FLINTLOCKS AND PERCUSSION

Springfield Armory’s long history of weapons development and production began with copying the French Charleville musket. For more than six decades, through the American Civil War, muzzle loading muskets were the mainstay of the armory’s work. Numerous modifications were made throughout the period and the products improved: flintlocks gave way to percussion ignition, smoothbore yielded to rifled barrels. At the same time variations within each type – carbines, musketoons, and cadet models – filled special needs. This was the period in which the armory established its reputation for manufacturing firearms to exacting standards.

The PRODUCTION FROM 1795 TO CIVIL WAR area, cases 5 through 9

Powder and Ball      In the period of the muzzle-loading weapon the most common ammunition was a paper wrapped cartridge containing ball and powder. The paper cartridge was torn and the powder poured into the muzzle of the weapon. Then the ball and paper were pushed down the barrel with the ramrod. The paper formed a wadding to separate the powder from the ball and keep the load firmly in place. When the flint struck the frizzen, sparks were produced igniting the powder in the primer. The primer carried the flame through a small hole into the breech of the weapon to set off the powder charge. - see video -

 

Smoothbore and Flintlock

Accuracy and rate of fire of a weapon often determine the tactics of the infantrymen using the weapon. Battles from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War were characterized by long lines of soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder toward an enemy similarly arranged. It was the muzzle loading, smoothbore flintlock musket that dictated this tactic because the weapons were slow to load and fire and notoriously inaccurate and short ranged. In an attempt to overcome those problems soldiers were massed together to increase the volume of fire.

 

VIDEO - Demonstration of the flint lock musket with reenactment and diagrams

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When, however, the technology of war made dramatic strides while tactical thought remained in the past, the results were devastating. Rifled muskets, with their greatly improved range and accuracy, decimated the massed ranks of infantrymen in the early engagements of the Civil War because attacking soldiers were within lethal range of the defenders for a greater time.

view drawing & description of the flintlock action.

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Springfield through the Civil War

shown from top to bottom...

Model 1795 Musket SPAR 5518 .69 caliber 1795-1814  80,000 made. Springfield Armory’s first production model was patterned after the French Charleville musket of 1763. 

Model 1812 Musket SPAR 5519 .69 caliber 1814-16  c.30,000 made. This was an improved version of the 1795 flintlock. Although patterns for the musket were made in 1812, production did not begin until 1814.

Model 1816 Musket SPAR 1904 .69 caliber 1816-1840 c.325,000 made. In addition to the 325,000 muskets made at Springfield, there were more than 350,000 made at Harpers Ferry Armory, making this flintlock the most numerous produced for the U.S. Government.

Model 1842 Musket SPAR 1187  .69 caliber 1844-1855 172,000 made. This is an important transitional weapon, having many firsts and lasts. It was the last smoothbore arm made in .69 caliber. It was the first regulation percussion musket made at the national armories and the first to be made by both national armories with fully interchangeable parts.

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The Rifle-Musket               The horrendous casualties incurred in Civil War battles were the result of two decades of weapons development and the use of tactics that ignored those developments: rifling and the use of percussion caps. It had long been known that rifling, cutting grooves into the barrel to impart a spin to the fired bullet, improved accuracy. But it was difficult and time consuming to load a bullet that fit tightly enough to be forced by the grooves to spin. New bullet shapes helped overcome that problem. At the same time percussion ignition made the weapon more reliable in all sorts of weather.

VIDEO - Percussion musket demonstration with reenactment and diagrams

 

shown from top to bottom ...

Model 1855 Rifle-Musket  SPAR 5522 .58 caliber 1855-1861     47,115 made. The Model 1855 was the first rifle musket produced by Springfield Armory, and the first military arm to fire the .58 caliber bullet. The Maynard tape primer system was an attempt to reduce the number of steps in loading and firing the gun. The tape primer worked on the same principle as a child’s cap gun.

Model 1861 Rifle-Musket  SPAR 2470  .58 caliber 1861-1862 265,129 made. The Model 1861 was the standard rifle-musket in production at the beginning of the Civil War and saw use throughout the war. Nearly a half million additional M1861s were built by private contractors for the United States.

Model 1863 Rifle-Musket  SPAR 2468 .58 caliber 1863-1865 528,305 made. Breech-loading technology was developed before the Civil War, but practical applications did not come about until it was too late to implement them without serious disruptions to the production of rifle-muskets needed by Union troops. The Model 1863 exhibited only slight changes from the previous model, but it was the last muzzleloader manufactured by Springfield.

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The Maynard Tape Primer System

The Maynard tape primer was an early attempt to increase reliability and speed the loading process of the rifle-musket. The system worked like the paper caps in a child’s toy pistol: a gear mechanism advanced the tape, feeding a fresh cap for every shot.

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The Percussion Lock

A percussion cap is a small copper cap filled with a sensitive explosive that took the place of the flint and frizzen of the older weapons, many of which were then adapted to use this new ignition system.

 

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Barrel Rifling

Rifling is a series of twisting grooves on the inside surface of the barrel that impart a spin to tightly fitted projectiles as they move the length of the barrel. The spin keeps the bullet on a truer course to its target, much like a well-thrown football.

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Specialty Weapons                      From its inception Springfield Armory has been called upon to provide a variety of special purpose weapons. Carbines and musketoons for mounted soldiers and scaled down muskets for the young cadets at the Military Academy at West point were among the early products of the Armory.

shown from top to bottom ...

Model 1807 Carbine SPAR 1513      .54 caliber 1807-1810 1202 made. The first Springfield carbine, it was intended to be issued to friendly Indian tribes.

Model 1830 Cadet Musket  SPAR 5520 .54 caliber 1830-1831 307 made. This musket was designed specifically for West Point cadets.

Model 1847 Musketoon SPAR 1905   .69 caliber 1847-1859 c.10,000 made. Variations on this weapon included Artillery, Sappers, and Cavalry (shown here) models.

Model 1851 Cadet Musket  SPAR 1122   .57 caliber 1851-1853 4,000 made. A thousand of these muskets were returned to the Armory in 1857 to have their bores rifled and to have long range sights installed.

Model 1855 Carbine  SPAR 1128     .54 caliber 1855-1856 1,020 made. Unlike the full size version of the Model 1855 the carbine did not use the Maynard priming system.

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Bayonets                        Bayonets have almost always been part of the equipment of the musket or rifle. In its early years the Armory manufactured bayonets which, like the guns, changed over the years. Some of the changes were slight, but important, improvements in the design of the weapon; others were adaptations of the bayonet to fill special needs.

Bayonet, M1795  SPAR 5544      Like the Model 1795 musket, the first bayonet produced at Springfield Armory was based on an old French model brought to the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Bayonet, M1808  SPAR 5545      The Model 1808 bayonet was slightly longer and narrower than the previous model. The primary difference lay in the “T”-shaped mounting slot that helped keep the bayonet on the musket.

Bayonet, M1816  SPAR 5546      The M1816 bayonet was essentially the 1808 model with a strengthened socket and a reinforcing bridge over the open end of the mounting slot.

Bayonet, M1840  SPAR 5547      This angular bayonet was issued with the M1840 musket, the last flintlock musket to be built at Springfield Armory. The bayonet also introduced the locking clasp on American bayonets.

Bayonet M1855  SPAR5548      This angular bayonet was issued with the muzzle-loading rifle muskets M1855, M1861, M1863, and with the breech-loading “Trapdoor” rifles M1866, M1868, and M1870.

Bayonet, Fencing, 1855-1870  SPAR 5549      This training device was used to teach soldiers the proper technique of close combat with bayonets. The wooden plug that is inserted into the rounded tip of the bayonet and the leather cover are missing.

Bayonet M1847  SPAR 1091      Resembling the Roman short sword, these bayonets were issued to Sappers & Miners (Combat Engineers) as both a tool and weapon. In hand to hand combat it was supposed to be used as a sword.

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Edged Weapons of Springfield Armory   Firearms technology changed rapidly during the 174 years of production at Springfield Armory. In contrast, the edged weapons made at the Armory remained faithful to the pattern used in Europe over the last few centuries. Army knives and bayonets served multi-purpose functions needed during wartime. Soldiers cleared brush, dug trenches and performed emergency medical procedures with them.

U.S. Model 1860 Officer’s Sword  SPAR 6588      Produced here over thirty years beginning in 1873. It was marked in three distinct ways: “U.S. Springfield, Mass”, “National Armory”, and “Springfield Armory< Springfield, Mass U.S.A.”.

US Model 1872 Cavalry Officers Saber  SPAR 6894      Adopted early in 1872 for use by the U.S. Cavalry, this decorative saber lacked the strength and weight to make it an effective weapon.

US Model 1872 Cadet Sword  SPAR 6895      Used by West Point cadets from 1872 to 1920, when it was replaced by a similar sword not produced at Springfield Armory. The hilt has the initials “MA”, representing “Military Academy”.

U.S. Model 1872 Officer’s Saber    SPAR 6786      The French inspired design has a slim blade etched with Military trophies and floral designs. It has a walnut wood grip.

U.S. Model 1902 Officer’s Saber      Cat.#SPAR 6877      Similar to the Model 1872 Officer’s Saber, this saber belonged to Armory Commandant, Colonel Stanhope E. Blunt. Blunt Park, in Springfield, memorializes Blunt’s service on the Park’s Commission.

U.S. Model 1906 Experimental Cavalry Saber   SPAR 6867      In 1905 the Ordnance Department developed a new cavalry saber. The changes included a straight blade and a guard of blued sheet metal. The saber was never in general issue.

US Model 1913 Patton Cavalry Saber SPAR 6609      Lieutenant George S. Patton, Jr., an accomplished fencing competitor, designed the straight-bladed Model 1913. It was wielded in a thrusting, rather than a cutting attack.

Ironically, although a large number were manufactured at Springfield Armory, the Model 1913 never became standard issue. Mechanized warfare ended the effectiveness of mounted cavalry charges. Swords now serve only in ceremonial dress.

Surplus Model 1913 Cavalry Sabers were sold to private manufacturers who in turn produced knives and decorative swords as late as the Post-WWII period.

US Model 1880 Army Hunting Knife  SPAR 5095      The Model 1880 could be used as a butcher knife, an entrenching weapon or a weapon of last resort. It has a 2” wide double-edged steel blade and the guard is marked “U.S./SPRINGFIELD”.

US Model 1887 Hospital Corps Knife  SPAR 1396      The U.S. Army issued the Model 1877 Hospital Corps knife for the use of cutting splints, removing casts, and other similar tasks.

US Model 1904 Bolo Knife  SPAR 5026      The Spanish American War demonstrated the need for an effective heavy-bladed, bolo-type knife. It was effective in the clearing of jungle growth. The lack of a point made it an ineffective weapon.

US Model 1909 Hospital Corps Bolo Knife  SPAR 5048      Designed for use in jungle conditions, it was an effective tool for clearing brush or preparing emergency shelter.

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