Model 1822 Musket

Springfield Model 1822
Springfield Model 1822
Type	Musket
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1822–1865
Used by	United States ; Confederate States
Wars	American Indian Wars ; Mexican–American War ; American Civil War
Production history
Designer	Eli Whitney
Designed	1822
Manufacturer	Springfield Armory ; Harpers Ferry Armory ; Various private contractors
Produced	1822–1835
Specifications
Mass	9 lb (4.1 kg)
Length	58 in (1,500 mm)
Barrel length	42 in (1,100 mm)
Cartridge	Paper cartridge, buck and ball/musket ball (.65/16.510 mm) undersized to reduce the effects of powder fouling
Caliber	.69 in (17.526 mm)
Action	Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion)
Rate of fire	User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	1,000 ft/s (300 m/s) to 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s)
Effective firing range	50 to 100 yd (46 to 91 m) (smoothbore); 200 to 400 yd (180 to 370 m) (rifled)
Maximum firing range	150 to 300 yd (140 to 270 m) (smoothbore); 800 to 1,000 yd (730 to 910 m) (rifled)
Feed system	Muzzle-loaded
Sights	A front sight cast into the upper barrel band, rear sight (percussion/rifled conversion)

Last updated March 30, 2024

The Springfield Model 1822 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured by the United States in the early 19th century.

Like the Model 1816, the Model 1822 was a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock, with a 42-inch (110 cm) barrel and an overall length of 58 inches (150 cm). One of the most noticeable differences in the Model 1822 is the attachment of the lower sling swivel. The forward part of the trigger guard was provided with an enlargement which was drilled to receive the sling swivel rivet. Previously, the sling swivel had been affixed to a stud in front of the trigger guard.^[2]

In addition to the Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories, the Model 1822 was produced by numerous other independent contractors. It was eventually replaced by the Springfield Model 1835, which is also considered by many to be a continuation of the Model 1816 designated as the Type III.^[2]

Like other flintlocks, many of the Model 1822 muskets were converted to percussion lock in the 1840s and 1850s, as percussion caps were more reliable and weather resistant than flintlocks. However, during the Mexico City campaign, General Winfield Scott insisted on his army being equipped with flintlock muskets because flints were easy to make or procure, important in a hostile country where supply lines were vulnerable.^[2]

Some Model 1822 muskets also had their barrels rifled so that they could fire the newly invented Minié ball if the barrel was thick enough and structurally sound. However, the increase in breech pressure created by the new expanding bullet was too much for the conversion process and older musket barrels to contain and rifled Model 1822 muskets were issued instead with standard .69 caliber round balls.^[2]

The Model 1822 was used in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. During the latter, .69 caliber muskets (mostly percussion, but some flintlocks as well) were common in the early part of the war (either in their original form or converted to rifling). They had totally disappeared from the Army of the Potomac by the second half of 1862 (aside from the Irish Brigade, which carried Springfield Model 1842 muskets until 1864), but the less-well equipped Confederate Army used them for longer, and the Army of Northern Virginia's ordnance chief claimed that Gettysburg was the first battle in which the army was completely free of smoothbore muskets.^[3]

In the Western Theater, the situation was worse for both sides and smoothbores remained in use in the Union armies into 1863. Some Confederate regiments were still carrying .69 caliber muskets at the Battle of Franklin in November 1864.^[3]

Preceded by Model 1816 Musket	United States Army rifle 1822-1835	Succeeded by Springfield Model 1835

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Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also known as the true flintlock, that was introduced in the early 17th century, and gradually replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock, the wheellock, and the earlier flintlock mechanisms such as the snaplock and snaphaunce.

The Charleville musket was a .69 caliber standard French infantry musket used in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made in 1717 and was last produced during the 1840s. However, it still saw limited use in conflicts through the mid-19th century.

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The musketoon is a shorter-barrelled version of the musket and served in the roles of a shotgun or carbine. Musketoons could be of the same caliber as the issue musket or of a much larger caliber, 1.0–2.5 inches (25–63 mm). The musketoon is most commonly associated with naval use, and pirates in particular, though they also served in a carbine role with cavalry. Musketoon barrels were often flared at the muzzle, resembling a cannon or blunderbuss.

The M1819 Hall rifle was a single-shot breech-loading rifle designed by John Hancock Hall, patented on May 21, 1811, and adopted by the U.S. Army in 1819. It was preceded by the Harpers Ferry M1803. It used a pivoting chamber breech design and was made with either flintlock or percussion cap ignition systems. The years of production were from the 1820s to the 1840s at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. This was the first breech-loading rifle to be adopted in large numbers by any nation's army, but not the first breech-loading military rifle – the Ferguson rifle was used briefly by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War. The Hall rifle remained overshadowed by common muskets and muzzleloading rifles which were still prevalent until the Civil War. The early flintlocks were mostly converted to percussion ignition.

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The Springfield Model 1812 Musket is a .69 caliber, flintlock musket manufactured by the Springfield Armory.

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Springfield musket may refer to any one of several types of small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the United States armed forces. In modern times, these muskets are commonly referred to by their date of design followed by the name Springfield. However, U.S. Ordnance Department documentation at the time did not use "Springfield" in the name.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Model 1855</span> Rifled musket

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The French-made Tulle musket or Fusil de chasse, originally meaning "gun of the hunt”, was a light smoothbore flintlock musket designed for hunting. A later military variant known as the Fusil marine ordinaire, or "common naval musket" was issued to the French marines during the French and Indian War and American War of Independence. French Common Muskets were typically lighter and shorter than the later Charleville muskets also manufactured at Tulle.

References

1 2 3 4 Stanage, Justin (2000). "The Rifle-Musket vs. The Smoothbore Musket, a Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Two Types of Weapons Primarily at Short Ranges". IU South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal. 3: 84–89.
1 2 3 4 5 "Guns on the Early Frontiers" by Carl P. Russell, Published by U of Nebraska Press, 1980
1 2 The Civil War Book of Lists, by Combined Books (Firm), Published by Da Capo Press, 1992

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[:2-1] 1 2 3 4 Stanage, Justin (2000). "The Rifle-Musket vs. The Smoothbore Musket, a Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Two Types of Weapons Primarily at Short Ranges". IU South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal. 3: 84–89.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Guns on the Early Frontiers" by Carl P. Russell, Published by U of Nebraska Press, 1980

[:1-3] 1 2 The Civil War Book of Lists, by Combined Books (Firm), Published by Da Capo Press, 1992

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Model 1822 Musket

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