(8) Donald Jackson, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and related Documents, 1783-1854/ Jackson, 2 Vol., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1968), Vol 1, pgs. the first was repared with a new lock, the old one having become unfit for uce; the second had the cock screw broken which was replaced by a duplicate which had been made prepared for the lock at Harpers ferry where she was manufactured. Unfortunately, serial numbers were not used on the 1814-1819 production, but rifle assembly numbers will still be present. reproduction example was made by Virginia-based gunmakers Al Edge Dearborn undoubtedly had a new Model 1800 in his hands in order to make the above changes. Barrel lengths, thicknesses and profiles (wedding ring, octagon portion and diameters) varied widely. type of weapon in stock, in which case it was not necessary to specify
One truth remains our riflemen did things with their weapons that awed those who observed. It would not have changed the size of the ball. Issues continued to various states until an inventory of February,1805 showed only 5 serviceable and 94 unserviceable rifles in stores, indicating that some sort of inspection had been done to separate them (and so marked by the inspector since). the 25 May 1803 letter from Secretary of War Henry Dearborn to the Superintendent
from Congress for an amazing endeavor. SN 94, (2)14 and 359 are pre-Dec 1803 military production, both with December,1803 requested upgrades (front band and sight change) except for the upper ramrod pipe. Horseman's Pistols, 15 Rifles, 15 Powder Horns and Pouches, 15 (Moulton, .op cit. Guns produced before Dearborns changes of December 1803 used these pipe. Considering the emergency under which these rifles were ordered, they probably were NOT budgeted for 1803. 127-132. Another goal was to find the mythical North West passage, a water route to the Pacific. Dearborns December 5th, 1803 letter is a prime example of a single document proving the invalidity of Bomfords calculations. This is a very good theory since only Lewis had any real opportunity to field test the rifles and make such suggestions. If we look at those preparations, we can easily see that he was equipping for a larger expedition than approved by Congress. Sawyer says it best: From time to time attempts have been made by army officers and others to reproduce the Harpers Ferry records from fragmentary outside sources and compile tables of the arms made there in the first quarter of the 19th century. We believe these heavier barrels were an attempt to avoid bursting problems. A letter also exists from Tench Coxe to William Eustis (Secretary of War) dated Nov 11, 1811 states It is considered that these rifles are so short as to be dangerous to the soldier, being only thirty-three inches. It does not get any better than taking serial numbers and dates from existing specimens. In 1794 George Rogers Clark went so far as offer to lead a military expedition on a state level to take these forts by force of arms. After the Revolutionary War he set up his own business in Philadelphia but continued to serve as a part time inspector for the Superintendent of Military Stores. 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. (17,19) Dating was important because weapons had a serviceable shelf life, which, when expired or obsolete, were usually turned over to State Militia Arsenals as part of their yearly arms allotments. Today, that same term would not apply to anything regarding a rifle. The Secretary of War, Henry Knox began procuring rifles for the army. Riflemen were taught the basic drills of Company and Battalion Drill but then left alone to act alone under their officers & NCOs. They practiced a pace of 90 to 100 (24 step) Vs. the 76 of the Infantry. *SN 359 is a good place to end for Pre-December,1803 manufactured rifles. *********************************************************************** 1804 dated rifles, 373 (U) Buffalo New York History Museum, 708 (C) (Lowest confirmed rifle), 909 (C) (highest confirmed 1804 rifle). Lewiss task was to explore and map this region as well as collect unknown flora and fauna. We know from the 1812 riflemans manual that each soldier could select a powder charge best suited for his individual rifle, which usually was less than the standard service. That was modified to a 42-inch long barrel in .49 caliber, with a well-seasoned maple stock and a flintlock. They were unique as explained in the text, therefore only Lewiss 15 rifles would fall into this category. cit., Vol 1, pg. During the 1830s and . The strength of the iron in the round section of the barrels was being stretched to the limits. Lewis, April 12,1806 we caused all the men who had short rifles to carry them, in order to be prepared for the natives should they make any attempts to rob or injure them. of Gunpowder, , 52 Leaden Canisters for Gunpowder, and 1 The new heptagonal .530 caliber bore of the 1803 rifle has wide flat lands with narrow grooves instead of the concave lands and grooves found in many of the second production (1815-1819) rifles. From the above instructions, the 100-grain service charge (10 in the pan and 90 in the bore used when shooting from the ranks) could be modified by each rifleman until optimum rifle performance was reached. Between March and May of 1803, based upon his convincing proof, Dearborn made the important decision that the newly designed Model 1800 short rifle being built for Lewiss expedition was also perfect for the U.S. Armys needs. The amazing distances they were expected to shoot is also recorded .. it becomes necessary to aim lower than the level line when the objects are near and to aim higher when beyond a given distance. May 2006, Vol 32, No.2, written my Jim Merritt from our research. Before the United States military used standardized weapons with interchangeable parts, it bought rifles that are difficult to distinguish from their civilian equivalent. (7) Official surviving correspondence relating to the short rifles is almost non-existent (at least to this date) other than the few letters from Henry Dearborn thus we are left with a puzzle with many missing pieces. At Harpers Ferry, Captain Meriwether Lewis obtained 15 rifles built
too much to the right or left, so that he may correct his fire accordingly. It is believed that many of these rifles were After examining a prototype rifle, he gave approval on February 4th, 1792 for the first small arm designed specifically for the Army of the United States. It has also been generally agreed that a lot of imported (factory purchased) locks were used on these rifles to speed up the process. Their report also described the nearly two cit./Table D) The totals agree from two different sources, giving credibility to 4,015 total production. The stock displays four sun shaped inlays filled with pine resin that can be seen in the above stock photos. This 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle's serial number, 12, can still be made out after George Knapp restored the gun, which is thought to be one of 15 rifles brought on Lewis and Clark's. By establishing a time line of events in the development of the short rifle it becomes evident that they were produced in quantity in 1803, something that only could have been accomplished if the prototype stage had been completed and approved. . Clarke added in his entry the additional comment that the guns were Complete in every respect. From reading Dearborn's letter,
It is believed that the Model 1792 Contract Rifle was quite possibly the rifle issued to the Lewis & Clark expedition from the Harper's Ferry Arsenal for the Expedition of Discovery. Since the Army ordered only 4,000, the additional 15 were Lewiss rifles. 500 Rifle Flints, 420 Pounds of Sheet Lead for Bullets, 176 Pounds 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. From our experience, the lower numbered guns (1803 & 1804 dated) were the most mismatched in terms of serial number ranges and lock date. Lewis arrived in April 1803. 127-135; and Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from its Organization, September 29,1789, to March 2, 1903, 2 Volumes. Receiver is marked with the usual 4 line markings "J H Hall-H. Ferry-US 1831". In all actuality, they could not have left us better evidence regarding their use of the new short rifles soon to be part of the Army inventory.(50). the Falls of the Ohio River, near Louisville, Kentucky. That answer emerges clearly if we put the smaller pieces of the puzzle into one large finished picture. Periods where Lewis made no entries are September 19 to November 11 of 1803, May 14, 1804 to April 7, 1805 (almost an entire year) and August 26, 1805 to January 1, 1806.(23). The process was similar to today, in which the government requests weaponry of certain specifications and then finds a manufacturer to build them. Tench Coxe took over Purveyor of Public Stores in 1803. 351; Vol. The first set were Liege gauges, the second was a set of 50 workshop bore gauges (all based upon balls per pound). Lewiss men probably exercised this prerogative, especially the Kentuckians who grew up with a rifle in their hands. In order to be effective, the round in a rifle had to fit snugly into the barrel. cit., Vol. Frank A. Tait, "The U.S. Contract Rifle Pattern of 1792," MAN AT ARMS Magazine, Vol. Both were supplied by Harpers Ferry arsenal. All anyone needs to do, for their own satisfaction, is to professionally check it out for themselves. This is the subject of this section, to talk about riflemen and their special weapons. This continued until the end of production mid 1815 to 1819. The 100). (46) These two items put the slings into perspective all would be needed to fully equip the 15 additional men he would recruit at the various frontier posts carrying muskets with bayonets, a formidable weapon for defense. Lock plate from SN 15 rifle. Just before the battle 2,256 members of the of the Kentucky militia showed up, many without arms, so 1,173 were provided with arms from arsenal stores in New Orleans. The remaining 460 rifles of the first contract remained in store in Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia and eventually augmented by those from the second contract. needed rifles like the one Lewis had procured for the expedition, and
You will note from our list the lock dates on some guns do not fit into serial number ranges indicating a replaced lock. Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. (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. Only by studying the documents surrounding the origin of a weapon and original specimens themselves can a production timeframe be concluded. 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.. The arms race was very much alive at that time and our fear of having to face British troops armed with a superior rifle forced the U.S. Army to come up with one equal to or better rifle than theirs. Several ribs, previously mounted to finished barrels, let loose during subsequent work. not consistent with Army regulations, unless the arsenal had only one
Don is a wealth of knowledge, and his kits are top quality. Some believe that the contract rifles Lewis had modified for the expedition
The front sight is also of German silver instead of the normal brass found on subsequent guns. In this manner they were able to produce the much-needed rifles in the remarkably short time allotted. All short rifles found their way into state arsenals (and many other places) with two being held in each infantry regiment for hunting purposes for which they were unsurpassed. 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 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. He also had the gunsmiths add swivels to these weapons,
They now gave away the second shorten rifle cut down by Shields. 1800) prototypes. Gunsmiths from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, produced these. Thus, the term short rifle, used by Dearborn in Harpers Ferry records and Lewiss journals, can only be viewed as the proper name for the Model 1800 rifles. Overall weights and lengths vary on the 1803-1806 series of rifles. Both armories also produced the Model 1842 percussion musket and Model 1855 percussion . A wax plug was driven the full length of the barrel and then measured for the true size. 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. Each weapon played a highly significant role in a journey that allowed his party to cross a great expanse of a relatively unknown portion of our great nation acquired by purchase from France in 1803. The rifles Lewis took with him were built under Army contract in 1792 and 1794. After 200 years of error, it is time to set the record straight. John Collins, who was flogged for being AWOL and stealing whiskey, returned West with William Ashleys 1823 expedition, being killed in a battle with the Arikaras that same year. But some say that a one third of the weight of the ball is not too much; experience shows that to shoot at 250 to 300 yards, one fourth or a fifth is enough. Many other assembly numbers will be found hidden but are usually on the butt plate, side plate, trigger guard, patch box (and patch box release rod), ramrod thimbles (all three), and the tang. The War Department expended $9520.49 in 1799 on new arms manufacturing yet manufacturing of muskets did not get well under way until 1801. (Jackson, op. Harpers Ferry was quite capable of building his 15 short rifles between March and July of 1803, as well as completing a substantial number of military contract rifles in the same year. (11) Merritt Roe Smith, Harpers Ferry and the New Technology, (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1977), Pg. Lewiss men had no reason to double charge any of their rifles since the 2000 FPS achieved from the Model 1800 rifle with only a 33-inch barrel using the full 90 grain charge far exceeds that attainable by a long rifle with any type of maximum charge. It also proved that Lewiss short rifles mentioned in the journals were one and the same rifle. It is held that they would be safe if they were 3 feet 2 inches; and if so much barrel, rod and stock were added, and 14 1/2. Unfortunately he died May 7, 1812, not at hostile hands, but by jaundice (another term for blood poisoning). To date, no short rifle from the Expedition has been specifically identified and no attributed specimens have ever surfaced, but this all changed in 2005 when Serial Number 15, 1803 dated Harpers Ferry rifle found its way into our shop for examination. All other rifles produced had brass front blades. It was there that he became fast friends with his new commander during their short time together. Above is a 10-shot group at 65 yards with Rifle SN 1, using 65 grains of SDS powder, 6 bulls-eye. Edward Flanagan, who wrote a paper on the 1792 and 1807 contract rifles, believes that the weapons were marked by the U.S. government, a lesson learned from gun thefts during the Revolutionary War. Perhaps some of the journals were lost. 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. 1060 rifles were in stores by 1797, 923 were still there in April of 1801, 911 in 1802. Winchester transferred most of their collection to Cody in 1976. This is explained in detail in the story. NOTE ALL 1803 dated rifles were final inspected by Joseph Perkins (IP in circle on wood opposite the lock). This created a big problem if a soldier lost his mold the rifle became useless unless a companion had a similar caliber. The rib is of hollow construction instead of the solid type found on later military contract rifles (See Appendix I). DuPont rifle powder (FFFg) made its appearance in the market in 1808, probably at the request of the U.S. Government since it is the same year the first rifle regiment was raised. Jedediah Starr Trading Co. On Line Store. One such shooting incident recorded by Lewis on May 12,1806 is worthy of mention when his men struck the mark with 2 balls. It was under these clouds of potential war that the short rifle was born. Henry Leman built a classic plains rifle, and Henry Deringer (of pocket pistol fame) also built sturdy rifles for the Fur Trade. Eleven different gunsmiths took the contract on, delivering 1,476 rifles between April 1792 and December 1792. (1) The design (patterning) of new weapons at this time could be a slow process, identical to the British methods and done without drawings. It is quite possible a 1 in 15 chance. The Short Rifle of the Lewis & Clark journals. After Confederate artillery took positions on Maryland and Bolivar Heights that overlooked the town, they unleashed a barrage that threatened Union . An entry of October 22, 1800 Received of Israel Whalen, made by John Miles 58 Rifles complete (Indian Contract smooth bore guns). The M1792 was a heavier built and re-bored. (50) On August 6, 1805, Lewiss air rifle had the sights knocked off by an accident with the canoes rolling over. The lowest serial number we have examined with the 1803 changes or updates is No. See the special Chapter VIII for more information on these contract rifles. Dies had not yet been made to make the one-piece stamping. Lighter charges also meant conservation of valuable powder. Left 1804 dated rifle, 33 barrel with original 7 groove polygon rifling with flat land. He brought with him 15 of his most highly-skilled workmen. 38-40; Pg. We can be grateful for his diligence and time expended on this subject. with the short rifles Lewis had the armory make for the expedition that
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. 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). Pennsylvania gunsmiths produced these weapons, which were .49 caliber with a 42-inch barrel. (Phillip Schreier/ Winchester Model of 1895 .405 Win/American Rifleman, April 2007/ pg. From the available evidence, it seems that Dearborn was so impressed
Overall metal is generally VG with a light gunm .Click for more info. (35) Garavaglia Worman, Firearms of the American West, (University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1984), Pg.9; Brown, op. It is important to note the spacing of the numbers that all start the same distance away from the US cartouche which in most cases would not allow another number to be inserted between the cartouche and the first number. IP stock cartouche in oval is for Joseph Perkins, final inspector of ALL 1803 dated rifles and some early production 1804 dated guns.
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