Gunsmiths from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, produced these. We have only his account of events for this survival story, with the known fact that he arrived at Ft. Remon almost naked with sore feet and starving. Henry Leman built a classic plains rifle, and Henry Deringer (of pocket pistol fame) also built sturdy rifles for the Fur Trade. They now gave away the second shorten rifle cut down by Shields. The Getz is known to have stamped an eagles head on Indian rifles he inspected in 1807. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, and Meriwether Lewis are the principal players in this story. cit./Table D) The totals agree from two different sources, giving credibility to 4,015 total production. (45), Among the invoice of items taken from the arsenal at Harpers Ferry with the 15 slings were 15 Cartouch box belts and 125 Musket flints. A second contract for the same weapon took place in 1794. See the special Chapter VIII for more information on these contract rifles. It was converted to percussion and bored smooth for continued use. It is important to remember that when shooting at longer distances, their target would consist of an enemy cannon crew, a group of officers, or an infantry line of battle. It was from this chart that Dearborn chose 76 officers for removal during the Army reductions of that year. The Model 1800-1819 series of rifles are one of the most tampered with rifles in the collecting world. He delivered 106 rifles on the Feb 7,1794 (second contract placed) order of 2000. 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. 2682 (C) (highest number confirmed). As mentioned previous (in the 1808 riflemans manual) it was normal practice to assign each man a firearm to become familiar with it and maintain it in good order. The rifle was to have these specifications: 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490") Many, having survived the journey, died at the hands of the Indians in those endeavors. military service. The standard service charge was 100 grains (in a rolled cartridge), allowing for 10 in the pan and 90 in the barrel. It lays to rest any notion that the term short rifle used prior to or after July 2, 1806 was referring any type of cut down long rifles since both cut rifles disappear into history in the hands of two Indian guides. 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. All second contract guns were delivered by November of 1794. This was no doubt the prime reason Lewis wanted a better rifle of a single caliber. As noted in the M1792/94 story, in 1805, of remaining rifles in stores at Schuylkill Arsenal, 94 were designated unserviceable and 5 serviceable meaning that an inspection process was in now in place. The stock reinforcing band would have been added and the rear sight filed down to the barleycorn style but retaining the buckhorn lower sight profile. It is important to keep in mind that when reading period journals, we think in the language of that period. France had acquired New Orleans from Spain in 1800, so they ignored these threats from Spain toward the United States. Each new writer simply took the word of a previous author without checking for themselves. The Lewis and Clark "short rifle" Harper's Ferry "short rifle" SN 15, built in 1803 was used as a pattern for our rifle project once we verified its authenticity. Note inspector marks IW on left barrel flat of Gumpf rifle in the same configuration of inspector marks on the M1803 rifles. is to manufacture. Arsenal Superintendent Perkin was the ideal person to provide this interchangeability of locks due to his prior reputation for lock making at Rappahannock Forge in Virginia. These weapons also. After that date barrels ofall lengths carried full octagon breeches to strengthen that area. It gets somewhat easier when we recognize that the 18th century British military establishment used only THREE calibre balls Musket (approximately .693/14 balls to the pound), Carbine (approximately .650/17 balls to the pound), and Pistol (approximately .610/21 balls to the pound). With the advent of round bottom rifling the .520 round ball was probably retained. The Lewis and Clark short rifle Harpers Ferry short rifle SN 15, built in 1803 was used as a pattern for our rifle project once we verified its authenticity. 3. Jefferson, up to 1802, held ongoing negotiations with France toward purchase of only New Orleans. A note accompanying this find remarks that in every instance, the measurement was .002 smaller (making it a .519 ball for a 30 bore) than a gauge list reputed to have been adopted by the London Proofing Company in 1883 (which is used in many books today). Loss of a mold meant the loss of a rifles use. Dearborn informs Perkin: There being a deficiency of rifles in the public Arsenals, and those on hand not being as well calculated for actual service as could be wished. (24) Gary E. Moulton, ed., The Journals of Lewis & Clark Expedition, 13 volumes (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988-2001), Vol 6, Pg. All rifles that I have examined that come even close to a 1792/94 contract rifle have set triggers which was fairly common on all civilian long rifles of this period but not many with a fly. We have learned a great deal about 1803 rifles. Thomas Rodney called Lewiss air rifle she when he wrote about his encounter with Lewis on September 7, 1803 ..he shewed us the mode of charging herbut she by some means lost the whole charge of air Judge Thomas Rodney, who met Lewis on his way West and accurately described Lewiss airgun, was appointed by Jefferson to settle all land disputes in the new Louisiana Territory, especially those holding previous legitimate land titles. 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. Perkin finished Lewiss Model 1800 rifles on schedule. His Model 1800 rifles, with a unique system of interchangeable locks, were ordered in March of 1803 and well into production two months before Secretary of War Dearborn placed that order. Both men were aware that not only was there no weapon in our arsenal in 1800 to meet the need, but, due to the limitations of interchangeability of gun parts in their day, the ONLY way this requirement could be met was to build 15 locks with very strict tolerances rules out the retrofitting of locks to a finished rifle. At 100 yards, the odds were very much in favor of being struck by an American rifle ball whereas a British soldier, using the smoothbore musket, could shoot all day and probably not strike a man sized target at 100 yards, thus our riflemen were greatly feared. 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. (4) Stuart E. Brown, The Guns of Harpers Ferry, 1968, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1994, P10; National Archives Collection, papers of the War Department; Coxe and Irvine Papers, RG92. Conversions to percussion and reconversions back to flint was not a factor in this study. [1] The rifles were to be delivered in units of 100 as quickly as possible. Great War Militaria 2019. climate, plants and animals, and the customs and languages of Tait made a strong case that Lewis must have picked up fif- teen rifles from the U.S. Contract of 1792 or 1794. It rules out the Model 1803, which didn't enter production until the fall. These tomahawks were highly valued. We will let the reader draw their own conclusion based upon the information herein. Any student of early military firearms of this period of history needs his two-volume set in their library. Once a rifle is built its lock is unique to that gun. 26. In battle, they often provided advance skirmish support and as individual sharpshooters, inflicted casualties at long range upon opposing enemy officers. The .520 calibre ball would ride on the lands and fouling would build only in the grooves only, giving the rifleman more shots between cleanings. We can be certain of this since they made it a point to trade back the full length short rifle taken by Drewyer and Shannon on June 18 as noted in Ordways journal above. The individuality of the makers is amazing in all parts of the guns. The embarrassing rout of the First, supported by Kentucky militia, at the Battle of the Wabash led to the formation of the Legion of the United States and also coincided with some of the first. If we consider that the .525 ball weighs in at 219 grains, a charge of about 55 grains (1/4 the ball weight) would be enough for accurate shooting (man sized target) out to 300 yards. One could say that he had overstocked on this commodity, but it shows the importance he placed upon having a quantity of the correct powder for his rifles. Lewiss men were the first to use the new short rifle and no doubt practiced some of the same shooting principles incorporated into the 1812 Riflemans manual. The fourth striking observation of the letter is the denouncing of the common long rifle as being unsuitable for actual service. To find the maximum charge a rifle would hold, they would fire over a snowbank until unburned grains of powder begin to appear in the snow. All subsequent rifles had brass blade front sights. (Smith, op. It is also possible that contract rifles of 1794 were modified at the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, by shortening the barrels and reboring and rerifling them to .54 caliber. 1807 was the year the Embargo Act was passed suspending foreign trade, so the government had to come up with its own brand of SDSfor the rifle powder. (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. lock date matching serial number ranges listed especially if we have confirmed serial numbers with correct lock dates. Clark used the term small rifle when referring to his personal small caliber long rifle to avoid confusion with any other weapon in their arsenal. (5) IBID, Pg. Not much doubt that we copied a basic British gun design for our short rifles. A 65-grain charge of SDS (fine rifle) powder with a 215 grain .520 calibre ball produced a muzzle velocity of 1450 feet per second. Both armories also produced the Model 1842 percussion musket and Model 1855 percussion . These gauges show that a 30-bore gun uses a .517 ball. We uncovered NO rifles with 1807 dated locks, which leads us to the conclusion that production of M1803 rifles was completed by end of the calendar year of 1806. In correspondence with Dave Kennedy at Cody, Wyoming museum, the 1803 rifle SN 94 is attributed to the Pugsley Collection. 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. Vol 2, Pg. were the prototype for the M1803 rifle. If you should be of opinion that any improvements may be made on the above construction or any parts thereof, you will be pleased to inform me of such improvements as you may think useful. Could serial number 15 have been the rifle that he initially took with him? Shooting a copy of this rifle has proven this correct, giving well over 30 shots between cleaning. When this arsenal was abandoned in 1798, he was given the task of setting up the new government arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Correspondence from 1795-1805 between the secretary of war, purveyor of public supplies, and military storekeepers, indicates that the rifles had barrel lengths ranging from 42 to 44-1/2, and were .45 to .49 caliber. When that supply was exhausted, they went to the round-bottom rifling with 36 barrel for reasons also explained in the story. cit., Vol 1, Pgs. The idea that locks can be retro-fitted to other guns is absurd. Moreover, Dearborn's Colter joined their party and led them to the Yellowstone Valley. Washington, DC; GPO, 1903). These arms enjoyed the longest production run in U.S. history, lasting until 1844, with nearly 700,000 muskets turned out during this period. This is more than just a casual letter expressing what might be a nice idea for a new rifle since he makes it a point to state that he has convincing proof of the new rifles advantages, meaning the rifle had passed the test stage. The lowest SN of an 1804 dated military rifle was 909 (confirmed) and the highest 1,520 (unconfirmed). Pedersoli's Shop website offers the sale of muzzle-loading pistols and rifles and related accessories, of historic cartridge rifles and modern rifles with lever loading system. he ordered Perkin to produce similar ones for the entire Army. (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. Several ribs, previously mounted to finished barrels, let loose during subsequent work. of powder with 2 balls. This was slightly over a month after his initial visit and tells us that Perkin was in the process of making Lewiss rifles (along with the other items mentioned) a full month before receiving the military contract. (Hicks, op. from Congress for an amazing endeavor. SN 359 is the highest known pre-December production military contract rifle we have recorded to date. 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). He recognized the connection of the Model 1800 rifle to the expedition, going as far as to say that they were prototypes and not the Army contract 1803 rifle.(29). The late 1790s was still a dangerous and unsteady period in Americas growth and assured independence, with enemies and threats from many sides. The lock plate markings (lettering) are individually hand stamped, done before a full die stamp had been made for full production (see Appendix I). The full 90-grain charge had excessive recoil and did not group quite as well (but all stayed on the black). This weapon was the first rifle built the US Armory at Harpers Ferry. U = Unconfirmed, not inspected in detail but fall within SN ranges of confirmed rifles and we accepted as correct from the source. In the day when an average soldier could only dream of hitting an X on a wood block at 30 paces, a good rifleman in action was something to behold as he placed shot after shot into it. Without enough M1792 rifles in inventory to arm this new force, additional rifles were IMMEDIATELY needed. (What's with all these "Henrys"? (6) The Spanish administered the French speaking colony. 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. the lock, barrel, and stock, is the bare minimum needed to tell if the rifle is an original assembly. We believe the riflemans bag was of the same two-compartment design issued to later riflemen using metal powder flasks, the only difference being their bags would not have had the flask suspension straps. These were all inspected by Joseph Perkin and carry his IP in circle as a final inspection mark in the wood opposite the lock. Just for a matter of information, U.S. arsenals were also using the French metric thread system on the short rifle screws simply because we copied a Charleville type musket in 1795. (5) To begin to unravel the controversy surrounding the type of rifle carried on the Voyage of Discovery, we need to examine how the short rifles appeared on the scene. There was probably more than just Colter who bought their guns. The only place a front sling swivel could be mounted was through the fragile front rib, which, being hollow on the first 15 rifles (based upon serial number 15 rifle), makes it incapable of bearing the weight of the rifle without an extra barrel mounted loop for this purpose. Those who kept journals (each Sergeant was to keep one) recorded every day facts in the terminology of the day nothing more, nothing less. To fully understand the role this rifle played in our military history, one must also understand the times in which it appeared. This would have required the application of an external (as now being applied to all guns) to denote their serviceability. GI#: 102236266. With that threat over, the American rifle battalions were dropped in the May 4, 1800 Army reorganization. An 1810 inventory lists 3,113 short rifles and 188 long rifles fit for service on hand at Harpers Ferry. A letter from Secretary Dearborn, written on Lewiss behalf and addressed to Arsenal Superintendent Perkin, dated March 14, 1803 states You will be pleased to make such arms & iron work, as requested by the Bearer Captain Meriwether Lewis and to have them completed with the least possible delay.(8). He may have even had Shields perform the simple task of adding the brass band to his 15 rifles to strengthen that area, or SN 15 had a band added by a subsequent owner since the fore end displays an old longitudinal crack. The next day he reset the sights and regulated the gun. (2) Charles Winthrop Sawyer, The Firearms in American History Series/ Volume III, (Boston: The Cornhill Company, 1920), Pgs. 100). This money had to have been for the new short rifle project. 14 & 68. The original example was unearthed in Ohio on a camp site occupied by Waynes Legions. There was another good reason to increase the size of the party in secret. May,1985. Lewis held Colter in high esteem, and he was well known among his peers as an honest and truthful man, adding credence to his encounter and story of survival. Small parts (such as screws) may be unmarked on later guns, but most early ones are. Perhaps some of the journals were lost. If the lock, stock and barrel match, the rest is probably good since all were hand built and components are not interchangeable. His rationality can be better understood if we look at our early history, historical documents and surviving weapons. Like the early muskets, craftsmen produced the various parts of this rifle by hand. (51) John Colter returned to the West as a mountain man. That his men had become expert shots is recorded in the journals as they held shooting contests with Indians along the way. * Table of Contents, Chapter I The Lewis & Clark Short Rifle, Chapter II Harpers Ferry and the Model 1800 rifle, Chapter III Harpers Ferry Rifle Serial Number 15, Chapter IV Harpers Ferry Rifle Production Capabilities, Chapter V The Short Rifle of the Journals, Chapter VI Lewiss Short Rifles Summary, Chapter VIII The Common Long Rifle, Appendix I Short Rifle Categories Redefined, Appendix II Short Rifle Serial Numbers. Some locks were marked on the edges with straight cut lines. Due to the lateness of the shipment these guns may have carried an inspector mark. Note the uneven US stamping below the eagle. Patrick Gasss published journal. In such situations, a small group of well-trained riflemen would cause considerable demoralization and casualties within any grouped enemy ranks. If we are real romantics, serial number 15 may have been the one given to John Colter (and subsequently lost to the Indians) who went back to the West and become a legend in his own right.(51). Lewis (on his accidental shooting by Private Cruzatte), August 12,1806 the ball had lodged in my breeches which I knew to be the ball of the short rifles such as that he had. It was obvious that we were copying a British style weapon when designing the new M1800 rifles. The M1792 was a heavier built From our experience and with the list above, we know that 1803 production may be as high as 567 (unconfirmed). Indians did report at Edmonton Trading House that they had killed two trappers (Colter assumed dead) carrying one of the guns taken from them. Unfortunately he died May 7, 1812, not at hostile hands, but by jaundice (another term for blood poisoning). The full charge would have been perfect for large game out to 100 yards. Our research shows they were using their stock of existing round bottom barrels into 1804. The first set were Liege gauges, the second was a set of 50 workshop bore gauges (all based upon balls per pound). from Lewis to Jefferson, it appears that Lewis had the arsenal shorten From September 12 to 15, 1862, Confederate forces under Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson besieged the 13,000-man garrison at Harpers Ferry resulting in the largest surrender of American troops until World War II.. How It Ended. The Model 1795 was produced in about 85,000 units until 1814. This is a very good theory since only Lewis had any real opportunity to field test the rifles and make such suggestions. This would have been totally unacceptable to Lewis loss of a bullet mold resulted in the loss of a rifle. The Indians were probably just as pleased to get the shorter weapons since they were lighter and handier to use when hunting from horseback. It also proved that Lewiss short rifles mentioned in the journals were one and the same rifle. (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. Gunsmiths The Harper's Ferry Rifle With stocks of the 1792 Contract Rifle (see above) growing pretty thin, and the musket revealing the weaknesses in its maximum 75-yard range for aimed shots, the. May 2006, Vol 32, No.2, written my Jim Merritt from our research. These were usually applied in three visible areas stock, barrel and lock to reassemble a rifle after cleaning. As it progresses it will become obvious as to which lock plate dates belong which guns by serial number blocks. The same technology of SDS powder that made these rifles possible was adopted for our first military short rifle. Original 32-1/2 inch barrel with 16 groove rifling. This error came from measuring the bores of the rifle at the muzzle, not considering that the muzzle is swamped to allow insertion of the patched ball with the thumb. It also confirms one other very important detail even if the Army had NOT placed an order for rifles in 1803, Lewis would still have received his fifteen special rifles. The fact that Lewis took 15 extra locks for his rifles is rather amazing. Amos Stoddards Artillery Company dated February 24, 1803 states that their arms were in tolerable order, old and incomplete, and noting that ..Ball Screwdrivers, Brushes Prickers and Gunslings wanting. Private Willards mishap of letting his gun fall in while crossing Boyers river on a 25-foot log would not have occurred. Again, every part examined and described herein displays matching assembly numbers, confirming that the rifle is an original arsenal assembly and unaltered since 1803. During the 1830s and . Breech markings on SN 15 rifle. In addition, for this mark to be applied, the weapon passed some sort of inspection process by an arsenal inspector. Not only was it the first military rifle produced at a government arsenal, but also the first U.S. military weapon to use extra fine double strength powder that stretched firearms technology to the limits of its day. 38-40; Pg. 33-35. . Just how accurate were their Model 1800 rifles? Dearborn and Lewis worked very closely on preparations for the expedition. They were so special that Harpers Ferry built the militarys first sniper rifle in 1814 specifically for the best of these men as the force was increased. Correspondence in the 1795-1800 timeframe indicate that the rifles varied in barrel length from 42 to 44-1/2 and in calibers of .45 to .49. with all being identified to maker. He confided in one of his associates that his primary reason for selling the entire territory was that the United States would encroach upon it and take it regardless of his desires to the contrary. Seventeen gunsmiths delivered 2,000 rifles by November 1794. (1), Sawyers Model 1800 rifle theory was based upon the fact that on March 3, 1799, Congress passed an act authorizing the addition to the regular army of One Regiment and battalion rifles consisting of 1,840 privates, totaling 2052 men. The rib is of hollow construction instead of the solid type found on later military contract rifles (See Appendix I). and fit them with new locks. One trick of a frontiersman used to find his maximum load was to shoot his rifle over a snowbank and then check for unburned grains of powder. This pipe could not be changed for reasons explained in the text. Both officers witnessed the Treaty of Greenville on August 3, 1795 that helped secure claim to the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. (4) Despite the above information, a few people still do not accept that Lewis carried fifteen Model 1800 short rifles on his expedition, based upon old beliefs that we can now dispel: First is the misconception that Lewis waited for 15 rifles from the first U.S. Government contract (2,000 rifles) placed on May 25, 1803. By Feb 15, 1805, only 5 serviceable and 94 unserviceable rifles remained in stores (showing an inspection process had been accomplished). This brass could only have been for the M1800 rifle project that takes two thicknesses. Lewis wrote to Jefferson on July 7, 1803: Yesterday I shot my guns and examined the several articles which had been manufactured for me at this place; they appear to be well executed. Plains Indians also removed butt plates to use as hide scrappers. At that time it had no lock. We are especially looking for a rifle over SN 4000 as it would tell us if they started serial numbering at 16. He was the first arms writer to recognize the glaring errors in Bomfords reports and the first to use the correct Model 1800 Rifle designation. We believe this was done to handle DuPonts new domestic rifle powder introduced in 1807 and called FFFg by 1808. He was 38 years old (believed to have been born in 1774) and experienced a life that is excelled by few. I included it to show that the lettering was all hand stamped on his 15 rifles. 106-107. and Lewis' former Army colleague William Clark, the Corps would Napoleon reestablished peace with us in 1799. 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. That shows I came into this project with no preconceived notions as to what they used. The principal means of loading when ranging as individuals was with loose powder and ball. C. mention the specific type of weapon Lewis obtained. We believe as time progressed (1814-1819 rifles), these small parts became interchangeable. Under pressure to deliver the guns, it is no wonder the final product varied considerably in caliber and barrel length. A condensed version of the short rifle story was published in We Proceeded On journal. It is known that Peter Getz and Thomas Palmer inspected guns contracted by him. The Gumpf (Johan Christopher Gumpf 1760-1844) common long rifle pictured above meets all the criteria for an M1792 contract rifle and, with its added inspector cartouche is probably the closest example we will ever get to a true 1792/94 contract rifle. If it did not meet expectations, another weapon was built until a satisfactory pattern weapon emerged from which production could begin. The fact that the heptagonal rifling was dropped during the second production indicates that the added production time and expense was not justified. Whelen also took delivery of 100 rifles from John Miles during April-June 1800 for an order placed by Tench Francis in Feb of 1800 (hinting that he was Franciss agent and thus regularly inspected guns). After being given to states when obsolete, many were converted to percussion. We also encountered some pipe distance variations on the Lewis rifle and some pre-December,1803 military guns.
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