The weapon most used by Civil War infantrymen was known officially as
the United States Rifle Musket, Model 1861. Soldiers popularly called it
the "Springfield", since the Springfield, Mass., arsenal manufactured a
majority of these guns.
The Springfield was a percussion-cap, muzzle-loading weapon, caliber
.58, and weighed 9¾ pounds. The Springfield's effective range was 500
yards, although it could deliver a ball twice that distance. It fired a
soft lead Minie bullet--known then as now as the "minnie ball." In all,
over 670,000 Springfields were manufactured during the Civil War. They
cost the government about $19 each.
[Illustration: The Springfield musket, not including its 18-inch
bayonet, was 58½ inches in length. Contrary to popular belief, Civil
War soldiers rarely used bayonets in battle.]
Very popular among soldiers on both sides was the English Enfield Rifle
Musket, Model 1853. About 820,000 of these rifles were purchased by
North and South. The Enfield weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces, had a caliber
of .577, and was deadly up to 800 yards. It fired a bullet similar to
the Minie projectile.
Great strides were made at this time in breechloaders. These weapons
fired ready-made bullets, a series of which were inserted at one time in
the rear of the barrel. Breechloaders could fire faster and more
accurately than the single-shot, muzzle-loading Springfield or Enfield.
The Spencer Repeating Carbine, first patented in 1860, was a seven-shot
repeater that weighed 8¼ pounds and had an effective range of 2,000
yards. The Spencer was capable of 15 shots per minute--three times the
firepower of the Springfield. Another popular carbine among Federal
soldiers was the 15-shot Henry repeater, which was a .42-caliber,
rimfire carbine of extraordinary accuracy. About 10,000 of these weapons
saw service in the Civil War. This gun was the forerunner of the modern
Winchester carbine. Unfortunately for the North, red tape and political
conservatism by its leaders prohibited the wide and prompt adoption of
the repeating rifle.
The principal hand gun for cavalry and infantry officers was the Colt
Army Revolver, Model 1860. Over 100,000 of these six-shot, .44-caliber
revolvers were manufactured during the war. This same gun, in .36
caliber, was also made for the U. S. Navy. In addition, some twenty
other types of pistols were used by soldiers of blue and gray.
[Illustration: In 1836 twenty-two-year-old Samuel Colt patented and
produced the first of his famous handguns. The .44 caliber 1860
model, shown above, was known officially as the New Model Army
Pistol.]