Shipment to France

Behind scenes of surplus buying was Marcellus Hartley, whose military goods firm emerged from Civil War as one of the largest businesses in nation, controlling cartridge factory at Bridgeport and ultimately Remington Arms Co. itself.

Headed “Off to France,” was a notice in the New York Herald in 1870.
The steamer Ontario, of Boston, cleared from the Custom House yesterday for Cowes and a market, with a full cargo of arms and munitions of War, as follows:
73,620 muskets 20,950 carbines 500 rifles
500 army revolvers 17,785,352 cartridges 1 case moulds 55 pieces artillery
The total value of the warlike material, $1,853,497, threefourths of which is shipped by one house . . . There were no passengers reported at the Custom House, but it would be singular if there were not a few enthusiasts accompanying such an important addition to the resources of France. The Ontario cleared for “Cowes and a market” which means that she will stop there to get a convoy of French men-of-War in case any enterprising German War vessel took a fancy to try whether such a cargo was contraband of War.

The allusion to a passenger was not far from the mark. Probable supercargo in charge of “three fourths of which is shipped by one house,” was W. W. Reynolds, of Schuyler, Hartley, & Graham. With power of attorney signed over to him by the firm, Reynolds’ job was to see to the safe delivery of the guns, and bring back the gold which the French promised to pay for guns delivered in Paris.
Reynolds had a valuable cargo to oversee: 72 cases holding 1,440 Sharps carbines; 138 cases of Sharps rifles, 2,760; 168 cases of Spencer carbines, 3,360; and 145 cases of Spencer rifles, 2,900 guns, figuring on the usual 20 arms per chest. In addition were 2,090 cases of ammunition, over two million rounds in cartridges. Additional cargoes included Remington New Model .44’s, new stock, and used; Colt 2-band .56 caliber rifles. These last had been experimented with in 1868 by the French army test board, seeking to adopt a breechloader. Additional thousands were

Percussion Army revolvers were converted in small quantities to metallic cartridge for reissue to the post-War cavalry. This regular Ml860 Army Colt has been fitted with ejectorrod housing that fills loading plunger hole, and special breech piece carrying floating firing pin and loading gate. Several thousand regular New Model Army Colts were returned to factory by Ordnance to have this change made.

shipped to Paris for the War. Colt and Army revolver paper packets of cartridges were sent over by the ton— I got a dozen such packets, assorted makers such as Hazards, Johnston & Dow, Watertown Arsenal, in 1951 from a French gun collector. “These I found in the basement at Versailles palace,” he told me.
Reynolds got the guns to Paris, safely inside the French lines before the Germans completed their encirclement of the City of Light. The French paid Reynolds for the guns and shipping cases. Then came the problem: How to get out?
Recalling the adventures of Professor Lowe’s balloon corps, and knowing something of the popular fad of free ballooning, Reynolds decided to buy a gas bag.
Armed with a permit from Peard, the Finance Minister, he sought out an old theater which had been converted into a balloon factory; to complete one balloon took ten days, and cost $1,250 in gold.
At this point word was received from the government that M. Gambetta, the great War Minister, must leave Paris for reasons of state (the Germans were too close) and the use of the American’s balloon was requested. A period of bad weather followed, from day to day Gambetta was forced to delay his start, so that the second balloon was finished before the first one left. Friday the morning of the departure, came. An immense crowd of people drew together; the members of the government were present, and both balloons bore the French tricolor. Gambetta and his companions climbed into the wicker basket attached to one. In the other were seated Mr. Reynolds, his friend Mr. C. W. Way of New York, a French officer M. Cuzon, and the aeronaut Durevilio. At eight minutes past eleven the ropes were thrown off, and the balloons shot high into the clear sky. A breeze bore them toward the Prussian lines; soon there were pufls of smoke far beneath them. Bullets whistled through the air; cannon, musketry, and rockets were turned upon the adventurers, and for a time they were in the greatest danger. Swiftly moving specks—mounted Uhlans—galloped along the threadlike roads below, expecting the voyagers would be forced to descend; but fortune favored, and the freshening breeze finally bore them out of range.
Then there came a new peril. Gambetta’s engineer lost control of his balloon which dropped close to the ground and then shot up swiftly again directly beneath Mr. Reynolds’ car; for a few minutes it looked as though a fatal collision could not be avoided. A sudden breath of wind changed its course, and once more the two swept onward together.
Gambetta attempted to land at Criel but discovered just in time that it was a Prussian camp. He escaped by throwing his baggage overboard and was wounded in his hand by a shot. Later he came down into a tree top near Amiens. The Americans kept on for ninety-five miles, and made a safe landing at Ville Roy whence they, too, went by rail to Amiens. (From A New Chapter in an Old Story, Remington Arms Company, N.Y., 1912.)
In token of this remarkable feat, and commemorating the successful end of a tricky business deal, the grateful Hartley gave a party for Reynolds on his return to New York. He was presented with a handsome gold watch, engraved on the hunting cover with a picture of a balloon, the date of the escape, “Oct. 7, 1870,” and the motto “Dieu protege,” God protects. Inside it bore an inscription of presentation to William W. Reynolds from Hardey, Schuyler & Graham.
Recently in Illinois an unusual Smith & Wesson .32 revolver was bought from a dealer by collector Archer L. Jackson, Jr. The revolver was carved with a balloon, and the interlaced cypher of “WWR.” Gold and silver finished, and handsomely engraved, it, too, was a memento of this incident in the life of a munitions salesman, presumably also presented by Hartley & Graham. And so thrillingly did this incident captivate the popular mind at the time, that a form of powder flask design was created, and sportsmen carried the bag flasks, inverted by their sides, embossed in the crossed rope design of a gas or hot air balloon.
Hartley’s sales to the French in 1870 were the subject of a Congressional investigation, which examined the entire picture of War Department surplus arms and ordnance disposed of between 1870 and 1872. An early purchase by Hardey, Schuyler & Graham consisted of 500 Bormann fuses and tools, and 10,000 Sharps cartridges at $10 per thousand, delivered on September 1, 1870. Later that month, on the 28th more ammo including 660,000 musket cartridges, 1,318,000 rounds for Spencers, and 420,000 Sharps primers, were turned over to the partners. Schoverling & Daly, later Schoverling, Daly & Gales, importers and originators of the brand name “Charles Daly” on fine shotguns, bought 10,000 Henry cartridges for $11.50 a thousand. Deliveries to E. Remington & Sons during September included 400,000 Spencer cartridges at $18/M, 604,800 Spencer cartridges for only $16/M, 2,241,024 pistol cartridges (presumably combustible .44 loads
for cap and ball revolvers) at $9/M and 2,502,622 pistol cartridges at only $8/M. Herman Boker & Company also got into the act, buying 500 cavalry saddles, “unserviceable,” which if the term means what it does today were probably perfectly brand new saddles, which had not within the past ten years had the benefit of Government inspection.