Southern Rifles and the War Between the States

[Dennis Glazener]

I was reading the Introduction of Dave Byrd's new book "Gunmakers of Buffalo Valley and Greasy Cove" which is about rifles made in Unicoi County TN and he makes this statement.

"The earlier East Tennessee rifles-those made prior to the Civil War-are now quite scarce. This scarcity is likely due to the fact that more than 3,000 old flintlock rifles were converted to percussion guns and barrels were bored out to .58 caliber for military use. All this work was done at the Confederate armory in Knoxville, Tennessee."

I have heard statements similiar to this before but had not thought a lot about it. This was one state, one arsenal so its pretty safe to assume that the other southern states would probably have destroyed equal numbers.

In my mind these rifles would have to have been the older ones with barrel diameters large enough to safely take the large .58 bore of the military balls. That would mean that all of them probably were very early rifles, not the lightweight 1" and smaller barrels that came along later. Its a wonder to me that we see any early southern rifles today.

Anyone have any other statistics from other southern states? If so I would be very interested in knowing the source for this information.
Dennis

[Bob Roller]

My feeling is that here were Southern Rifles beng made and used well into the 20th century and they might have been flintlocks. Walter Cline spoke of redoing old barels that were found under a cabin. One of the men he spoke of was L.G."Daddy"Moore that hunted bear with nothing but a flintlock rifle. These guns weren't publicized and there was no real reason to then because they are/were just another tool to put meat in the pot or to as the late Tom Dawson so colorfully stated."To turn predators ass up in cabbage patch".
I don't think my maternal grandfather  ever used any breech loader with the possible exception of a 22 rimfire and he spoke of flintlock rifles often being used for both bigger and smaller critters.

Bob Roller

[mbriggs]

Dennis,
The State of North Carolina created the Florence Armory near Jamestown, North Carolina in the fall of 1861.  According to the records, state agents purchased 450 "Country Rifles" from various sources and sent them to this location to be bored out to 50 caliber and prepaired for military use.  This was one of seven Confederate Gun Factories located within 20 miles of Greensboro, N.C. (more than any other location in the South).  In late 1862, the Florence Armory began to take gun parts from each manufacturer and assemble them into a complete rifle.  This has created some confusion for modern Confederate collectors.  Back in the 1980's Mickey Black found a rifle that he called a Mendenhall, Clapp, and Lamb.  It had parts from three Confederate contractors on it.  1. Mendenhall, Jones & Gardner; 2. Clapp, Gates & Co.  3. H.C. Lamb & Co. It was probably assembled at the Florence Armory.

As to later rifles being made as flintlocks.  I recently purchased and sold a William Lamb & Sons full-stock, flintlock Longrifle that was made between 1857 and 1861.  There were still making flintlocks in this area at that time.   

[Artificer]

Dennis,

Somewhere in one of my books is a rifle that was made before or during the Rev War either in VA or attributed to VA and was shown after it had been converted to percussion for/during the War,  I do not remember what caliber it was.  I am tearing my hair out looking for it.  

“Confederate Longarms and Pistols, a pictorial study” shows a D.Kennedy. North Carolina “Kentucky Rifle” that was converted to percussion  by M.A. Baker of Fayetteville,  though it said it remained in  .45 caliber and 50 or less guns were so converted.  It’s on page 19.

I am not absolutely sure, but I would be surprised if many or even any Flintlock longrifles were bored out to "standard" military calibers of .54, .577 or .58 in the South during the War.  Most of the time, the emergency effort was to convert them to percussion and since the owner almost always had the bullet mold for it, he took it to War in the early part of the War that way.

Gus

[gibster]

While doing some research on another subject, I ran across these articles in the (Little Rock) Arkansas True Democrat asking for arms:

[LITTLE ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, August 29, 1861, p. 2, c. 7

Arms Wanted.

            The undersigned, having been appointed Agent by the Confederate States for the purchase of Arms, is desirous of purchasing all the good Guns in the country.
            He will not only purchase "regulation arms," such as Muskets and Rifles, both Flint and Percussion made for the army, but also Double Barrelled Shot Guns and Country Rifles, Percussion Locks.
            Every man who has a Gun of the above description, can sell it for Cash by making application to the undersigned.
            Apply at the Arsenal.                                                              John A. Jordan,
            Little Rock, Aug. 29, 1861. 


[LITTLE ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, September 12, 1861, p. 2, c. 3
            We invite attention to the following card from Mr. Dunn, agent of the Confederate States, for the purchase of domestic arms.  It cannot fail to meet with a practical response from every one capable of doing so.  Every southerner who is not directly or personally engaged in fighting for his country, owes to that country every other service it is in his power to render in the shape of money, arms and every material of war.—Numerous experiments attest the correctness of Mr. Dunn's opinion of the double-barel [sic] shot gun and domestic rifle with the Minie ball for war purposes.  All along the Virginia border the efficiency of these weapons have been shown in numerous skirmishes, and with results to show that in southern hands there is no arm more reliable for making or resisting an assault.  Gen. Polk, we believe, was the first general officer to appreciate the value of these weapons.  He set on foot an extended system of agencies throughout his department for collecting these weapons.  The secretary of war has now set on foot a general system for the same purpose.—The approbation of the military authorities of the Confederate government should give general confidence in their efficiency.
            "Having been appointed by the secretary of war agent to collect, receive and purchase small arms for the Confederate States I deem it necessary and expedient to make known the fact as generally as possible, the better to secure co-operation in a work which needs to be done quickly.
            Citizens and patriots!  Your government asks for the many thousands of tried guns that lie unused in your houses.  Recent experiments have proven that any one of your fine double-barreled shot guns, with the improved Minie ball, is more than a match for the much talked of Minie musket.  Then bring them forth, and place them upon the altar of your country's liberty, that they may be at once consecrated to the noble work of christian defense.  If objection be made to sending away your guns, and it be urged that you may need them at home, the reply is, that the surest way to prevent the necessity of using them at home is to place them in the hands of the thousands of brave men who are now chafing with anxious desire to stand as a wall of fire between you and the invading foe.  If this answer be deemed inconclusive, then the reflection that those high in authority—those in whose judgment we have confidence, and who, it is but fair to presume, know well our necessities both at home and on our borders—have after mature deliberation inaugurated this movement, should be a sufficient guarantee for the wisdom, utility and patriotism of the service you are called on to perform.  Then, as you desire a short war, a speedy peace, and an acknowledgment of our independence honorable to ourselves, place your weapons at the disposal of your government.  As you desire to strike terror to the hearts of those now plotting our subjugation and destruction, let it be known that the trusty rifle, and the death dealing shot gun which you have hitherto so highly prized, are to take part in the next conflict, rendering, if possible, our victory more complete, than was their defeat and rout on the plains of Manassas.  My instructions contemplate that I shall send forth into our more populous regions, assistant agents, charged with the duty of collecting and forwarding to proper points all the weapons thus obtained.  it may be well here to state that any one who wishes to do so, even though he be not visited by an agent, can greatly facilitate this work by sending any guns he has or can command to my address, care of Robert Pilkin, North Camp street, New Orleans.
                                                                                                                        Ballard S. Dunn,
                                                                                    Agent for collecting, receiving and purchasing
                                                                                                    small arms for the Confederate States.
                                                                                        New Orleans, Aug. 12, 1861. 


I'm sure that there are more articles in other papers that were asking for arms to supply the Confederate troops.  It would be interesting to know how many were actually collected and used during the war.

[oakridge]

In July, 1861, Jones, McElwaine & Company in Holly Springs, Miss. incorporated under the name Marshall Manufacturing Company and began acquiring machinery for the construction of Belgian or Mississippi rifles. On July 13, they received a contract from the Confederate Ordnance Department for 30,000 stand of arms. While waiting to acquire the necessary machinery, they accepted work from the State of Mississippi in which they "altered 540 flintlock muskets and rifles" and "putting in order and fitting bayonets" to 1300 guns". Since McElwaine already had a boring and rifling machine he was asked to change "country rifles" into those suitable for the Army. This involved cutting the barrels to a "common" length, boring and re-rifling to .54 caliber, and turning the muzzle end to accept a socket bayonet.

Unable to fulfill their contract for the Belgian and Mississippi rifles, McElwaine sold his facility to the Confederate government in March of 1862 and the name was changed to Holly Springs Armory. Machinery for manufacturing arms was removed to Richmond and Augusta, leaving only that necessary to repair small arms. In April, 1862 all sporting rifles, double barreled guns and unserviceable muskets were sent from Grenada and Corinth to Holly Springs to be "repaired and altered". 1811 "guns" were shipped from Corinth on April 14, to be cut off and bored to .54 caliber. Apparently the focus was on musket repair and alteration. Out of 543 flintlock muskets and 203 percussion muskets sent in, 607 percussion muskets were returned in shooting order. Of the 1507 sporting rifles and 17 Tenn. rifles sent in, only 352 were returned for issue.

To make a long story short (or shorter) only a couple of these "country" rifles converted at Holly Springs are known. Both are Kentucky-made full stock percussion rifles that have had the barrels cut down, bored out and re-rifled, and the muzzles turned down for 2 5/8" to 3" for fitting a socket bayonet.

The above information came from "Confederate Rifles & Muskets" by Dr. John Murphy and Howard Madaus.

I also know of 2 more percussion rifles that have had the same conversion, and both are in Mississippi.

[willyr]

You must also remember that after the end of hostilities, the Southern states were under martial law. Whenever the Federal District Magistrates and occupying military authorities deemed it necessary, firearms were confiscated and destroyed. Particular attention was given to disarming ex Confederate soldiers. My Great-Grandfather's rifle spent five years sealed in oilcloth and burried under a chicken house. This would help to explain the low survival rate of pre-war firearms.
Be Well,
Bill

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks guys, this is great information. I had always heard that large quantities of southern arms were converted/destroyed during the war but its interesting to see the details.
Thanks
Dennis

[Artificer]

  I'm sure that there are more articles in other papers that were asking for arms to supply the Confederate troops.  It would be interesting to know how many were actually collected and used during the war.

That was fascinating.  I never heard of a proposal to use Minie' balls in shotguns and even if the barrels were thick enough to stand the pressure, I don't think I would have wanted to shoot them.  Grin.  Since I always reenacted Infantry, I never studied the Cavalry in great detail.  However, there are accounts where double barreled shotguns were used very effectively by the Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia in the early stages of the war.
Gus

[Artificer]

Since McElwaine already had a boring and rifling machine he was asked to change "country rifles" into those suitable for the Army. This involved cutting the barrels to a "common" length, boring and re-rifling to .54 caliber, and turning the muzzle end to accept a socket bayonet.

 Of the 1507 sporting rifles and 17 Tenn. rifles sent in, only 352 were returned for issue.

That is by far the largest number of rifles so converted I ever heard of.  Thank you for adding that. 
Gus

[Carper]

In 1864, in what is now southern West Virginia my folks ran a little rifleshop, tannery,sawmill and blacksmith shop. My GGGrandpa was in his later 60's and still worked the shop, my GGrandpa was about 15 and had tried to enlist in the Confedrate army where three of his brothers were serving. But being small for his age he was not taken.  He begged his Dad to let him join as a drummer but he would not let him. Finally the war came to us. My GGrandpa got his chance to show the trail off the mountain and across the New River to a group of southern cavalry. He told my Grandma that it was the most exciting thing in his life ( died in 1927) The funny thing is that his Dad had pulled the ball from the squirrel rife the boy carried off the mountain. He later said that he feared the boy shooting someone by accident due to being so worked up.  Later... Union cavalry arrived and burnt the gunshop to the ground, made some of us shoe some horses, and generally robbed the place. Some of the women who were home at the time said that a federal soldier under the guise of looking for gunparts ran a sword down into a butter churn and as they rode away she saw him licking it like a popsicle.  These were small caliber rifles and far as I know never used for warlike events but I guess could have been deadly in a pinch.   Johnny

[WElliott]

A number of Southern rifles exist today simply because they went West before the beginning of the Confederate War. Between conscription for the War effort, destruction during the War, or being used up in the years following the War (when there was often no money with which to purchase more modern weapons), it is a wonder that any Southern rifles exist today.  I know of less than 20 pre-1840 Georgia-made rifles in collectors hands today.  This from a State that had hundreds of gunsmiths working during the flintlock period.   

[C. Cash]

In Eastern Tennessee where my guys hailed from(Washington and Roane/Meigs Counties) there was a great division among the population.  They were effectively split as was much of Eastern Tennessee....lot of bushwhacking and harrassment on either side.  In such an environment, I'm surprised they were able to convert that many rifles.  My ggGranDad's unit(McKenzie's Fifth Tenn. cavalry, CSA) was mustered in Knoxville in early 1862.  Their arms are reported as being a Colt's type pistol, shotguns and sometimes an old flintlock rifle, but the adjutant stated that they soon captured better arms.  Some of the other Veterans of the unit use the term "Squirrel Rifles" when describing what the men possessed in the region before the War.  I think the older stuff got used hard and was somewhat scarce by the time of The Civil War, or men were not inclined to bring them as the family left behind needed every ounce of protection and food it could get.  There were roving bands of murderers/thieves everywhere in East Tenn....some wearing uniforms, some not.

[Virginiaboy]

The Wytheville Home Guard was issued Jacob Shaffer Rifles if the militia man did not own a gun. When the yankees raided Wytheville the first time it was a week after Gettysburg in 63. A first hand account talks of flintlocks being distributed to the men. The entry does not state Shaffer himself, but a local historian came up with this knowledge. I am tracking a few things that will shed light into Jacob Shaffer's life and his guns. The raid on Wytheville is interesting. Wytheville was blocked and defended by 120 old men and young boys hiding in and around buildings against 800 mounted infantry from WV and Ohio. Wytheville streets were narrow with banks on both sides and the volleys of the home guard just caused a bottle neck and the union was not successful at burning the lead mines or the railroad.

[art riser]

Family Record and War Reminiscences
by William Frierson Fulton, Jr. Livingston, Alabama, 1919

Lawrence  Decatur  Godfrey was a soldier in this unit and enlisted in gainsville in 1861. He was my great grandfather

The company was paraded in full equipment in front of Col. McMahon's big hotel, The "American", in Gainesville, each member armed with guns picked up at home, mostly old squirrel guns.

Reaching Lynchburg we were marched to the fair grounds where we went into camp. Our appearance as we left the cars for this short march was ludicrous enough. Each man had strapped on his back a great big, square leather knapsack, packed until it fairly bulged, a big heavy blanket rolled up, and strapped on top of this, a canteen swinging on one side, a heavy haversack on the other, an old squirrel gun on his shoulder, and in many instances with pistols strapped around his waist.

Leaving Lynchburg we went direct to Manassas, and being furnished with tents we stretched them in an old field beside the railroad track near the junction.

Our old guns were exchanged for muskets. These muskets were old flint and steel guns of the Revolutionary War, and had been changed into percussion guns by removing the flints, plugging up the powder holes at the powder pans, and putting in tubes and hammers to match.

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I am usually suspicious when I see an old "rifle gun" in .58 caliber.  Having heard these stories for years, I am pretty much convinced the older guns in .58 caliber were converted to the standard caliber for war service.

[TPH]

After the first few months, the Confederate and state troops did not have any need for altered civilian arms, they were well armed and equipped for most of 1861 and through the end of the war. Just for an accurate idea of what types of weapons and accoutrements were actually issued to the troops of the Commonwealth of Virginia as of June of 1861, take a look at this:

http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/message/message.html

Of course it may have little to do with the actual subject being discussed but it is the only accurate source of information on what Virginia troops were using in the early war period. If you take the time to look carefully you will find what was issued to almost every unit of the state militia. Very few civilian arms are mentioned though some may have come in with the troops upon enlistment but they were soon replaced. Those actually altered - at least those that survived proof and many did not - were likely stored for the use of local "home guard" in circumstances where local draftees did not have arms. Like other states, Virginia did issue the call for arms in the hands of the public to be turned in to be so altered but as to their actual use after alteration, little if anything is known.

[T*O*F]

Our little local library has a dedicated room containing a rather large collection of Civil War documentation that has been assembled over the decades from family collections, local newspapers and other sources.  David Smith, a local historian, has been writing articles over the past year which pertain specifically to the "War in Fayette County."  They are published every week in the Fayette Falcon, the county's oldest newspaper.  They deal with people, spies, actions, skirmishes, etc that happened here during the war.

Almost all of the units mentioned were locally raised mounted units of 10 - 500 men.  Some were later incorporated into the regular army and went on to other battles but most remained local.  They weren't uniformed and provided their own weapons.  One article in particular was about a rather small man with a large ego who raised a group of mounted raiders.  He had a 4 bore gun that he had specially built and carried with him on horseback.  It gave the load he used and told how effective it was in ambushes, where on one occasion he took out 6 men with one shot.  Another guy carried a 10 bore double.  Other firearms were mentioned in some of the other articles, but having no interest in the Civil War, I just read them and toss the paper into the recycling bin.

I suspect there are other collections thru-out various states that contain 1st person information that researchers have never touched and within these collections lie the answers to many unanswered questions.

[JCKelly]

Slightly off-topic, but are any of you gentlemen familiar with cavalry carbines used early in the war in the Carolinas? Dad told me about a Civil War Times article, I suppose some time in the 1960's or 1970's, where the North/South? Carolina cavalry preferred flint carbines as they didn't have to fumble with a cap on horseback.
With great foresight I never recorded what issue that was. Would live to find it.
Because -
I have a British Paget carbine, type used against Napoleon, that the former owner collected out of an old house in the Carolina's about 1940. No, I don't remember whether North or South C.
I just wonder if this little carbine, in fine condition, might have through the blockade into the Port of Wilmington, NC? Or, I suppose, it could have been liberated from some Brit 1812-1814. That .65 bore 14" barrel makes a fine - and LOUD - impression when touched off.
One other gun I had for a while was a Richmond musket with barrel replaced by one from an Enfield, hammer re-shaped to hit the nipple, cut to half-stock with a locally made copper barrel band. That gun was USED, I assume privately after the war, when $ and firearms were hard to come by.
I heard enough about that war - I am a Yankee - from Grampa that I have little desire to collect more than a couple Civil War arms. The Revolution made sense to me, but slaughtering 600,000+ Americans for . .  well I just do not like Illinois lawyers.

[Mark Elliott]

In Virginia, you had independent gunsmiths making contract rifles for state issue to local militia from the Revolutionary War until the early 19th century when the Virginia Manufactory of Arms was established by the Commonwealth of Virginia.   Most of these militia weapons were retrofitted to percussion with the start of the Civil War.   You can see a collection of these weapons at the the Virginia Historical Society.   Given that weapons were provided by the state to militia units in VA,  I doubt that there were a lot of old longrifles from VA converted for use in the Civil War.  The militia units would have gone to war with what they had (which might have included some personal longrifles) to be replaced very shortly by rifles made by the VMA in Richmond based on the 1861 Springfield pattern.  

[Virginiaboy]

I will have to find the link again but when the Wythe Grays of Wytheville, Virginia were called into service and met with the rest of Virginia's First Brigade in Harper's Ferry, a personal diary entry talks of some guns being converted from flintlock. I assume personal guns. Like I said in an earlier post a local historian has researched and found Jacob Shaffer rifles being issued to the home guard in 1863. Virginia's First Brigade quickly became known as the Stonewall Brigade.

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

For a great book that somewhat touches this topic in many places try to find "TOMBEE, Portrait of a cotton planter" by Theodore Rosengarten.  This book is a showing and an analysis of the complete plantation journal of Thomas B. Chaplin From 1822 to 1890. It has a great many references to the guns , to the local militias as social groups in preparation for the anticipated civil , to hunting and shooting, and the like. Most intresting. If it is not in your library, interlibrary loan can get it for you. Published by William Morrow & Co. in 1986.  Lon

[nosrettap1958]

There is a passage in ‘Battles and Leaders’ that during the early days of the war Southern recruits would turned out armed with their, “squirrel rifles, but these they knew how to use.”   

[Mark Elliott]

I will have to find the link again but when the Wythe Grays of Wytheville, Virginia were called into service and met with the rest of Virginia's First Brigade in Harper's Ferry, a personal diary entry talks of some guns being converted from flintlock. I assume personal guns. Like I said in an earlier post a local historian has researched and found Jacob Shaffer rifles being issued to the home guard in 1863. Virginia's First Brigade quickly became known as the Stonewall Brigade.

I wouldn't assume that the guns were personal guns.   Virginia provided military arms made at the Virginia Manufactury of Arms to the Militia units for members who did not have appropriate firearms.   A longrifle would not be appropriate for military use.   An old fowling piece or musket would be but not a rifle.  A rifle could not be loaded quickly and did not use the standard ammunition issued by the state.   It is my assumption that most of the militia units in the State by the start of the Civil War were probably using VMA supplied weapons.    Many of them probably were flintlock muskets.   The arms provided by the VMA mirrored that standard issue by the U.S. Army, if not a few years behind in technology.

[heinz]

The Virginia Manufactory ceased production in 1821.  It was resurrected as the Richmond Arsenal in 1861.  Presumably for the 40 years it was closed Va relied on the federal arsenals to arm its militia.  I am no expert on the War f Northern Aggression but my understanding is the Richmond facility produced less than 350,000 small arms throughout the war.  It would seem as likely that personal weapons were being converted in 1861 as it it is that military issue equipment was being converted.