1792 harpers ferry rifle

cit., Vol. With the advent of round bottom rifling the .520 round ball was probably retained. ABOVE: The buckhorn style rear sight found on Lewiss 15 rifles and ALL pre-December, 1803 manufactured rifles. Hopefully more confirmed (C) 1803 dated rifles can be found and examined. Note inspector marks IW on left barrel flat of Gumpf rifle in the same configuration of inspector marks on the M1803 rifles. It is a hammer poll type with a large US marking. Clark was a 4-year Army veteran and had fought in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, so he also was no stranger to the tactical effectiveness of rifles on a battlefield. This is certainly What was expected of these men and their training with rifles is worthy of quoting from the original 1812 dated manual: He must be taught to fire at a target without a rest, for if he accustoms himself to fire without a support, he will rarely fire true without one; but as this method will be rendered easy by practice, he should begin by firing at fifty yards distance, and increase it by degrees to 100, 150, 200 and 300 yards. Every Collectors Guide on U.S. military firearms has the calibre of these very important rifles wrong (as well as other flintlock government contract rifles to follow but that is another story) because no one took the time to properly gauge the bore. Initially 908 rifles went to Ft. Pitt and 100 to Virginia. This combination allows the .520 calibre ball to be loaded with ease (as described in Dearborns letter) even when the steel rod gets slippery from use. At 100 yards, the odds were very much in favor of being struck by an American rifle ball whereas a British soldier, using the smoothbore musket, could shoot all day and probably not strike a man sized target at 100 yards, thus our riflemen were greatly feared. France had acquired New Orleans from Spain in 1800, so they ignored these threats from Spain toward the United States. This is a Don Stith kit build which represents a'1792 contract rifle', that was re-locked at a later date, and purportedly carried bt Lewis and Clark. See the special Chapter VIII for more information on these contract rifles. On January 13, 1792, General Hand wrote back and said "he received However, we must remember that this letter has nothing to do with Lewiss rifles but rather the military rifle order, but the details contained within it gives us great insight into just how far the short rifle project had advanced by this date. Throughout the journals the feminine noun is used often when referring to weapons, especially the air rifle. 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. He also had the gunsmiths add swivels to these weapons, This placed the responsibility of striking a desired target directly upon the individual shooters proficiency with his selected load for his assigned rifle. type of weapon in stock, in which case it was not necessary to specify For decades arms writers have tried to explain away the many inconsistencies in his numbers on other types of early Harpers Ferry arms without challenging them, perpetuating our belief that his records are not the gospel on the subject. In order to be effective, the round in a rifle had to fit snugly into the barrel. According the 200 rifled carbines purchased by the British from Germany (Germanic Pattern 1776) and the 800 rifled carbines that followed (British Pattern 1776) based upon the Germanic rifle and the 100 plug guns (Ferguson Rifle). If I can recover some better photos of the stock will add them. Such were the men drawn to the rifle corps and their expertise apparently did not go unnoticed or unrewarded. The ball size (calibre) used in ALL of the short rifle series is .520. This money had to have been for the new short rifle project. From reading Dearborn's letter, Napoleon reestablished peace with us in 1799. been issued to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. MODEL 1819 HARPERS FERRY CONVERTED TO PERCUSSION RIFLE. It is interesting to note that in 1802, 500 rifles were sent to the Mississippi territory (to William S. Hollings, U.S. consul in New Orleans) and may have been in the hands of riflemen at the Battle of New Orleans. D, British Military Flintlock Rifles/ 1740-1840, Andrew Mobray Inc, 2002, Pg. These were divided into smaller sections (called divisions, sub-divisions, twenty platoons and forty sections) for field maneuvers. Lewis and Clark maintained a detailed journal of western geography, Only military horns have wood screw type base plugs as shown below. The first rifle designed exclusively for the US Army was made at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, site of the infamous John Brown raid. Another fact noted is wedge keys were used for barrel mounting, making them easy to disassemble and clean in the field. It is considered advisable to have a suitable number of judiciously constructed Rifles manufactured at the Armory under your direction. They were often free to roam on the flanks and advance of an Army on the move, providing intelligence on the enemy. 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. Most went directly to the troops for which they were intended but part of the last contract (1060) were sent directly from Lancaster, Pa. to Schuylkill Arsenal in the 1795-1797 period, just as the inspection process began in earnest in 1799 at Harpers Ferry and became a standard process for all firearms. Today, that same term would not apply to anything regarding a rifle. Ernie said to me we will build them but only if you are sure that is what they used. Right -1819 dated rifle, 36 barrel with 7 groove round bottom rifling with curved lands. Bomford also shows rifles made in 1807 but from our research and collected data, not one rifle has been found with an 1807 dated lock date. 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. Clarke added in his entry the additional comment that the guns were Complete in every respect. The Model 1800-1819 series of rifles are one of the most tampered with rifles in the collecting world. Ordways journal entry specifies a short rifle to be traded for a guide, so both Lewiss and Clarks use of only the term rifle really meant a short rifle. In May of 1803 the sheet lead was sent from Schuylkill Arsenal to Harpers Ferry for Lewis to pick up for that purpose (which he did on May 18, 1803). he should weigh his powder, and note the difference of effect with a greater or less quantity of powder, and how far the quantity of powder affects the shot.. Dearborns December 5th, 1803 letter is a prime example of a single document proving the invalidity of Bomfords calculations. Two original guns have surfaced that are probably authentic to Lewis and Clark's journey, though the Lewis and Clark gun were likely prototypes. 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. Also shown is probably the type of powder horn issued with the axe to his men. All I had to do was prove that Harpers Ferry COULD have made his guns within the allotted timeframe and that a lot of period records being used as gospel by writers for many years were wrong. Before this weapon, the army focused primarily on muskets (smoothbore). Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. Led by Jefferson's secretary, Meriwether Lewis, 9, Pg. Tench Coxe was Commissioner of the Treasury Departments revenue office from April,1794 to December,1794. He immediately went to work for John Strode, manager of Rappahannock Forge in Virginia where he became renowned for his gunlock skills. Not only was it the first military rifle produced at a government arsenal, but also the first U.S. military weapon to use extra fine double strength powder that stretched firearms technology to the limits of its day. The .520 calibre round ball also meets Dearborns specification for 30 balls to the pound. 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). A thread discussing the contract guns. Lewiss use of the term short rifle throughout the journal is the proper name applied to the new Harpers Ferry Rifle to differentiate it from the long rifle term (the M1792). Louisiana Purchase. One other important fact is that all remaining rifles were sold off at auction in St. Louis on September 23, 1806 so none were available of any type for the painting.(44). Since they had almost 4 months, it would have been an easy task even with interchangeable locks.(20). The French term calibre was balls per livre (489.5 grams per livre). Th e Model 1800 rifle, using the SDS powder, met this requirement. If the lock, stock and barrel match, the rest is probably good since all were hand built and components are not interchangeable. The journals are very specific about their movements at any time and in various places. In 1798 Perkin was appointed to set up the new government arsenal at Harpers Ferry. of powder each and(contain) 8 of lead. Conversions to percussion and reconversions back to flint was not a factor in this study. All 1803 dated military rifles examined had a solid rib and rounded bottom breech barrel profile. of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal Joseph Perkin, and the 8 July 1803 letter (4) Stuart E. Brown, The Guns of Harpers Ferry, 1968, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1994, P10; National Archives Collection, papers of the War Department; Coxe and Irvine Papers, RG92. We shall never know exactly how long it took the workmen to make his 15 rifles, but we know that in 1805 48 workers turned out 1716 rifles, requiring approximately 50 man-hours per gun. All other rifles produced had brass front blades. Arsenal Superintendent Perkin was the ideal person to provide this interchangeability of locks due to his prior reputation for lock making at Rappahannock Forge in Virginia. Getz is known to have stamped an eagles head on Indian rifles he inspected in 1807. spend three years and travel thousands of miles through the Overcharging was common practice in those days, especially by Indians who were unaware of the effects of such heavy charges. It also proved that Lewiss short rifles mentioned in the journals were one and the same rifle. Barrel lengths, thicknesses and profiles (wedding ring, octagon portion and diameters) varied widely. All 1814 and into about mid-production 1815 used left over barrels from the first production run. Many of the guns examined had unmatched locks. A condensed version of the short rifle story was published in We Proceeded On journal. That his men had become expert shots is recorded in the journals as they held shooting contests with Indians along the way. the majority were issued through Harpers Ferry. These tomahawks were highly valued. In additional correspondence of February 4,1792, barrel lengths of 42 were requested with 40 balls to the pound (.49 caliber bore). the barrels of 15 of the 1792 / 1794 rifles to between 33 and 36 inches This practice would not have been confined to just one arsenal. Serial numbers 15, 94, 214 and 359 are the only rifles we found to date retaining the straight upper ramrod pipe confirming they are PRE-DECEMBER 1803 production. The term short rifle, coined by Dearborn 1803 to make a distinction between it and the old pattern long rifles, appears throughout the journals kept by different members and it means just what it is was intended to mean the new Model 1800 rifle. It is worthy of being reprinted in its entirety for its minute detail and insight into the military thinking of the time. 567. In the February 4th letter the tumbler on the lock was to have a fly (to keep it from catching on the half cock) and a 4-piece patch box with button release. Smiths footnote credits his list as being compiled from combined records and verified with the Chief of Ordnance entries. NO serial numbers. Our findings on the ball size were finally substantiated to our satisfaction by a book Colonial Frontier Guns, by T.M. It lays to rest any notion that the term short rifle used prior to or after July 2, 1806 was referring any type of cut down long rifles since both cut rifles disappear into history in the hands of two Indian guides. The octagon barrel of the 1792 long rifles could never suffered a 13% failure rate at the muzzle (or any other area), completely ruling out that type of firearm. 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle Not available at this time Lewis and Clark carried Harper's Ferry style rifles on their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. It will match the other assembly numbers found on the stock and barrel. Second is Lewiss acquisition of 15 slings of unspecified type taken from Harpers Ferry. The stock reinforcing band would have been added and the rear sight filed down to the barleycorn style but retaining the buckhorn lower sight profile. 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). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The first observation of this document is the amazing detail of the rifle, right down to actual measurements. (19) George D. Moller, American Military Shoulder Arms, Volume 2/ From the 1790s to the end of the Flintlock Period, (University Press of Colorado, 1993), Pg. Major historical writers on antique firearms could not find an explanation for the errors found in both the Harpers Ferry 1805 pistol and 1795 musket production. During our research, we found no recorded instances of any octagon barrel ever bursting. The strength of the iron in the round section of the barrels was being stretched to the limits. There is no reason not to believe that Dearborn was very much aware of the new rifle ready for production and thus sent Lewis to Harpers Ferry to acquire them. The Harper's Ferry Model 1803 rifle was the first rifle made by an American armory. Spain had not given their permission to cross into their territories beyond the Rockies, so to insure the safety of the party, the world at large was left to believe that the expedition would be only the planned 8 to 12 men as approved by Congress. In one incident, a rifleman left his tomahawk at a previous campsite and Lewis sent him back to retrieve it. Barrel profiles were round at the breech for all 1803 dated rifles. and Lewis' former Army colleague William Clark, the Corps would Lewiss took 50 pounds of Best Rifle Powder from Harpers Ferry and purchased 176 pounds of English Cannister Powder from Beck & Harvey in Philadelphia, who made the best rifle powder in the world. The butt end of the ramrod should be concaved suited to the shape of the Ball the locks should be light and well executed the mounting should be brass there should be at least two thousand of these rifles made. 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. TYPE III Military rifles produced after Dearborns December,1803 changes to include new style sight, stock reinforcing band and slightly flared upper pipe. 33-35. (38). 53. The Secretary of War, Henry Knox began procuring rifles for the army. One only needs to read the many books giving weapons production figures to see that no two authors, using a variety of records, seem to totally agree. They now gave away the second shorten rifle cut down by Shields. Both terms began to appear in period documents as soon as production of the M1803 rifle started. Harpers Ferry Park needs to rethink the role this new rifle played in history and give it a deserving place in their museum, after all, there is a much bigger and better story to tell the public. When that supply was exhausted, they went to the round-bottom rifling with 36 barrel for reasons also explained in the story. reproduction example was made by Virginia-based gunmakers Al Edge IP stock cartouche in oval is for Joseph Perkins, final inspector of ALL 1803 dated rifles and some early production 1804 dated guns. Perkin finished Lewiss Model 1800 rifles on schedule. (1), Sawyers Model 1800 rifle theory was based upon the fact that on March 3, 1799, Congress passed an act authorizing the addition to the regular army of One Regiment and battalion rifles consisting of 1,840 privates, totaling 2052 men. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Harpers Ferry Arsenal made short rifles in 1803, going against all previous beliefs. The use, or lack of use, of certain terminology in descriptions was intentional, all being proper for his day. One trick of a frontiersman used to find his maximum load was to shoot his rifle over a snowbank and then check for unburned grains of powder. They received special privileges and exclusion of normal camp duties. In battle, they often provided advance skirmish support and as individual sharpshooters, inflicted casualties at long range upon opposing enemy officers. There were no .530 calibre U.S. military round ball molds (for a .54 bore) to be found. We have learned a great deal about 1803 rifles. The date of this passage and the use of the term short rifles is very important since it is still before any rifles were shortened by Shields. the lock, barrel, and stock, is the bare minimum needed to tell if the rifle is an original assembly. (Footnote 18). Just for a matter of information, U.S. arsenals were also using the French metric thread system on the short rifle screws simply because we copied a Charleville type musket in 1795. The gun assembly number was added during final fitting of the lock (found just forward of the frizzen on the upper flat of the lock plate). needed rifles like the one Lewis had procured for the expedition, and In 1808 he made his now famous 200 mile run for survival from the Indians. John Potts, another expedition member, was killed in this encounter. (43) Duponts rifle powder, based upon a French formula lacked the quality saltpeter found in English powder, so it did not perform quite as well as the previously imported English rifle powder, but at least it cut our dependence on imported rifle powder. This was slightly over a month after his initial visit and tells us that Perkin was in the process of making Lewiss rifles (along with the other items mentioned) a full month before receiving the military contract. This is probably not a coincidence. (7) Sawyer, op. The short rifle was working on the extreme edge of the maximum pressure an iron barrel of 1800 could withstand. It is easy to see the need for assembly marks on every part of the rifle, even down to the ramrod. The process was similar to today, in which the government requests weaponry of certain specifications and then finds a manufacturer to build them. 1803 half-stock Harpers Ferry rifle ordered by Henry Dearborn just weeks after Lewis' rifles were readied for the "Corps of Discovery." S PECIFICATIONS: Per instructions of Secretary of War Henry Knox in 1792, and as modified by Meriwether Lewis in 1803. . Rather than be dependent upon British SDS powder, around which the 33 barreled Model 1803 rifle was designed, the new rifle of 1814, with an increase in 1815 to a 36 barrel, could now use the slightly less powerful French formula DuPont rifle powder. This also tells us that each person received and was responsible for his own rifle and carried it throughout the journey. Lewiss timing for his visit to Harpers Ferry on March 16th of 1803 could not have been better, since waiting in the wings was the perfect weapon for his expedition a large bore, short, lightweight and hard-hitting rifle. The fact that President Jefferson thought mastodons might still roam these regions tells us just how little we knew of this vast wilderness and its people. As a footnote in history, it is interesting to note that on Zebulon Pikes second expedition of 1806-7, whom scholars agree carried the M1803 rifles, three rifles also burst, reinforcing the fact that Lewis and Clark carried a similar rifle with the same inherent weakness. In addition, they practiced an Indian-file pace for movement when acting alone or detached from the main body, with the weapon carried in any suitable mode (they used no slings). The ones I managed to find show up here and in Appendix I where we look at the difference in these 15 rifles and the military production. Many of his Lewiss party later became the whos who of the first mountain men early trappers and explorers drawn back to this wondrous area by the opportunity of making ones fortune in the fur trade. A reduced charge is more accurate, and it saves valuable powder. We will use the term Model 1800 for Lewiss 15 rifles to honor Charles Winthrop Sawyer who, in his 1921 book Our First Rifles, was the first to suggest that a Model 1800 rifle existed. 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. After the official adoption of the rifle and its new nomenclature, both long rifle and short rifle begin to appear in inventory records. ************************************************************************, The Lewis and Clark Harpers Ferry Short Rifle, Manufactured by Richard H. Keller & Ernest E. Cowan, Great War Militaria, Chambersburg, Pa. 17201. Having lost his kit to the Indians several times, his Model 1800 rifle ended up in Indian hands early in his trapping career. As Purveyor of Public Stores during the Lewis and Clark expedition, Whelan played a major role in obtaining supplies for Lewis as noted throughout Lewiss documents. That was modified to a 42-inch long barrel in .49 caliber, with a well-seasoned maple stock and a flintlock. By that time, Lewis and Clark were leaving If we look at those preparations, we can easily see that he was equipping for a larger expedition than approved by Congress. cit., Vol 1, pg. Horseman's Pistols, 15 Rifles, 15 Powder Horns and Pouches, 15 Those who kept journals (each Sergeant was to keep one) recorded every day facts in the terminology of the day nothing more, nothing less. They were so special that Harpers Ferry built the militarys first sniper rifle in 1814 specifically for the best of these men as the force was increased. At these pressures, just as in modern firearms, any obstruction in the muzzle, such as snow or mud, would have caused them to burst in that area. Both entries show that the locks and their components were indeed interchangeable. 14. Listed in Mollers book is Israel Whelan, Purveyor of Public Stores (May,1800 Aug,1803). In many instances they were free from the normal camp and fatigue duties of the common soldier and were encouraged to practice with their rifles as often as possible. You cannot put a .010 patch on a .530 calibre ball (meaning .54 caliber bore) and get it down the bore of any original rifle. 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. these 1803 rifles was finished. Each rifle is unique, especially when fitting the lock. His position as Arsenal Superintendent gave him access to a large reference collection of various types of rifles stored at the arsenal, including samples of British rifles of the American Revolution with their proven technology using fine German rifle powder (SDS), all of which found its way into the new United States Army short rifle.(11). He recognized the connection of the Model 1800 rifle to the expedition, going as far as to say that they were prototypes and not the Army contract 1803 rifle.(29). We were only looking at serial numbers vs. lock dates to establish a yearly production timeline. An entry of October 22, 1800 Received of Israel Whalen, made by John Miles 58 Rifles complete (Indian Contract smooth bore guns). It became very clear to me (as it would be to anyone who read them) that they carried a short rifle made at Harpers Ferry with interchangeable locks which Lewis himself picked up at the arsenal so I got involved in the M1792 vs. M1803 controversy. It also helps to know what you are looking for, so you must know what an original gun looked like. Measurements on everything varied. Both were supplied by Harpers Ferry arsenal. ). There is no mystery here, just very careful preparations for a long journey into a wilderness where no replacement equipment would be found. 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). 100). There was only one individual working within the gun procurement circles at that time to whom the IW mark may could have belonged Israel Whelan. Lewis and Clark. (35), Many of the later 1807 contract rifles, using the same style 38 half round, half octagon barrel, also burst during proofing with 8 out of 18 barrels bursting under a proof test of 3/4 oz.

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