Infantry Weapons

• Model 1861 Springfield Rifled Musket

  

  Manufactured by Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, this was the most commonly used infantry weapon among Union soldiers. Weighing about nine pounds, it boasted a 40-inch barrel, a percussion cap priming system, open leap-flip sights set at 300 and 500 yards, and a triangular socket bayonet. Infantry men loaded it by completing a complex, nine-step procedure that involved manually tearing open a paper cartridge and ramming down the muzzle with a ramrod. The Springfield fired a conical, .58-caliber lead projectile called the Minié Ball. The barrel’s rifling—narrow grooves that spiraled from muzzle to breech—caused the bullet to spin on its axis when fired, greatly increasing the weapon’s accuracy. Even in the hands of inexperienced troops, at a range of 200 yards, a regiment armed with Springfield rifled muskets could inflict impressive casualties. Springfield Armory produced over 700,000 of these weapons, and a great many found their way into the hands of Pennsylvania’s soldiers.

• Model 1853 Enfield Rifled Musket

  

  This weapon, manufactured in Great Britain, closely resembled the American-made Springfield in several ways. It fired a .577 caliber conical ball, utilized a percussion cap priming system, employed a socket bayonet or sword bayonet and had rifling. Unlike the Springfield, the Enfield used a ladder sight and had a slightly shorter barrel. Although an older weapon than its American counterpart, the Enfield proved reliable and saw widespread use in the Civil War, especially early on, as the unprepared Union and Confederate governments imported these weapons from British arms dealers in great numbers. About 900,000 found their way into the hands of Union and Confederate infantrymen, including many Pennsylvanians.

• Model 1842 Smoothbore

  

  Unlike the Springfield or Enfield rifled muskets, this antebellum weapon possessed no rifling. It fired a .69-caliber round ball with three buckshot attached. Because of its ammunition, these rifles were nicknamed “69 buck and ball.” Smoothbore muskets proved considerably less accurate than their rifled cousins—they were accurate to about eight yards—but they possessed certain advantages. They were easier to clean, less prone to fouling and caused more damage when fired at close range. Several Pennsylvania regiments and local militia units used versions of these outdated weapons early in the war or during state emergencies. However, very few veteran regiments carried them throughout the conflict.

• Model 1861 Socket Bayonet

  

  Nearly all infantrymen carried an edged weapon, a bayonet. Bayonets came in many shapes and sizes. Some sword or saber styles could be more than 20 inches long. The triangular socket bayonet for the Model 1861 Springfield possessed a blade approximately 17 inches in length. The blade’s triangular shape inflicted an ugly wound that could not easily heal. Although frightening weapons, bayonets caused very few battle deaths, as infantrymen rarely came close enough to use it effectively. Bayonets persisted, however, as many commanders respected their shock value. A “bayonet charge” could drive out enemy defenders or puncture a formidable defensive position.

• Model 1859 Sharps Breech-loading Rifle

  

  Invented by the talented firearms manufacturer, Christian Sharps, in 1848, the Sharps Breech-loader used a sliding block mechanism that enabled its user to load a paper or linen cartridge into the rear of the barrel without tearing the cartridge manually. In addition to increasing the rate of fire of the average infantryman, this technological innovation enabled riflemen to load the weapon while lying prone. Although not more accurate than its muzzle-loading counterparts, the Sharps gained wide popularity among certain rifle regiments, including the Pennsylvania Bucktails and Colonel Hiram Berdan’s two U.S. Sharpshooter regiments, a corps that included one company of Pennsylvanians. Manufactured in Hartford, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 100,000 Sharps Rifles and Carbines saw service in the Union army.

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