Tench Coxe took over Purveyor of Public Stores in 1803. been issued to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. 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). (2) We had no rifles to arm this new unit. 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. After that date barrels ofall lengths carried full octagon breeches to strengthen that area. 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. Caliber was .54 . with the short rifles Lewis had the armory make for the expedition that These were all inspected by Joseph Perkin and carry his IP in circle as a final inspection mark in the wood opposite the lock. (14) For many years the caliber(bore size) of the short rifle has been defined as .54, an error caused by measuring the rifle at the muzzle where it is swamped for easy insertion of the patched ball. it becomes clear that the Secretary of War was convinced that the Army (1) The design (patterning) of new weapons at this time could be a slow process, identical to the British methods and done without drawings. 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. tons of supplies carried by the members of the Corps, including 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. 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. a .45 caliber ball would shoot well with 45 grains of rifle powder. built under US government contract by Lancaster, PA gunsmiths. In one incident, a rifleman left his tomahawk at a previous campsite and Lewis sent him back to retrieve it. (28)(((26), Clark writes of the same incident we Caused all the men of the party who had Short guns to carry them on the portage for fear of Some attempt on the part of the nativs to rob the party.(27). This was enough to hold 208 pounds of the 226 special powder carried, with 18 pounds left for immediate use just about right to fill 15 horns for the start of the journey and to practice with the new rifles. The only way to know for sure if the gun is all original is to take it apart and check at least the assembly numbers that are a mixture of dots and/or Roman numerals ( usually struck with a small chisel or file) on the barrel, stock and lock.. They received special privileges and exclusion of normal camp duties. It is worthy of being reprinted in its entirety for its minute detail and insight into the military thinking of the time. 337, 347 & Appendix 5. If fired (used) it will display slight erosion around the bushing. In the same volume is the air gun story written by Dr. Beeman based upon our study of his gun. At that time it had no lock. 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.. If the lock, stock and barrel match, the rest is probably good since all were hand built and components are not interchangeable. The process was similar to today, in which the government requests weaponry of certain specifications and then finds a manufacturer to build them. The closest powder on todays market equal to the 18th century SDS is Schuetzen black powder. The rear sight is a buckhorn long rifle style (see appendix I), favored for using Kentucky windage by frontiersmen for long range shooting, stamped with the assembly number on the underside to match with the assembly number stamped in the dovetailed slot on the barrel (no other assembly number appears on the barrel, which is unusual since government rifles are marked on the underside, indicating perhaps a special run of guns. US Contract Rifles 1792 & 1807 1800 US Short Rifle (Lewis and Clark Rifle) (935) 1803 - 1819 Harpers Ferry Rifles (500 A) (500 B) (500 C) History, Facts and Descriptions of 1803 Harpers Ferry Rifles 1814 Common Rifle (516 A) 1817 Common Rifle (516 B) US Common Rifle Cleaning Set (537) This list, with its confirmed serial numbers and lock dates, produces a relatively good chart to judge the authenticity of any rifles made between 1803-1806. All rights reserved. All military M1803 rifles used a solid rib for a better soft solder adhering surface. This rifle had been inletted for the brass stock ferrule, but the band found with the rifle was a modern brass replacement making it impossible to ascertain exactly when it was attempted. 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. The rifles Lewis took with him were built under Army contract in 1792 and 1794. Front sight was a silver blade instead of brass found on all rifles produced after his special 15 rifles. Note inspector marks IW on left barrel flat of Gumpf rifle in the same configuration of inspector marks on the M1803 rifles. Unfortunately, serial numbers were not used on the 1814-1819 production, but rifle assembly numbers will still be present. Also, of interest is that the 8 pounds of lead in each cannister would cast 220 .520 calibre balls (using the 218 grains per ball figure) and the 4 pounds of powder would make 220 100-grain charges (10 for priming, 90 in the chamber). The first rifle designed exclusively for the US Army was made at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, site of the infamous John Brown raid. All subsequent rifles had brass blade front sights. Dies had not yet been made to make the one-piece stamping. But it wasn't until October 1803 that the first of Reproduction 1792 Militia Rifle Lock. Perhaps some of the journals were lost. 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. All have heptagonal flat-bottomed rifling, buckhorn rear sight, no stock ferrule, straight upper ramrod pipe, round bottom profile and hollow pipe rib. The brass patchbox was removed and replaced with a wood cover nailed into place with square cut nails. Note the uneven US stamping below the eagle. Note the slightly flared pipe. Like the early muskets, craftsmen produced the various parts of this rifle by hand. 8,, Pg.302). 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. Lewis, U.S.A., Early U.S. Military Riflemen, (The American Rifleman, December,1958), Pg. This is also is true for the series of common rifles. Winchester transferred most of their collection to Cody in 1976. This rifle, with its tremendous muzzle velocity, would have also impressed the Indians as it was the finest, most technologically advanced rifle of its day. We also have found, by serial number and 1803 dated locks, that as many as 700 rifles were made in that year. The ramrod pipe begins to gain a very distinctive upper pipe flair toward the end of the contract. Clark, July 2, 1806 We gave the Second gun to our guides agreeable to our promis..two of the rifles have unfortunately bursted near the muscle. All anyone needs to do, for their own satisfaction, is to professionally check it out for themselves. What becomes immediately apparent is that Dearborn is describing an existing rifle, in hand, in order to have such a detailed description for Perkin. The new heptagonal rifling allowed more shots between cleaning, making it better than the English Baker Rifle. TYPE II Military rifles produced BEFORE Dearborns December,1803 changes, then altered for compliance. His use of the word glaized is interesting since it was a term used in British correspondence (spelled glazed) when referring to the fine rifle powder (SDS)used during the American Revolution in both the Ferguson and British Pattern rifled carbines (P76 rifles).(41). TYPE V Military rifles built with the newly designed 36 (a June,1815 request) barrel with round bottom rifling. *********************************************************************** 1803 dated rifles, 15 (C) straight pipe with barrel band possibly added by Shields, 35 (U) Norm Flayderman catalog #51, ca 1961, 94 (C) retains straight pipe with upgrades, *318 (C) first recorded flared upper pipe, 359 (C) straight pipe, 1805 lock plate w/upgrades. the lock, barrel, and stock, is the bare minimum needed to tell if the rifle is an original assembly. Lewis and Clark maintained a detailed journal of western geography, So if Getz was marking his guns as an inspector, Whelan probably adopted his initials IW in a cartouche to denote his work. Examination of rifles from this period confirms this phenomenon, to the point that they were omitted from many American made muskets of the Revolution. 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). In the February 4th letter the tumbler on the lock was to have a fly (to keep it from catching on the half cock) and a 4-piece patch box with button release. Returning downriver, Colter met three other expedition members on their way back to the mountains Drouillard, Potts and Weiser with Manual Lisas trapping party. Henry Leman built a classic plains rifle, and Henry Deringer (of pocket pistol fame) also built sturdy rifles for the Fur Trade. The rifle was to have these specifications: 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490") Many people believe that without these two special arms it may not have succeeded. He wisely intended to start the entire expedition with as much new, reliable gear as he could obtain, being unsure of the condition of the accouterments in the hands of the soldiers posted at the frontier posts. Since we could not personally examine all the guns serial numbers submitted, we had to acknowledge them as either confirmed (examined and assembly numbers matching) or unconfirmed (unexamined and unknown if assembly numbers match). Over 300 of these rifles were stored at the Harpers Ferry arsenal when of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal Joseph Perkin, and the 8 July 1803 letter Caliber 52. The available inspectors of that period were very limited. Workmanship varied considerably from poor to professional, however, each gun WILL give up its secrets if disassembled and studied in detail. One of these threats were the Indians on our new Western frontier (ending at the Mississippi river) in the area won from England after the Revolution. Once a rifle is built its lock is unique to that gun. 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. 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. This pipe placement was a common British characteristic found on the Ferguson rifle and the P76 series. Late in the 1794 contract a US (later letters specified UNITED STATES) marking was requested but since none have ever surfaced with either marking visible on the exterior, it appears the rifles were completed before this could be implemented making it difficult today to identify these rifles. 25. The use of interchangeable parts, a prerequisite for modern manufacturing, was perfected at Hall's Rifle Works at Harpers Ferry. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The original example was unearthed in Ohio on a camp site occupied by Waynes Legions. In addition, they practiced an Indian-file pace for movement when acting alone or detached from the main body, with the weapon carried in any suitable mode (they used no slings). The shooting standards set for such men usually required prior experience with rifles men raised on the frontier who grew up with a rifle in their hands from an early age. A condensed version of the short rifle story was published in We Proceeded On journal. Using this as a crude standard, Lewiss 15 rifles would have required approximately 750 man-hours to produce, meaning they could have conservatively been completed in less than two weeks with materials available at the arsenal. It also has a button release for the patch-box (as specified in the contract) under the toe plate where it might not get accidentally bumped), scant incised carving andmoderately engraved brass. You will note from our list the lock dates on some guns do not fit into serial number ranges indicating a replaced lock. One other important fact is that all remaining rifles were sold off at auction in St. Louis on September 23, 1806 so none were available of any type for the painting.(44). NO serial numbers. When he died in 1800, Whelan was appointed to the office. We will use the term Model 1800 for Lewiss 15 rifles to honor Charles Winthrop Sawyer who, in his 1921 book Our First Rifles, was the first to suggest that a Model 1800 rifle existed. He brought with him 15 of his most highly-skilled workmen. As for the slings Lewis, assigned regimental paymaster to the First Infantry Regiment in 1800, had visited all the Western forts and garrisons and was so well acquainted with them and their men that in 1802 (after he became the Presidents personal Secretly in March of 1801) Jefferson appointed him to prepare a chart rating the 269 officers then in the Army. The War Ministry secretary, Timothy Pickering, suggested the French musket to start production with, such to use some of the parts stocked in the Springfield's warehouses since 1794 assigned as deposits and gunsmithing for the guns repairs. May 2006, Vol 32, No.2, written my Jim Merritt from our research. If we look at what Lewis took from Harpers Ferry, we can see he planned for exactly 30 men 15 with short rifles and 15 with muskets. One thing we noticed in our research was the differences between weapons when laid alongside each other. Dearborns May 1803 order for 2,000 rifles was in direct response to an Oct 16, 1802 act by Spain revoking the American right of deposit in New Orleans. Original 32-1/2 inch barrel with 16 groove rifling. They practiced a pace of 90 to 100 (24 step) Vs. the 76 of the Infantry. We Sent them a riffle which we offered as a reward to any of them who would engage to conduct us to Clarks river at the entrance of Travellers rest Creek; we also directed them if they found difficuelty in inducing any of them to accompany us to offer the reward of two other guns to be given immediately and ten horses at the falls of the Missouri.(31). Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. 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. Joseph Perkin inspected ALL 1803 dated rifles and some of the early 1804 production, then James Stubblefield took over final inspection to the end of all production in 1819. 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. [2], Before their exploratory trip, the Lewis and Clark Expedition obtained rifles from the Harper's Ferry Arsenal. Rather than be dependent upon British SDS powder, around which the 33 barreled Model 1803 rifle was designed, the new rifle of 1814, with an increase in 1815 to a 36 barrel, could now use the slightly less powerful French formula DuPont rifle powder. This also tells us that each person received and was responsible for his own rifle and carried it throughout the journey. It is interesting to note that the ball was to be loaded with ease. These weights probably varied due to the purity of the lead of that period. [2] What distinguishes them from civilian rifles is that they were bought by the government under military contract. and fit them with new locks. It meant that one person used a pattern piece of some sort to make them interchangeable. 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. That was modified to a 42-inch long barrel in .49 caliber, with a well-seasoned maple stock and a flintlock. Thus, if any notes or journals exist for those lost periods, there is a good chance the rifles were mentioned in one form or another. His first known mention of the short rifle is in March of 1806. distn 220 yards. Confederate Victory. Colter joined their party and led them to the Yellowstone Valley. The barrel was not protected by a wood stock (soft iron barrels were easily bent by soldiers misuse) and it did not mount a bayonet or carry a sling which became important for the mounted infantry concept. The charm of period grammar and spelling of the journals remains unaltered when possible. All these early 1803 rifles have had the other two December 1803 changes applied flat sight and the stock ferrule. 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. Slings were never a part of the American rifleman culture in the 18th and 19th century for a good reason they got in the way when stalking game and they snag on equipment when traveling on horseback or in canoes. 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. By the manual, a rifle regiment consisted of 1000 men formed into 10 companies of two battalions, each battalion containing 500 men (5 companies each). We believe these heavier barrels were an attempt to avoid bursting problems. By Feb 15, 1805, only 5 serviceable and 94 unserviceable rifles remained in stores (showing an inspection process had been accomplished). [1] He told Hand that the contract was for 500 rifles, but that he was willing to extend it to 1,000. The several close calls with Indians that almost cost him his life convinced him to quit the mountains in 1810, selling his gun, 6 traps and powder to a newcomer Thomas James. Great War Militaria 2019. The Model 1795 was produced in about 85,000 units until 1814. (36), Barrel failures are one of the most significant clues left to us as to the type of rifles carried by Lewiss men. (48). Surprisingly we found that this rifle had been known since 1996 but, due to its relic condition, had never been properly examined in detail. 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. It is agreed that they followed the same basic shop patterns used for their civilian market. In May of 1803 the sheet lead was sent from Schuylkill Arsenal to Harpers Ferry for Lewis to pick up for that purpose (which he did on May 18, 1803). (28), Here even Moulton, probably the nations best versed scholar on the journey, makes a footnote that Ordway is specifically referring to a Model 1803 rifle. That answer emerges clearly if we put the smaller pieces of the puzzle into one large finished picture. Gump signature on M1792/94 contract rifle . For two centuries the distinctive half-stocked rifle manufactured at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), has been regarded as perhaps the most handsome and historically important U.S. military long arm ever designed. This was not cost effective; thus, we find Pre-DEC 1803 production rifles retaining the straight upper pipe, just as with SN 15. Ernie said to me we will build them but only if you are sure that is what they used. (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. This would allow the round to grip the barrel's rifling as the weapon was fired, and the rifling would impart a spin onto the round which would . What may be significant is that he not only mentions the rifles within 3 months of starting his entries again in January,1806, but does so in 5 of the following 6 months. Harpers Ferry production capabilities in 1803 was more than enough to make his rifles in the allotted time. This combination allows the .520 calibre ball to be loaded with ease (as described in Dearborns letter) even when the steel rod gets slippery from use. Even ramrods were marked somewhere along its length. 33-35. The Indians were probably just as pleased to get the shorter weapons since they were lighter and handier to use when hunting from horseback. In addition, for this mark to be applied, the weapon passed some sort of inspection process by an arsenal inspector. This is another fact we uncovered in our research that confirms his production records are incorrect. 567. (39), Lewis, February 1, 1806(Ft Clatsop, Oregon) To day we opened and examined all our ammunition, which had been secured in leaden canesters. Use of solid rib also begins with all military rifles. Each rifle was still an individually produced weapon with no interchangeability of parts. It would just load easier and probably had little effect upon accuracy. It could be done, according to the manual, with a cartridge or loose powder from a horn and ball. we found twenty-seven of the best rifle powder, 4 of common rifle, three of glaized, and one of the musqut powder in good order, perfectly as dry as when first put in the canesters these cannesters contain four lbs. 21 . (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. type of weapon in stock, in which case it was not necessary to specify 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. It was caused by measuring across the muzzle of the rifle where it is swamped (tapered) to allowed a ball to be started into the muzzle with the thumb a characteristic found on our early long rifles but most adopted from British Pattern 76 rifle that was undoubtedly examined during the initial design phases of out M1800 rifle. 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. It is generally agreed that no government markings were put on the 1792/94 rifles. Lewiss timing for his visit to Harpers Ferry on March 16th of 1803 could not have been better, since waiting in the wings was the perfect weapon for his expedition a large bore, short, lightweight and hard-hitting rifle. Harpers Ferry M1803; 1792 contract rifle for the earlier process for producing firearms; M1817 common rifle; Rifles in the American Civil War; References Second is a the very long-standing misplaced faith in the 1822 reconstructed Bomford records indicating that no short rifles (even prototypes) were made in 1803. To understand just how special these men were, one must understand the training provided along with what was expected of them while using the new Model 1803 rifle. There was probably more than just Colter who bought their guns. The 1792 contract rifle is not a specific model of gun, rather it is a modern way to categorize a collection of rifles bought by the United States government in that year. This is important information in understanding why he took new slings for muskets he intended to press into service. 15,707 rifles were produced on this contract. 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. It is important to note that we only bought the rights to legally acquire full ownership from the inhabitants of the territory. Additionally, Lewis purchased replacement In correspondence with Dave Kennedy at Cody, Wyoming museum, the 1803 rifle SN 94 is attributed to the Pugsley Collection.

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