With such confusing instructions, the wide range of gunsmiths making the rifles assured inconsistencies especially when the changes were requested while guns were already in production. Neither Lewis nor Jefferson could act openly upon this change of plans for the safety of the expedition, plus, by making it a military venture, additional funding could come from the War Department. What is important is that Dearborn was well enough informed of the benefits offered by the new rifling design to make note of it in his letter. Lewis knew that much time was going to be spent in canoes, and that the hunters would be shooting buffalo, elk, bears and other large game. These were usually applied in three visible areas stock, barrel and lock to reassemble a rifle after cleaning. 1803 dated rifles made before December of 1803 fall into this category. Harpers Ferry M1803; 1792 contract rifle for the earlier process for producing firearms; M1817 common rifle; Rifles in the American Civil War; References Most reconversions are easy to spot, but we have seen original rifles that have had the touchhole bushed (using hardened iron or brass) which will not erode. The evidence is overwhelming that Lewis carried fifteen of the first short rifles made at Harpers Ferry in 1803, regardless of whether we choose to call it a Model 1800, Model 1803, or prototype. The lock plate markings (lettering) are individually hand stamped, done before a full die stamp had been made for full production (see Appendix I). 1, Pg. The .520 calibre round ball also meets Dearborns specification for 30 balls to the pound. 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. Lewiss expedition was undoubtedly the most difficult test trial that a newly designed weapon could undergo. In battle, they often provided advance skirmish support and as individual sharpshooters, inflicted casualties at long range upon opposing enemy officers. and Lewis' former Army colleague William Clark, the Corps would Just the type of catastrophic barrel failures experienced by Lewis, 2 out of 15 completely rules out the use of the M1792 rifle that used standard grade rifle powder. Documented cases of OCTAGON barrels bursting in any manner have yet to be encountered by the author. 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. Curly Maple 1/2 Stock Grd IV (85-100% Curl - $195) Curly Maple 1/2 StockGrd V ( Finest Curl - $260) Cherry ($135) Walnut ( $135) Under Major General Anthony Wayne, it was comprised of 5,120 officers and men composed of four sub legions, each of which contained four rifle companies, requiring 1,312 rifles to arm the 82 riflemen in the 16 rifle companies. 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. Sometime in 1804 breech contour became octagon rather than round (and continued to end of all production) to possibly reinforce this area. locks and spare lock parts for each rifle. The J.J. Henry rifle was a working man's rifle, built in a couple of patterns the English, which resembled an English military arm, and the Lancaster style. 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. It also proved that Lewiss short rifles mentioned in the journals were one and the same rifle. 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. The Indians were probably just as pleased to get the shorter weapons since they were lighter and handier to use when hunting from horseback. Perkin had gained extensive knowledge in English arms production, having served his apprenticeship in the Birmingham gun trade before immigrating to America in 1774. It has begun to let loose from hard use. 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 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. Lewis, July 1, 1806 ..set Shields at work to repair some of our guns which were out of order . Once a rifle is built its lock is unique to that gun. newly-acquired territory, where they encountered exotic lands, 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. 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. The remaining unclaimed land would be acquired by treaties, negotiations and conflicts lasting well over 100 years. IP stock cartouche in oval is for Joseph Perkins, final inspector of ALL 1803 dated rifles and some early production 1804 dated guns. (Above two photos) M1792 original riflemans axe (top) and reconstructed M1792 axe with original M1792 horn below as we believe were carried by Lewiss 15 riflemen. It meant that one person used a pattern piece of some sort to make them interchangeable. Lewis specifically notes that it was Windsors shortened rifle that was traded for the longer short rifle, a fact confirmed by Clarks entry. the upper end of the upper thimble should be a little Bell muzzled to receive the introduction of the ramrod more conveniently the aperture or cut in the sight near the Breech should be a little wider and a Brass ferrule placed on the end of the Stock near the tail pipe, to prevent that part of the Stock from splitting(18). All Harpers Ferry series rifles are .520 calibre (ball) with .530 bore. A short review of the known facts can lead to no other conclusion: 1. This was not cost effective; thus, we find Pre-DEC 1803 production rifles retaining the straight upper pipe, just as with SN 15. You cannot put a .010 patch on a .530 calibre ball (meaning .54 caliber bore) and get it down the bore of any original rifle. Dearborns December 5th, 1803 letter is a prime example of a single document proving the invalidity of Bomfords calculations. (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. It was about this time we started giving talks on the short rifle and air gun as well as let a large audience shoot the air rifle at their National Convention. Significantly, the requisition paperwork from Harpers Ferry does not 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. The first observation of this document is the amazing detail of the rifle, right down to actual measurements. 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). The Harpers Ferry short rifle had long been linked by folklore and early historical writings to the epic Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery that threaded its way through the Northwest to the Pacific Ocean and back from 1804 to 1806. In additional correspondence of February 4,1792, barrel lengths of 42 were requested with 40 balls to the pound (.49 caliber bore). We are extremely grateful to Mr. J. William Larues contribution of serial numbers gathered over a 25-year period from various sources (auctions, sales catalogs, collections and articles) and for his permission to print them with additional numbers of rifles we (and others) have located to date. From ALL original guns examined, serial numbers were placed in a manner to the right of the oval US cartouche without leaving enough space to insert another number. cit., Vol 1, Pgs. 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. Any student of early military firearms of this period of history needs his two-volume set in their library. cit., pg. All subsequent rifles had brass blade front sights. Since this bore size conflicted with Dearborns specifications of 30 balls to the pound (a smaller size than a .540 bore would require), we decided to gauge the bores of as many original short rifles as possible. Frank A. Tait, "The U.S. Contract Rifle Pattern of 1792," MAN AT ARMS Magazine, Vol. By that time, Lewis and Clark were leaving 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). These are good serial numbers to help determine correct lock plate dates with serial numbers. 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 Model 1795 was produced in about 85,000 units until 1814. (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. On January 13, 1792, General Hand wrote back and said "he received The ramrod pipe begins to gain a very distinctive upper pipe flair toward the end of the contract. The Legion of the United States was authorized by Congress on October 24, 1791 after the defeat of General Arthur St. Claire by the Miami Indians in November of 1790. Two original guns have surfaced that are probably authentic to Lewis and Clark's journey, though the Lewis and Clark gun were likely prototypes. After Confederate artillery took positions on Maryland and Bolivar Heights that overlooked the town, they unleashed a barrage that threatened Union . They were eventually made by George Ludlam in Philadelphia, Pa. at a cost of $.50 each with the bill paid on May 23, 1803. 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. 2682 (C) (highest number confirmed). Trade guns, with their octagon breech and round barrels were prone to burst at the muzzle if overcharged. This is a very good theory since only Lewis had any real opportunity to field test the rifles and make such suggestions. I have such convincing proof of the advantage the short rifle has over the long ones (commonly used) in actual service as to leave no doubt in my mind of preferring the short rifle, with larger Calibers than the long ones usually have and with stiff steel ramrods instead of wooden ones the great facility which such rifles afford in charging, in addition to their being less liable to become foul by firing, gives a decided advantage to an equal skill and dexterity over those armed with the common long rifle.(13). the majority were issued through Harpers Ferry. There was another good reason to increase the size of the party in secret. the type procured. cit., Pgs. Lighter charges also meant conservation of valuable powder. Considering the emergency under which these rifles were ordered, they probably were NOT budgeted for 1803. It was Coxe (for whom Whelan worked) who placed an order for 1000 of the 1794 rifles. So, the first thing I did was get the Moulton 13 volume set on his expedition (borrowed it from Phil Schreier on a permanent type loan) and spend one whole summer reading all of them cover to cover. The book, by its own admission, was influenced by Colonel Von Ewalds company of Hessian Jaegers in our Revolution. 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. 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. This has been a consistent error found in ALL gun books and writings relating to this weapon. Throughout the journals the feminine noun is used often when referring to weapons, especially the air rifle. 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. You will therefore take the necessary measures for commencing the manufactory as soon as may be after completing the Muskits now in hand. (38) Iron barrels of all types in the early to mid-18th century were of very poor-quality iron. At 200 yards we could keep all shots on a man size silhouette. It may have been removed to make brass jewelry of the day. (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. The Secretary of War, Henry Knox began procuring rifles for the army. This Model 1800 rifle, serial number 15, bears some remarkable differences to the Model 1803 military short rifle. Overall weights and lengths vary on the 1803-1806 series of rifles. Second is Lewiss acquisition of 15 slings of unspecified type taken from Harpers Ferry. These dates and passages are very important to the researcher. 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 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. Also, of interest on the gunpowder side of the short rifle story is that in 1815 Chief of Ordnance Colonel Wadsworth recommended the barrel of the Model 1803 rifle lengthened to 36 inches in order to more effectively burn the service charge of 100 grains. 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. Right -1819 dated rifle, 36 barrel with 7 groove round bottom rifling with curved lands. Some believe that the contract rifles Lewis had modified for the expedition Pipes were hard soldered to the rib before assembly so they would not release from the rib during the barrel mounting process. An 1810 inventory lists 3,113 short rifles and 188 long rifles fit for service on hand at Harpers Ferry. The first contract was issued January 13,1792, requesting 44-1/2 barrels with 45 balls to the pound (.47 caliber bore). of Gunpowder, , 52 Leaden Canisters for Gunpowder, and 1 The center pipe was not placed at the center of the rib but about 2 forward of center. Based on research in, For your convenience you can contact us via our. Set 50 minie' bullets 46.10 Reproduction and sale of historical muzzle-loading and breech-loading guns. Harper,s Ferry M1800 Rifle serial number 15. It was from this chart that Dearborn chose 76 officers for removal during the Army reductions of that year. 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. According to tradition his body was returned to his wife who buried him on a bluff overlooking the Missouri river near New Haven, Missouri. We are especially looking for a rifle over SN 4000 as it would tell us if they started serial numbering at 16. This has been an error that has persisted since books were written on this subject. All of the above are estimated 1803 production SN ranges based upon the earliest serial number of a confirmed 1804 dated rifle (as done with each year block). Due to the lateness of the shipment these guns may have carried an inspector mark. The Model 1800-1819 series of rifles are one of the most tampered with rifles in the collecting world. 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. 9. Not understanding this causes a lot of errors even in the most modern books on British muzzle loading rifles. these 1803 rifles was finished. 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.