Springfield percussion musket

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Confederate forces destroyed the Harper’s Ferry armory in West Virginia at the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865.) The Springfield armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, thus became the only United States government small arms manufacturing facility. Springfield rifle-muskets like this U.S. Model 1861, became the principal weapon of the Union infantryman. The spiraling grooves, or ‘rifling’ on the inside of the barrel forced a new style of bullet, called a “Minie ball”, to spin as it was shot, resulting in far greater long-range accuracy than the old smoothbore muskets of the American Revolution and the War of 1812. A percussion cap that ignited on impact by the gun hammer replaced the old flintlock system. A vigorous industrial base and large labor force allowed the Union to make ammunition and weapons in far greater quantities than the Confederates could produce.

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Details

Item typeWeapons
Date1862
PlaceSpringfield, Massachusetts
TopicMilitary, Wars, Battles
EraCivil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
EventAmerican Civil War. 1861–1865
MaterialWood; Metal
Dimension detailsBarrel: 40.00 in Stock: 11.25 in
Catalog #1937.06.01
View this item in our curatorial database →
Springfield percussion musket. 1862. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1937-06-01/. Accessed on December 8, 2024.

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