Civil War Guns

Major Hagner received the arms, which went directly from the docks to his warehouses, Collector of Customs Hiram Barney having been instructed to pass Boker’s goods, destined to the United States, free. The November 7 shipment was distributed to troops by Hagner at once. A following shipment arrived via the Saxonia from Hamburg, about 10,000 rifle muskets (these apparently were Austrian guns, mentioned by Caleb Huse). Of these, 2,300 Austrian .69 and 1,656 French .69 were issued to the State of New York. At once a minor sort of hell broke out and Hagner asked Ripley querulously “Are the arms to be accepted by me without inspection?” The State of New York had returned a few specimens of what were in the Boker arms cases, and the “French” proved to be old arms, some rifled but without sights, and one model altered from flint with patent breech, with sights. “As both are roughly made and second hand, since alteration, their value here should not exceed $7 and $8.” The Austrian arms were...

Instructions to Wright as to inspection reveal how cursory was to be the examination he gave many of the guns with which Captain Crispin later found much fault, as has been recounted. Ripley said, All the firearms are to be of one or other of the calibres .58 or .69 inch, or with such slight shades of difference that they will take one ammunition for these calibres. Without exacting all the accuracy and nicety observed in the inspection of our own arms, it will be necessary to see that the arms you are to inspect are of good and suitable material in all respects, and are altogether serviceable . . . It is not necessary to go into minute details of instruction on these points, as your own experience and familiarity with the manufacture of arms, and their quality, will enable you to see that none but good, serviceable arms are accepted for government use . . .

On September 4, 1861 , Boker’s New York man wrote to Simon Cameron, offering 100,000 “rifled percussion muskets, new and in good condition,” which they now controlled in Europe by having made advances on them. Cameron was thrown into a tizzy, rushed quickly to his friend Lincoln, who quietly and incisively endorsed the Boker proposal with: I approve the carrying this through, carefully, cautiously, and expeditiously. Avoid conflicts and interference. A. LINCOLN Boker had set a price of $18 each on the guns, subject to inspection and approval of an armorer which Cameron was to appoint to accompany their authorized agent. Cameron agreed, issuing a letter-contract September 5, 1861 setting New York as the place of payment, upon inspection certificates of the United States inspector in Europe, on delivery. He also at once wrote to Minister Henry Sanford at Brussels, asking him to cooperate to the fullest with Boker’s men. Civilian Ordnance employee George Wright, a master armorer fro...

The second and third patterns are found with the same makers’ names on them, as well as yet other makers: Cranpin, Herzberg. One is Bavarian, a huge single-shot musket of 1832 -40 pattern having an odd center-hung percussion hammer. The hammer when cocked has a hole in it through which the front and rear sights may be viewed. The barrel, of about .70 calibre, is rifled and of striped or twist steel, so called Damascus but not figured. The stock has an iron tip, funnel-shaped front thimble to which the front swivel is attached, and a rear thimble running into the wood somewhat like the fittings of the Old Brown Bess. Three cross wedges hold stock and barrel together; at the breech, the stock has flat paneled sides like a Lindsey musket. The rear swivel is on the trigger guard. Mountings are brass. Complaints guns were no good, did not register too well on  men who fought the  War  with them. After the  War , Fred  Elliott bought his musket about  1865 ...

Among Prussian arms specially imported, Boker delivered his share. Sample No. 10 described by Crispin was .69, weight 10.55 pounds, the Prussian newmodel musket rifled four grooves, without the long range sight, and having a front action lock. “A well made arm, with a strong, substantial lock,” said Crispin. “Its great defect, of couse, is its large caliber.” The only accouterments (which fitted the ramrod) were ball screw, and worm for the twist of tow or flannel rag that would be used to wipe out the bore. By February, 848 had been received. Sample No. 11 was the Austrian rifle, with broad sword bayonet, also called Lorenz Jaeger carbine. The original Model 1854 , caliber .54, had no ramrod, the rammer being a separate accessory. Said Crispin, “the arms imported by the Messrs. Boker &Co. have been bored in the stock to receive a steel rammer.” No spring was installed to secure the rammers, as is done in the Enfield or Springfield. Crispin supposed that as “these arms are well ma...

French and Belgian materiel was considered next best to the Enfields, though the types and calibers were more varied than either Enfield or Austrian Lorenz arms. Basic pattern for the best rifles of both France and Belgium was the “carabine” of Captain Minie. Minie’s designs had exerted profound changes in the world’s small arms armament. That change was ably summed up by lexicographer Thomas Wilhelm after the War when he prepared his military dictionary. Said Wilhelm, “Minie Rifle. A species of fire-arm, invented by Capt. Minie, from whom it receives its name. It is certain in aim, and fatal in its results at 800 yards.” The claim was, if anything, inferior to the real capability of the Minie rifle. France in 1861 possessed a surplus of many arms. During the 1840 ’s the temporary procurement of guns designed by Thouvenin, Pontchara, Minie, and others kept the arsenals busy and the soldiers active testing them. Then came the Crimean War and France’s involvement on the side of Gr...