Whether you had ancestors that fought for the North or the South, almost every American is in some way tied to the history of the Civil War. Each of the weapons used in the Civil War has its own history as well. And owning an original relic is very expensive and not for every collector. But there are several companies building quality replica Civil War rifles and handguns that anyone can own for a reasonable price. There isn't much better conversation piece than a Griswold and Gunnison hanging in your office or in your home.
The British Enfield was similar to the Springfield and was used by both the Union and Confederate troops. Soldiers could use the same caliber ammunition in the British Enfield as with the Springfield. But the Enfields weren't machine made like the Springfields, and many units did what they could to exchange Enfields for Springfields.
The Austrian Lorenz was another widely used European rifle, used by both Union and Confederate troops. Some smooth-bore muskets like the 1842 Springfield were used frequently too, but against enemies armed with rifles, they were not very effective.
The short barreled carbine was the shoulder weapon of choice for cavalry units, and it was effective to 200 yards. Some 20 different types were used by Union forces. Cavalry on both sides used Sharps, which were 0.52 caliber arms. They were widely used by Gen. John Buford's division when they pushed back the Confederates' advance towards Gettysburg in July 1853. These were single shot weapons but could be loaded easily enough that a troop could fire five shots a minute versus three from muzzle-loading muskets.
The Confederates made their own Sharps copies, but they were not very useful because only 5,000 were ever made and many were defective, according to accounts by Gen. Robert E. Lee. Instead, many Confederates on horseback used captured Yankee breach-loaded weapons or short-barreled muzzle loaders.
The Union forces used.52 caliber Spencers that were patented in 1860 that could fire off seven shots in half a minute. This frequency of fire overwhelmed Confederates using their slower muzzle-loading muskets. The.44 caliber Henry Rifle was another well-liked repeater that put the Confederates at a clear disadvantage. Even if the Confederates had got their hands on these weapons, they would have had to produce special cartridges, which they could not have done.
The Yankees and Confederates were more equally matched when it came to handguns, particularly those made by Samuel Colt. While most Samuel Colt revolvers went to Union troops, the Confederates had stocked up on them prior to the firing on Fort Sumter. Colt's Navy.36 caliber revolver was also widely available to the Confederates, and was a preferred weapon of horsemen. Remington and Sons supplied Union troops with revolvers that had simplified designs and a solid frame, making them both stronger and cheaper to build than the Colt. After the war, Union troops were given the option of purchasing their sidearms, and more of them chose Remingtons than Colts.
Smith and Wesson made.22 and.32 caliber revolvers during the war, but in small quantities. Most were purchased privately. Lefaucheux revolvers made in France were used by Union troops in Western battles, while the Confederates bought thousands of five shot Kerr revolvers.
When it came to manufacturing Civil War weapons, Southerners were at a great disadvantage due to lack of raw materials necessary for building the weapons. Sometimes church bells were melted down to supply the materials for making arms. Griswold and Gunnison was the most productive maker of Confederate revolvers, making.36 caliber brass framed Navy copies. A weapons maker called Spiller and Burr made.36 caliber revolvers in Atlanta and then Macon, but the pace of production was too slow to keep up with demand.
The single shot musket was the infantry soldier's basic weapon during the Civil War. The one made by Springfield in Massachusetts was the most common. This musket had a 39-inch long barrel and could hit targets 500 yards away effectively. The Confederates started making their own copies of Springfields after the raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia.
For more information about the history of Civil war weapons visit the Smithsonian Institute interactive website. Their website has excellent descriptions of the original weapons as well as high quality images of each. Or for great looking replicas of some of these historical pieces, you can visit us at Civil War Classics.
