Frank Wesson rifles were a series of single-shot rifles manufactured between 1859 and 1888 in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were purchased by many state governments during the American Civil War, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio.[1][2] They were one of the first rifles to use rimfire metallic cartridges.
The rifles were initially made in .22, .32, .38, and .44 rimfire. Centerfire cartridges were added later, and some rifles were capable of firing rimfire or centerfire cartridges, by altering an adjustment on the hammer.
History of the rifle
Frank Wesson Rifles advertisement
By 1859, there were a number of single-shot breech-loading rifles available to the American military and public. These included the Sharps rifle (1848), the Smith carbine (1857), and others. Those most suitable for military use were loaded through the breech, but required a separate percussion cap to ignite the cartridge.
Copper rimfire cartridges which contained their own primer were introduced just prior to the American Civil War. Only a few manufacturers came out with guns which could use this ammunition; these included the Henry repeating rifle (cartridge introduced in 1860), Spencer repeating rifle, Maynard carbine, Frank Wesson rifles, and Ballard rifles. The .44 caliber Frank Wesson and Ballard rifles could use the same cartridge as each other, and these cartridges were very close in size to the .44 Henry rimfire.
The Frank Wesson rifle was the first breech-loading rifle designed for these metallic cartridges.[3]
Frank Wesson (1828–1899) and N.S. Harrington were granted patent 25,926, 'Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms' in 1859,[4] and Frank Wesson was granted patent 36,925, 'Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms'[5] in 1862.
Patent 36,925 drawing of breech opening mechanism, and slotted link for controlling opening of rifle. Model shown is Frank Wesson two trigger model.
The 1862 patent added the use of a slotted link to stop the barrel from pivoting too far, which made the gun much easier and quicker to load. The carbine with a 24-inch barrel weighed only 6 pounds, low weight being desirable in a weapon to be carried by cavalry. The 28 and 34 inch barrel models weighing 7 and 8 pounds respectively.[6]
By 1866, twenty thousand Frank Wesson rifles had been made, of which 8,000 were military.[3]
Shooting Trials
On October 7, 1863, at the Missouri State Fair, in a contest between three infantry companies, shots fired from a Wesson rifle hit a man-sized target 45 times out of 100, at a distance of 300 yards.[7] In a trial at St. Louis, competing against other rifles, a man-sized target was hit 56 times out of 100, the second best rifle scoring 10 of 100.[3] At the Massachusetts State trial of breech-loading weapons, at Readville, 20 shots in a row hit a target at 200 yards, and 50 shots were fired in 4 minutes.[8] A Dr. I.J. Wetherbee, of Boston, shot a string of 12 shots at 110 yards, with telescopic sights, with a 34-inch barreled breech-loading rifle. His target is shown here.[9]
Target shot by I.J. Wetherbee, at 110 yards, with telescopic sights, using a Two-Trigger (tip-up) Frank Wesson rifle.
The rifle was also tested at Leavenworth, Kansas, and by General P.F. Robinson, Kentucky.[10]
Use during the American Civil War
Between 3000 and 4000 of these carbines were used by the military during the war. Over 2000 Wesson rifles were sold to militia in the states of Kentucky and Illinois.[11] 44 caliber carbines were purchased by individuals and state governments during the Civil War. Many of these weapons were sold through a company called Kittredge & Co, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who have their name stamped on the barrel of these weapons.
In July 1862, Brigadier-General J. T. Boyle of Kentucky complained about Gallagher guns, calling them 'worthless'. He stated that 'They snap often, the cartridge hangs in after firing; difficult to get the exploded cartridges out often with screw-driver; men throw them away and take musket or any other arm. They are unquestionably worthless.' He then requested 'Sharps, Wessons, Ballards, or any other kind of carbine.' He mentioned that Wesson carbines can be had for $25 or less from Cincinnati.[12]
The Wesson carbine was used primarily by the Union armies, as the Confederacy did not manufacture rim fire cartridges. However, in November 1862, the Confederacy did arrange for the smuggling of 10 Wesson rifles, and 5,000 cartridges to Texas, via Cuba. These rifles were smuggled by Harris Hoyt, who was brought to trial in January 1865. The rifles at that time cost $25 each, the cartridges $11 per thousand.[13]
In January 1863, the state of Ohio had 150 Wesson carbines on hand. At that time, they also had 54,000 Wesson cartridges. The 11th Cavalry regiment was issued 100 Wesson carbines and 400 Spencer repeating rifles.[16] The states of Kentucky and Illinois purchased 2000 for their state militias.[2]
In July 1863, in a letter to Major S.B. Shaw, St. Louis, Mo, T.F. Robinson, Quartermaster-General of Kentucky reported that portions of two Kentucky regiments had been armed with the "Wesson Cartridge Rifle", were pleased with it, and would not exchange it for any other rifle.[17]
Following the Lawrence Massacre on August 21, 1863, the surviving men formed a rifle company, using Wesson rifles. These weapons, along with their revolvers were carried at all times.[18]
Kentucky purchased 1366 Wesson carbines, Indiana purchased 760 for their cavalry, from B. Kittredge & Co., Cincinnati,[19] and the numbers for Ohio, Kansas and Missouri are not known. Individual soldiers of Kansas and Missouri purchased an unknown number of these rifles. Missouri had over 690 in their regimental armories in 1864.[20]
In 1862, the 7th Kentucky Cavalry was issued 500 Wesson carbines at a price of $25 each.[21] In the summer of 1863, individuals from the 11th Regiment, 1st Battalion, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, purchased 200 Wesson rifles. Companies I and L were also issued Wesson rifles by the state.[22] At least 300 individuals from the 5th Missouri State Militia (MSM) Cavalry purchased this weapon during the war, some of which were used during Price's Raid.[23] In that raid, the men of the 5th were placed on specific parts of the battlefield in order to take advantage of their more rapid rate of fire.[15] Troopers from the 3rd MSM also carried Wesson carbines.[24] At that time, the cost of this carbine was $40 each.[25] The 48th Illinois Infantry carried an unknown number of Wesson carbines, and ran out of ammunition for these rifles during the Battle of Ezra Church (part of the Atlanta campaign) on July 28, 1864. During that battle, some regiments expended 100 bullets per soldier.[26][27] At the Battle of Westport, also during Price's Raid, some men of the 19th Kansas State Militia carried this rifle.[15]
Advantages of rimfire breech-loading rifles
The primary advantages of rimfire breech-loading rifles during the American Civil War were that the rifle could be loaded easily, that the ammunition was self-contained, and that the ammunition was relatively weather-proof.
Most rifles used during the American Civil War were muzzle loading rifles. To load these rifles, powder would be poured into the muzzle, a patch would be placed around the ball or Minie ball, the ball would be forced down the barrel using a ramrod, the ramrod would be replaced, a percussion cap would be pressed onto a nipple on the rifle, and the hammer would be drawn back.
To load these rifles quickly, it was necessary for the soldier to stand. This made these rifles difficult to use for cavalry, which required that the cavalry typically be dismounted if using muzzle loading rifles.[28] Breech loading rifles, on the other hand, could be loaded while mounted on horseback.
Most rifles, including some that were breech-loading, also used a percussion cap, which required that the soldier carry percussion caps in addition to other ammunition requirements. These requirements would have been powder, bullets, patches, and percussion caps. A soldier using a Frank Wesson or Henry rifle would have only needed to carry cartridges.
For rifles which used separate ball and powder, the ball and powder would be contained in a paper cartridge. In wet weather, these cartridges were easily damaged. The copper cartridges used by Henry, Wesson, Ballard and others tolerated moisture better, and were more impervious to wet conditions.
Sales and use following the American Civil War
Frank Wesson rifles continued to be made until 1888. On November 21, 1877, Buffalo Bill, following one of his Wild West shows, competed with Lincoln C. Daniels, a marksman. Both competitors were using new Wesson rifles. Other members in his troupe also used Wesson rifles. The competition was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, where the Wesson factory was located.[29]
In 1867, the War Department authorized sale of many weapons, including 19,551 weapons at the Leavenworth arsenal in Kansas. This sale included Wesson carbines, as well as many other revolvers, rifles and carbines of the period (29 different types).[30]
In 1869, the War Department purchased far fewer weapons of all kinds than it had in the Civil War. Only three Frank Wesson carbines were purchased during the year, for $20 each. At the same time, it purchased, or had modified 13,098 Sharps carbines (listed as 'Sharps carbines, altered'), at approximately $4 each.[31]
As late as 1873, Indiana still had 716 Kittredge marked Wesson carbines in their armory.[32] In June 1873, Kentucky had 314 of these carbines,[33] and in August 1875, had 298 of these rifles in good condition, erroneously recorded as 'Smith & Wesson rifles, calibre .44', though they were Wesson carbines. These rifles were stored in their state arsenal.[34]
Bullets from a Frank Wesson rifle were found at the Hembrillo Battlefield (1880), New Mexico;[35] and at the Battle of Little Big Horn (1876), Montana.[36]
Rifle models
On all 'two-trigger' models, the front trigger opened the rifle, the rear trigger fired it. The following models of rifles were made by Frank Wesson. Dates are approximate. Military models had a three position sight, for 100, 250 and 500 yards.
1st Type - a slotted link to keep the barrel from swinging too high was on the right hand side of the rifle. In later years of this model, an extractor was on the left hand side. The frames were iron or brass. (1859-1864)
2nd Type - the slotted link moved to the left hand side of the rifle, the extractor moved to the right side. Iron frames only. (1863-1876)
3rd Type - an adjustable hammer, patented in 1872, was available for rimfire or centerfire. (1872-1888)
4th Type (aka Mid Range No. 2) - globe front sight replaced the German silver sight. (1872-1888)
5th Type (aka New Model) - Frame was flat on vertical sides to the left and right of the hammer mechanism.(1876-1888)
Calibers of Ammunition
The Wesson rifle was available in .22, 32, .38 rimfire and .44 rimfire. It was also available in 30-30 Wesson and .44 Wesson Extra Long.[38]
A rim-fire is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms where the primer is located within a hollow circumferential rim protruding from the base of its casing. When fired, the gun's firing pin will strike and crush the rim against the edge of the barrel breech, sparking the primer compound within the rim, and in turn ignite the propellant within the case. Invented in 1845 by Louis-Nicolas Flobert, the first rimfire metallic cartridge was the .22 BB Cap cartridge, which consisted of a percussion cap with a bullet attached to the top. While many other different cartridge priming methods have been tried since the early 19th century, such as teat-fire and pinfire, only small caliber rimfire and centerfire cartridges have survived to the present day with regular use. The .22Long Rifle rimfire cartridge, introduced in 1887, is by far the most common ammunition found in the world today in terms of units manufactured and sold.
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the (muzzle) end of the barrel.
The Remington M1867 is a rolling-block rifle that was produced in the second-half of the 19th century. It was the first rifle using metallic cartridges to be adopted by the Norwegian and Swedish armies. Nominally, it had a caliber of 4 decimal lines, but the actual caliber was 3.88 Norwegian decimal lines or 4.1 Swedish decimal lines (12.17 mm), and it fired a rimfire round with a 12.615 mm lead bullet. The 12.17 mm caliber was chosen because the Swedish army had approximately 30,000 new muzzle-loading M1860 and breech-loading M1864 rifles in 12.17 mm caliber in stock, rifles that were suitable for conversion to M1867 rolling-block rifles. With the exception of the first 10,000 rifles and 20,000 actions, which were made by Remington in the US, all Remington M1867 rifles and carbines were made under license in Norway and Sweden, by Kongsberg Vaapenfabrik in Norway, and by Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag and Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori in Sweden with the two Swedish manufacturers producing about 80% of the weapons.
The Peabody action was an early form of breechloading firearm action, where the heavy breechblock tilted downwards across a bolt mounted in the rear of the breechblock, operated by a lever under the rifle. The Peabody action most often used an external hammer to fire the cartridge.
The Spencer repeating rifles and carbines were 19th-century American lever-action firearms invented by Christopher Spencer. The Spencer was the world's first military metallic-cartridge repeating rifle, and over 200,000 examples were manufactured in the United States by the Spencer Repeating Rifle Co. and Burnside Rifle Co. between 1860 and 1869. The Spencer repeating rifle was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the American Civil War but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the time. Among the early users was George Armstrong Custer. The Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version designed for the cavalry.
Christian Sharps was the inventor of the Sharps rifle, the first commercially successful breech-loading rifle and the Sharps Four Barrel Pistol, and Sharps Breech-Loading Pistol.
The Henry repeating rifle is a lever-action tubular magazine rifle famed both for its use at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and being the basis for the iconic Winchester rifle of the American Wild West.
The Massachusetts Arms Company, of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts was a manufacturer of firearms and firearm-related products from about 1849 into the early 20th century.
Edward Maynard was an American dentist and firearms inventor, most famous for his breechloading rifle design.
Sharps rifles are a series of large-bore, single-shot, falling-block, breech-loading rifles, beginning with a design by Christian Sharps in 1848 and ceasing production in 1881. They were renowned for long-range accuracy. By 1874, the rifle was available in a variety of calibers, and it was one of the few designs to be successfully adapted to metallic cartridge use. The Sharps rifles became icons of the American Old West with their appearances in many Western-genre films and books. Perhaps as a result, several rifle companies offer reproductions of the Sharps rifle.
The origins of the modern British military rifle are within its predecessor the Brown Bess musket. While a musket was largely inaccurate over 100 yards (91 m), due to a lack of rifling and a generous tolerance to allow for muzzle-loading, it was cheap to produce and could be loaded quickly. The use of volley or mass firing by troops meant that the rate of fire took precedence over accuracy.
Remington Rolling Block is a family of breech-loading rifles that was produced from the mid-1860s into the early 20th century by E. Remington and Sons.
The Maynard carbine was a breech-loaded carbine used by cavalry in the American Civil War. The First Model was manufactured between 1858 and 1859. About 5,000 were made. In United States service it was distributed to the 9th Pennsylvania and 1st Wisconsin cavalry regiments, United States Marines aboard the USS Saratoga and the United States Revenue Cutter Service. About 6,770 Maynard carbines were in Confederate hands during the war; 5,000 in .35 caliber were purchased by Florida, 650 in .50 by Georgia, and 325 in .50 and 300 in .35 by Mississippi. Around 800 were purchased by militias in South Carolina and Louisiana. The Second Model or Model 1863 was manufactured between 1863 and 1865. Over 20,000 were made. This model lacked the tape primer and stock patch box, and was used by the 9th and 11th Indiana cavalry regiments and 11th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, among others. The Maynard had a good reputation for long-range accuracy, and Confederate sharpshooters made extensive use of it, especially during the Siege of Charleston.
The .50-70 Government, also known as the .50-70 Musket, .50-70 Springfield, and .50-1+3⁄4" Sharps) is a black powder cartridge adopted in 1866 for the Springfield Model 1866 trapdoor rifle.
The Burnside carbine was a breech-loading carbine that saw widespread use during the American Civil War.
The .44 Henry, also known as the .44 Henry Flat, the .44 Rimfire, the .44 Long Rimfire, and the 11x23mmR in Europe, is a rimfire rifle and handgun cartridge featuring a .875 in (22.2 mm)-long brass or copper case. The round has a total overall length of 1.345 in (34.2 mm), with a 200 or 216 gr .446 in (11.3 mm)-diameter cast solid-lead heeled bullet. The original propellant load is 26 to 28 gr of black powder. The round has a muzzle velocity of approximately 1,125 ft/s (343 m/s), giving a muzzle energy of 568 foot-pounds.
The Merrill carbine was a breechloader firearm designed by Baltimore, Maryland gunsmith and inventor James H. Merrill. It was one of several firearms either manufactured or altered by Merrill in fulfillment of contracts with the Union government during the U.S. Civil War.
The Starr carbine was a breechloading single-shot rifle used by the United States Army. Designed in 1858, the Starr was primarily used by cavalry soldiers in the American Civil War.
The term Joslyn Rifle refers to a series of rifles produced in the mid-19th century. The term is often used to refer specifically to the Joslyn Model 1861/1862, which was the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle produced at the Springfield Armory.
The Slocum Revolver in cal. 32 rimfire was an attempt to circumvent the Rollin White patent. This 5-shot pocket revolver was made 1864 to 1864 by the Brooklyn Arms Co, Brooklyn, New York. Total quantity is estimated to have been more than 10,000 units.
References
↑ Flayderman, N. (2007). Flayderman's guide to antique American firearms-- and their values (9th ed.). Iola, WI: Gun Digest. p. 264
1 2 John Walter, Rifles of the World, p. 516, 2006
1 2 3 American Artisan and Illustrated Journal of Popular Science, Nov 28, 1866, p. 52,53
↑ United States. Senate Documents, Otherwise Publ. as Public Documents and Executive ..., (1870-1871) pp. 49, 87
↑ Edward G. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg: A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations During the Civil War's Pivotal Campaign, 9 June-14 July 1863, Associated University Presses, (1986) p. 60
1 2 3 Sinisi, Kyle (2015). The Last Hurrah, Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp.226–227, 253–254. ISBN978-0-7425-4535-9.
↑ Ohio, Executive Documents, Annual Reports made to the Governor of the State of Ohio for the year 1863, Part 2 (1864) pp. 603, 607
↑ Edward E. Leslie, Devil Knows How to Ride: The True Story of William Clarke Quantrill and His Confederate Raiders, Random House, Inc, New York (1996)
↑ William H. H. Terrell, Indiana in the War of the Rebellion, Indiana Adjutant General's Office (1869), p. 177, 436
↑ McAulay, John D, Carbines of the US Cavalry 1861-1905, PIONEER PRESS, Union City, TN, 1997, pp. 119-122
↑ OFFICIAL RECORDS: Series 1, vol 16, Part 2 (Morgan's First Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign) p. 230
↑ Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Missouri for the year ending December 31, 1865, Missouri Office of the Adjutant General, (1866), page 486
↑ Douglas L. Gifford, The Battle of Pilot Knob Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour Guide, Winfield, Missouri, ISBN1-59196-478-4 (2003) p. 10
↑ Charles G. Worman, Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather: Firearms in the Nineteenth-century American West (2005), University of New Mexico Press, p. 55
↑ James B. Swan, Chicago's Irish Legion: The 90th Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War, Southern Illinois University (2009), p. 154
↑ The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, vol 38, Part 3 (The Atlanta Campaign), p. 344
↑ Lt. Col B. F. Lazear, Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Serial 83 p. 0361 Chapter LIII. Price's Missouri Expedition, 1891
↑ Sandra Sagala, Buffalo Bill on Stage, University of New Mexico Press
↑ United States, Reports of Committees: 30th Congress, 1st Session - 48th Congress, 2nd Session, Washington Government Printing Office (1872), p. 64
↑ United States, Senate Documents, Otherwise Published as Public Documents and Executive Documents, 14th Congress, 1st Session-48th Congress, 2nd Session and Special Session (1870). See p. 4 of Document 17
↑ Report Adjutant General the State of Indiana Year Ending December 31, 1873, Indianapolis (1874) p. 2
↑ Kentucky Public Documents, Volume 1 (1873) p. 27
↑ Laumbach, Karl W, 'Hembrillo, an Apache battlefield of the Victorio war: the archaeology and history of the Hembrillo battlefield', 2000
↑ Wagner, Frederic C. III, 'Participants in the Battle of the Little Big Horn: A Biographical Dictionary of Sioux, Cheyenne and United States Military Personnel', p. 232
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