen unfortunate enough to be caught in the open.(9). Lewis arrived in April 1803. The only place a front sling swivel could be mounted was through the fragile front rib, which, being hollow on the first 15 rifles (based upon serial number 15 rifle), makes it incapable of bearing the weight of the rifle without an extra barrel mounted loop for this purpose. 500 Rifle Flints, 420 Pounds of Sheet Lead for Bullets, 176 Pounds The front sight is also of German silver instead of the normal brass found on subsequent guns. To farther test our findings, we also made a go no go gauge of .532 calibre (which would easily fit any .54 caliber rifle) and found that it would not enter the rifled bore (even if worn slightly) of any short rifles made from 1803 to 1819. A reduced charge is more accurate, and it saves valuable powder. This is respectable shooting for a rifleman using the 1803 rifle. Harpers Ferry was quite capable of building his 15 short rifles between March and July of 1803, as well as completing a substantial number of military contract rifles in the same year. His V/JS final inspection stamp will be found in the wood opposite the lock. The rifle is in almost relic condition, weathered, sun bleached and exhibiting an extremely hard life in the outdoors. May,1985. (17) Many collectors contributed information on existing military contract short rifles in the 1803 & 1804 range. Periods where Lewis made no entries are September 19 to November 11 of 1803, May 14, 1804 to April 7, 1805 (almost an entire year) and August 26, 1805 to January 1, 1806.(23). * Table of Contents, Chapter I The Lewis & Clark Short Rifle, Chapter II Harpers Ferry and the Model 1800 rifle, Chapter III Harpers Ferry Rifle Serial Number 15, Chapter IV Harpers Ferry Rifle Production Capabilities, Chapter V The Short Rifle of the Journals, Chapter VI Lewiss Short Rifles Summary, Chapter VIII The Common Long Rifle, Appendix I Short Rifle Categories Redefined, Appendix II Short Rifle Serial Numbers. It is held that they would be safe if they were 3 feet 2 inches; and if so much barrel, rod and stock were added, and 14 1/2. The expedition became an epic tale of hardship, perseverance and survival that still draws great interest after 200 years. 265. But though there is some elevation of the rifle ball in its course, it is relatively so small that it is not required to aim lower than the object at any range though when at a considerable distance, say 500 yards to 700 yards, it is necessary to take a higher aim. In such situations, a small group of well-trained riflemen would cause considerable demoralization and casualties within any grouped enemy ranks. John Potts, another expedition member, was killed in this encounter. These were usually applied in three visible areas stock, barrel and lock to reassemble a rifle after cleaning. 337, 347 & Appendix 5. The late 1790s was still a dangerous and unsteady period in Americas growth and assured independence, with enemies and threats from many sides. Also, of interest is that the 8 pounds of lead in each cannister would cast 220 .520 calibre balls (using the 218 grains per ball figure) and the 4 pounds of powder would make 220 100-grain charges (10 for priming, 90 in the chamber). ABOVE: The buckhorn style rear sight found on Lewiss 15 rifles and ALL pre-December, 1803 manufactured rifles. These tomahawks were highly valued. The steel ramrod, even when greasy from use, is heavy enough to push the ball down the bore if the proper combination of patch and ball used. Right -1819 dated rifle, 36 barrel with 7 groove round bottom rifling with curved lands. These glaring errors send up big red flags for his yearly production records too many to be ignored. Many of the guns examined had unmatched locks. The very nature of this fine powder, being sensitive to moisture, may have been the reason Lewis made 52 eight-pound water-proof lead containers, each of which held 4 pounds of powder with the lead to be cast into bullets when empty. (11) Merritt Roe Smith, Harpers Ferry and the New Technology, (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1977), Pg. Amos Stoddards Artillery Company dated February 24, 1803 states that their arms were in tolerable order, old and incomplete, and noting that ..Ball Screwdrivers, Brushes Prickers and Gunslings wanting. See Muzzleloader Magazine, The Class of 06, by Alex Miller September, October, November & December, 2006. Corps of Discovery, whose mission was to find and map a The stock has many wood fillers (of various types and age) applied over the years for preservation with the patch box replaced by a wood covering held in place by handmade square cut nails. (50) On August 6, 1805, Lewiss air rifle had the sights knocked off by an accident with the canoes rolling over. Englands addition of a rifle regiment to their Army in 1799, armed with a new rifle (Baker) was another factor that prompted us to look for a new rifle to replace the obsolete common long rifle in our inventory. There is the possibility that a few rifles may exist with an 1807 lock but none have surfaced as of this writing. So if Getz was marking his guns as an inspector, Whelan probably adopted his initials IW in a cartouche to denote his work. Tench Coxe took over Purveyor of Public Stores in 1803. The Secretary of War, Henry Knox began procuring rifles for the army. With such confusing instructions, the wide range of gunsmiths making the rifles assured inconsistencies especially when the changes were requested while guns were already in production. This entry is significant in that it was made 4 months before any rifles were shortened by Shields. The In one incident, a rifleman left his tomahawk at a previous campsite and Lewis sent him back to retrieve it. Entries in the Journals pertaining to the short rifles: Lewis: March 20,1806 The guns of Drewyer and Sergt. 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490"), stock to be made from well seasoned maple, catch spring release to be high so as to be accessible to the thumb. This was all prompted by our shaky relations with France over their ongoing conflict with England (with who we continued trade after a 1794 treaty, which France claimed violated their 1778 Alliance with us) that came to a head with the XYZ Affair of 1798 when France insulted our delegates. Clark resigned his commission six months after Lewis arrived (1796).(10). Great War Militaria 2019. Based on research in, For your convenience you can contact us via our. This acquisition of a large quantity of rifle powder is very significant since the only weapon requiring this expensive powder (three times the cost of regular powder) was the new short rifle. He was 38 years old (believed to have been born in 1774) and experienced a life that is excelled by few. 1,477 rifles were completed in 1792. He may have even had Shields perform the simple task of adding the brass band to his 15 rifles to strengthen that area, or SN 15 had a band added by a subsequent owner since the fore end displays an old longitudinal crack. Could Harpers Ferry have made his 15 rifles in the time allotted? Our first rifle manual was published 1812 as The Handbook for Riflemen, written by William Duane, second in command of the United States Regiment of Riflemen from 1808 to 1810. Since they had almost 4 months, it would have been an easy task even with interchangeable locks.(20). Reproduction 1792 Militia Rifle Lock. Barrel makers seldom marked their product in this period and if they did (as in later periods), it was on the bottom of the barrel. All 1803 dated military rifles examined had a solid rib and rounded bottom breech barrel profile. As stated early in this article, one of his short rifles survived. It, being suitable for priming also, speeds up the loading process. If any gun could talk, this would be the one that would tell some great stories. Model 1792 riflemans horn(our desination). See the special Chapter VIII for more information on these contract rifles. too much to the right or left, so that he may correct his fire accordingly. These weapons also. Whether Lewis had previous knowledge of the existence of the new rifle due to his close relationship with Dearborn, we shall never know, but he would have jumped at the chance to obtain the new short rifle for his expedition. There are some other detail pictures in Appendix I. I had no detail photos of the stock itself which is the purpose of this photo. This 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle's serial number, 12, can still be made out after George Knapp restored the gun, which is thought to be one of 15 rifles brought on Lewis and Clark's. (35) Garavaglia Worman, Firearms of the American West, (University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1984), Pg.9; Brown, op. Experiments using 65 grains produced a muzzle velocity of 1450 FPS with enough accuracy to strike a man consistently at 200 yards. . The term she in Lewiss remarks refers to the rifle itself and is a common vernacular of 18th century America. His tomahawks were no doubt the same as those supplied to the riflemen of Waynes Legions in 1792 as part of the long rifle accouterment set (axe, pouch & horn). Brass was a scarce commodity in the West of that day. Conversions to percussion and reconversions back to flint was not a factor in this study. 1, Pg. We found the Model 1800 rifle to be most accurate with a 65-grain charge. If the lock, stock and barrel match, the rest is probably good since all were hand built and components are not interchangeable. rifle than the typical "Kentucky" and well suited to the rigors of type of weapon in stock, in which case it was not necessary to specify The Legion of the United States was authorized by Congress on October 24, 1791 after the defeat of General Arthur St. Claire by the Miami Indians in November of 1790. We have seen several rifles with the first number removed (leaving a wide space) to make them into a low serial numbered rifle. The Harper's Ferry Rifle With stocks of the 1792 Contract Rifle (see above) growing pretty thin, and the musket revealing the weaknesses in its maximum 75-yard range for aimed shots, the. Dearborn makes no comment of interchangeability of locks for the military rifles, making this feature unique to Lewiss fifteen rifles. The full charge would have been perfect for large game out to 100 yards. newly-acquired territory, where they encountered exotic lands, They received special privileges and exclusion of normal camp duties. Our serial number research shows that all first production military contract rifles (4000) were completed by the end of 1806 (none have been recorded to date with an 1807 dated lock plate), for a total of 4015 and possibly 4 early (Ca. Those lost records have never been accurately reconstructed. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Article by Edward R. Flanagan discussing the 1792 and 1807 contract rifles. TYPE II Military rifles produced BEFORE Dearborns December,1803 changes, then altered for compliance. It could be done, according to the manual, with a cartridge or loose powder from a horn and ball. (51) John Colter returned to the West as a mountain man. Having lost his kit to the Indians several times, his Model 1800 rifle ended up in Indian hands early in his trapping career. Correspondence from 1795-1805 between the secretary of war, purveyor of public supplies, and military storekeepers, indicates that the rifles had barrel lengths ranging from 42 to 44-1/2, and were .45 to .49 caliber. This is explained in detail in the story. Sgt Ordway, June 18, 1806 Drewyer and Shannon Sent on ahead to go to the villages of the pel-oll-pellow nation they took one of the Short rifles in order to git a pilot if possible to go over the mount with us. The idea that locks can be retro-fitted to other guns is absurd. We also have found, by serial number and 1803 dated locks, that as many as 700 rifles were made in that year. 1792-94 Contract Short Rifle O ther historians agree that Lewis would have taken fifteen of the contract rifles but believe that Lewis ordered modifications. Louisiana Governor Claibornes return of arms for the years 1807, 1810 and 1811 show these arms in inventory at New Orleans. That his men had become expert shots is recorded in the journals as they held shooting contests with Indians along the way. The highest serial numbered 1803 rifle we could confirm is 318. Some locks were marked on the edges with straight cut lines. Lewiss expedition was undoubtedly the most difficult test trial that a newly designed weapon could undergo. All military production 1803-1806 rifles have the heptagonal flat bottom rifling (Dearborns special rifling reference). A second contract rifle has been identified, the 1807 Contract Rifle, which has different specifications than the weapons of 1792 and 1794. the lock, barrel, and stock, is the bare minimum needed to tell if the rifle is an original assembly. We can learn a lot about our early riflemen from this manual. This may have been done as part of an actual arsenal (or state) overhaul or just to enhance their value to a collector. He delivered 106 rifles on the Feb 7,1794 (second contract placed) order of 2000. Considering the importance of an expedition authorized by President Jefferson along with Dearborns instructions to Perkin to make whatever Lewis needed without delay, his 17 production workers (some books indicate as many as 20) would have had ample time to manufacture his rifles with the raw materials available at the arsenal with only labor costs. The remaining unclaimed land would be acquired by treaties, negotiations and conflicts lasting well over 100 years. If an itemized list of goods sold at auction in St. Louis (September 23, 1806) could be located, we would know how exactly how many rifles were sold, giving us the number kept by members. The third observation is that an entirely new lightweight lock was specified for the rifle, meaning that no lock of that style had been previously used on military weapons. Between March and May of 1803, based upon his convincing proof, Dearborn made the important decision that the newly designed Model 1800 short rifle being built for Lewiss expedition was also perfect for the U.S. Armys needs. distn 220 yards. Just how accurate were their Model 1800 rifles? Windsor birst his gun near the muzzle a few days since; this Shields cut off and I exchanged it with the Cheif for the one we had given him for conducting us over the mountain. TYPE III Military rifles produced after Dearborns December,1803 changes to include new style sight, stock reinforcing band and slightly flared upper pipe. Of interest also are two of the six woodcuts (shown below, pages 95 and 267) that appeared in the 1811 edition of Sgt. Expecting another conflict with England, it was a wise move to cut our dependence on British imported rifle powder.
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