he Sharps Was Highly Regarded

Among Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company executives during 1854 to 1861 were William Jarvis, Samuel Colt’s brother-in-law, and Elisha Colt, Samuel Colt’s financier uncle who had supported the revolver maker in 1848 by a letter of credit of up to $14,000, helping him to get established in Hartford. W. J. Hamersley, Colt’s journalistically prolific friend, and eloquent speaker, was also a director. The influence on these men of the way Colt managed things seems to have had its effect. Impressed on their minds was the battery of letters which Colt obtained in the early 1850’s lauding his revolvers, from some 39 officers of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. On the force of these letters, in a petition to Congress, Colt obtained the adoption of his revolvers as standard U.S. sidearms.
Palmer decided to go the late Colonel Colt not one, but several dozen better. He obtained from the following officers letters praising Sharps rifles. Since some of these men were long time friends of the Colt firm, it seems their willingness to write letters was simply their desire to see their names in print. These officers, some of whom are listed with their units, give a good idea of the scope of distribution of Sharps arms in the War. Were there but a few names, no excuse for prolixity would be necessary. We beg indulgence for reproducing all these names, but do so because there is an impressive list:
General W. T. Sherman; Lieutenant General Sheridan; Major Generals Robert Anderson, Don Carlos Buell, Rosecrans, Thomas, McCook, Nelson, Crittenden, Gilbert, Granger, Smith, Wood, Howard, Stanley, Schofield, Rosseau, Palmer, Davis, Hooker, Slocum, McPherson, Butler, Hancock, Meade, Burnside (impartial, that one!), Custar (sic), McLarnard, Logan, Steadman, Merritt, Heintzelman, Robinson, Terry; Brigadier Generals Morgan, Schoff, R. S. Granger, Judah, Gillman, Bramlett, Burbridge, D. McCook, R. McCook, Van Cleave, Murray, Mott of New York, Brannar, Pry, Manson, Smith, Crupt, Boyle, Shackleford, Hobson, Terry of Michigan, Whitaker, Farnsworth; Colonels T. Wolford, 1st Kentucky Cavalry, Jackson, 2d Kentucky Cavalry, Bayles, 4th Kentucky Cavalry, Cooper, 4th Kentucky Cavalry, Haggard, 5th Kentucky Cavalry, Watkins, 6th Kentucky Cavalry, Shackleford, 8th Kentucky Cavalry; Bt. Brigadier Generals Bristow, 8th Kentucky Cavalry, Holloway, 8th Kentucky Cavalry, E. M. McCook, 2d Indiana Cavalry, B. B. G., (and later governor of Colorado Territory); Stewart, 2d Indiana Cavalry, Kennett, 4th Ohio Cavalry, Wynkoop, 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Williams, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Berdan of Sharpshooters, McGowan of Berdan Sharpshooters, Fenke of Berdan Sharpshooters, Ross, 20th Connecticut, Slocum, 2d Rhode Island; Lieutenant Colonels King and Moore; Majors Clay, Murray, Shacklett, Thomas, 1st Veteran Cavalry, Wolfley, Braithett, White, Alston, 3d New Jersey Cavalry; Captains McMurdy, 41st New York, Shister, 2d Pennsylvania Cavalry, Cummings, Joniett; Colonels E. E. Cross, New Hampshire Volunteers, Leonidas Metcalf, Kentucky Volunteers, Hurlburt E. Payne, 4th Wisconsin Volunteers, Gillman Marston, 2d New Hampshire Volunteers, H. A. V. Post, 2d Sharpshooters; Lieutenant Colonel S. C. Griffin, New Hampshire Volunteers; Majors C. H. Larabee, Wisconsin Volunteers and J. I. Dimock, 2d New York State Militia; Captains Charles S. Watrous, 76th New York, J. W. Carr, 2d New Hampshire, B. Giroux, Sharpshooters, J. B. Brookland, 9th Pennsylvania, E. P. Darlington, 9th Pennsylvania, W. T. Partridge, 5th New York, C. H. Craig, 105th Pennsylvania, George Charpenning, Pennsylvania Rifles, Ed. A. Hamilton, Sacramento Sharp Shooters, Ira Wright of Ira Harris Cavalry, Milton B. Pierce, Sharpshooters, H. Bowen, Jr., 151st New York, A. E. Niles, 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Wm. D. Glass, 6th Illinois Cavalry.
Typical of the sentiments of all these officers were the words of General Joseph R. Hawley who, as a young Justice of the Peace for Hartford in 1853, had witnessed the transfer of land to Sharps Rifle Company by which the then new firm had become established in Connecticut. Commanding Connecticut troops at St. Helena Island, South Carolina, (November 27, 1863), Hawley wrote: “Sharps Rifle is the best made

Schematic drawing of Sharps priming motions from Bannerman’s catalog shows pellet primer descending on nipple; actually hammer would not be back, but forward, at this instant of priming and firing cycle. In spite of delicate springs, last batch of NM1863 rifles to be made were ordered with Sharps primers.

Coffee mill fitted to butt of Sharps is rare prize for collector. One in collection of Bob Zellmer of Milwaukee is New Model 1863 No. 55787. Work appears to be largely hand-made, is said to have been performed at St. Louis Arsenal as experiment early in War. Sketch from Bannerman’s catalog illustrates general layout in which coffee beans were poured into hole and crank turned to issue ground coffee from slot in side plate. Device works as is shown by former Springfield Armory museum director Bill Murphy.

arm that I have seen in the service. Ours have been now about 26 Vi months in the hands of the men, nearly all the time right by, and sometimes in salt water, and they are in excellent condition. They have refuted, by actual tests, in battle and in camp, the objections so frequently made by old-fashioned people against breech-loading weapons.”
On September 12, 1861, approximately 26V2 months prior to the date of Hawley’s letter, Sharps Rifle Company delivered 100 Army rifles, sword bayonets and appendages, at $42.50. It is probable these were turned over to Hawley’s volunteers from Connecticut; that these same arms should have remained in service for 26 months is a remarkable achievement, in that or any War before or since.
In addition to Sharps rifles purchased from wholesalers, General Dyer ordered 150 on December 1,
1864, at a low price of $38; Colonel William A. Thornton, inspector. A long-time fan of the Sharps arms, Thornton it is believed suggested the sliding cutoff plate in the Sharps primer lock whereby the primers could be held in reserve, the soldier to simply use musket caps. For fast firing, the 50-pellet magazine of “Sharps primes” as they were called was valuable, but the labor of loading it was complicated and tedious:

TO CHARGE THE LOCK WITH “SHARPS’ PRIMES,” 

cock the Arm, shove back the magazine cover on the top surface of the lockplate, by pressing the left thumb against the screw head beneath the cup of the hammer. Withdraw the tack nail from the charging tube, insert the primer’s end of this tube in the magazine with the left hand, the slot in the tube in line with the slot in the face of the lockplate, and press it down as far as the spiral spring will admit, then with the right hand thrust the tack nail through the slots in the tube and lockplate above the primes, withdraw the tube, bring the lock to half cock and withdraw the tack nail. The priming magazine charged, the cover must not be moved back, lest the primes escape. Nor should the hammer be worked, between half cock and full cock, for the same reason.
In spite of the limited success of these primers, there remained a demand for them. On January 7, 1865, 1,000 additional rifles with triangular bayonets were ordered at $36, and an additional 5,000 at $33 on March 7. Of the last lot of 5,000, it was specifically noted that “These rifles are to be adapted to use Sharps primers.” These last 6,000 Rifles are on Cseries carbine frames, and if my arithmetic is correct, should be numbered about C,43,000 to C,49,000 plus or minus. Of some special interest is the one lot of 150 rifles ordered December 1, 1864. Reading backward in serials, this lot is about 10,000 before the end of production of the C, series percussion arms, or prior to No. C,40,000. They were delivered February 6, 1865. A regular New Model 1863 rifle believed to be of this lot, evidently delivered to the Navy Department, is in the author’s collection, numbered C,35515. It has been owned by a man who had more leisure time than fighting time on his hands, suggesting guard duty with plenty of coffee breaks.
No. 2270. SHARP’S Civil War COFFEE MILL CARBINE. During the Civil War a workman, employed at the St. Louis Arsenal, devised a plan to incorporate a coffee mill on the butt stock of the gun. Sharp's carbine was selected. The grease box on the butt stock was retained as one of the side plates; the handle was detachable, and easily carried in the pocket. Several models of the carbines were altered in this way. It was intended to issue one of these carbines to each company; they are now very 6carce; sold to museum.
Rare Sharps percussion revolver using tip-up barrel like Smith & Wesson was digression from main business of rifles and carbines which inventor engaged in at new establishment in Philadelphia.
Who ever the Navy man or Marine was who owned it, he had a background as a cabinet maker schooled in the German tradition. Elaborate geometric patterns of mother of pearl and ivory are inlaid in the stock; silver and coin-nickel silver inlays decorate the wood, with a dog running a fox and an inlaid bear in silver worked into the right of the stock. On the comb is a fierce cutlass-like dagger, while on the left of the stock, beside the almost illegible inspection stamp, is inlaid a neat shield possibly cut from a dime, engraved with the crossed cannon and anchor symbol of our Navy Department.
Though Palmer claimed he manufactured only for the United States Government, fragmentary records of the firm remaining today attest to the facts being otherwise. In 1863 the following numbers of arms were shipped to commercial and private accounts, to list a few: Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, 457; Cooper & Pond, 171; J. C. Grubb & Co., 109; A. W. Spies,
19, and Spies, Kissam & Co., 50. Wm. Read & Son got 32 in 1865, the Government of Spain 28 in 1863, and of especial interest, Thurlow Weed received 78 shipped August 10, 1863, which we believe were either to strengthen the shaky conditions of the New York Police Department after the disastrous draft riots of July 1863, or to protect his newspaper offices.
Apparently Palmer did not deprive the commercial market of a few second quality arms, while he delivered as fast as accepted to the United States on his contracts and orders.