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Weapons of the Vicksburg Campaign
When I was much younger than I am now, I wandered many a weary mile over some of the most forbidding terrain Mississippi had to offer, searching for relics from the American Civil War. Armed with a Fisher 1266-X metal detector, a World War 2 era folding shovel, and two army surplus canteens, I braved terrible heat, pouring rain, stinking mud, biting insects, and the occasional poisonous snakes in my quest to find these cast-off bits of a long-ago war that had taken place so close to my home.
The author on the hunt for relics in Vicksburg, Mississippi, circa 1990s. (Photo by author)
In the course of my relic hunting I was fortunate enough to find a number of interesting Civil War relics, and among them were hundreds of bullets. They are one of the most common finds a relic hunter can make, as bullets were produced in the billions during the war. Even though I dug many, many bullets over the years, each one gave me a thrill, as I realized I was the first person to touch this bullet since the Civil War. I was also amazed by just how many different types of bullets were used during the conflict; they came in a wonderful variety, so they were fun to collect. As I built my collection of bullets, I naturally became interested in the guns that the soldiers actually used to fire all these bullets I was digging. The article below is the fruit of all of the research I did on Civil War weapons – I hope you enjoy it!
A good example of the rough terrain one must navigate to find Civil War relics. This picture was taken in Vicksburg circa 1990s. (Photo by Author)
In this posting, I will cover the weapons and equipment that were used by both sides during the Vicksburg Campaign. This is by no means a listing of every firearm and every piece of equipment that would have been carried by the typical Yank or Reb. I have simply tried to describe the types of muskets and various pieces of equipment that would have been in widespread use during the campaign.
Captain Claude Etienne Minie, inventor of the bullet that bore his name. (Wikipedia)
Background on Civil War Firearms
Prior to the Civil War, most military firearms used in the United States were smoothbore muskets. They fired a round ball, were most commonly of .69 caliber, had an effective range of 50 yards, and a maximum range of 100 yards. A well-trained soldier could fire 3 – 4 rounds per minute with this type of weapon.
Rifled firearms were not widely used by the military before the Civil War. They fired a patched, round ball, and were accurate out to several hundred yards, but the tradeoff was rate of fire: the best that could be expected was one round per minute.
Widespread use of rifles by the military came after the invention of the minie ball by French Captain Claude Minie. He created an elongated lead bullet with a hollow base that was smaller than the bore of the rifle. When fired, the propellant gasses expanded the hollow base of the bullet, expanding it into the rifling of the barrel. With the minie ball, firearms could be built with the accuracy of a rifle but with a rate of fire of 3 – 4 rounds per minute. The smoothbore musket was suddenly obsolete.
Illustration from Infantry Tactics by General Silas Casey (1863) showing the procedure for loading a musket.
The United States Army adopted the rifle as its primary shoulder weapon in 1855. The changeover to the new technology was slow, however, and when the Civil War began in 1861, both the North and the South had arsenals full of old smoothbore weapons. All of the muskets each side had on hand were not enough, however, to arm the thousands of young men flocking to recruiting stations to join the military. Union and Confederate soldiers often went into battle carrying weapons purchased from Europe.
Loading and firing a musket, whether it was smoothbore or rifled, was a complex task requiring nine separate steps. A well-trained soldier was expected to take three aimed shots per minute. The cartridges for muzzle-loading firearms were made out of paper, and each contained one lead bullet and the black powder for the round. In rifled weapons, the most commonly used round was the minie ball, and the most common calibers were .58 and .69. Union-made minie balls typically had three rings, while Confederate made minie balls had two rings or no rings. In smoothbore weapons most commonly used were a .69 round ball or a .69 caliber buck and ball round.
Civil War Bullets found by the author – on the left are two U.S. bullets, a .69 and a .58 caliber; on the right are two C.S. bullets, both .577 caliber (Photo by Author)
By the time of the Vicksburg Campaign, the North was able to supply three-quarters of its regiments with state-of-the-art first-class muzzle-loading muskets. About one-quarter of the army were armed with second-class muskets of both European and American design. Many of the American-made weapons were older smoothbores that had had their barrels rifled to increase their accuracy and range. While they were serviceable weapons, they were not considered as accurate or reliable as first-class weapons. Only one unlucky regiment in the Union army at Vicksburg was armed with third-class arms: the 101st Illinois Infantry had smoothbore muskets. After the siege of Vicksburg ended, General Ulysses S. Grant allowed his regiments that were armed with second-class or third-class weapons to pick through the captured Confederate stockpile of muskets and take their pick of the many first-class rifles that were available.
Unidentified Union Soldier posing with his 1861 Springfield Rifle (Library of Congress)
U.S. Model 1861 Springfield Rifle-Musket
The Springfield Model 1861 Rifle-Musket was the most widely used Union firearm of the war and was very well regarded for its accuracy and reliability. The United States Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, produced over 250,000 of these weapons during the first two years of the war. The government also allowed private manufacturers to build the weapon, as the Springfield Armory could not keep up with the demand. Over 20 different contractors made the Springfield, turning out a total of 450,000 rifles. The Springfield Model 1861 was 56 inches long, weighed nine pounds, and used a .58 caliber minie ball.
Five members of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry with their Enfield Rifles (Library of Congress)
British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket
The Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket was the standard shoulder weapon of the British army from 1853 – 1867. It was a very well made firearm that was the equal of the Springfield Model 1861 in terms of performance. It was the Union army’s second-most widely used musket, with over 500,000 imported during the war. The rifles brought to the United States were made by a number of civilian contractors in Great Britain. The Enfield was 55.3 inches long, weighed nine pounds, and used a .577 caliber minie ball.
Unidentified Union Soldier proudly displaying his Sharps Carbine (Library of Congress)
Sharps Carbine
The Sharps Carbine was one of the most popular weapons used by Union cavalry during the Civil War. It was a breechloading weapon that was highly thought of for its reliability, accuracy, and high rate of fire. Unlike a musket that had to be loaded from the muzzle with a ramrod, the Sharps loaded from the breech. By lowering a lever, the breech block of the gun dropped down, allowing the user to insert a cartridge directly into the breech of the gun. When the lever was raised, the gun was ready to fire. A well-trained trooper with a Sharps could fire ten aimed shots per minute, in comparison to a musket’s three shots per minute. The tradeoff was range: the carbine’s barrel was not as long as the musket’s, so it had a much shorter effective range. The Sharps was 39 inches long, weighed seven pounds, and used a .52 caliber bullet.
Two unidentified Union soldiers – the one on the right holds an 1851 Colt Navy Revolver (Library of Congress)
Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver
A six-shot, single action revolver (single action means the hammer has to be pulled back before the trigger is pulled), the Colt Navy was one of the most widely used handguns of the war. Issued primarily to cavalry, they provided multiple shots at close range, which were very useful as troopers often fought at close range. These weapons were also used as personal side-arms by many Union officers. The Colt Navy was 13 inches long, weighed 2 pounds, 10 ounces, and used a .36 caliber conical or round ball.
A very young Union soldier posed for his picture holding a Colt Army Revolver (Library of Congress)
Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver
A six-shot, single action revolver, the Colt Army was one of the most popular handguns used during the Civil War. They were widely issued to the cavalry, where the multiple shots and heavy firepower they provided for close-range engagements made them a formidable weapon to be reckoned with. Like the Colt Navy, officers often used these revolvers as their personal side-arms. The Colt Army was 14 inches long, weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces, and used a .44 caliber conical or round ball.
Unidentified Union soldier armed with a Remington Revolver (Library of Congress)
Remington Model 1861 Army Revolver
A six-shot, single action revolver, the Remington Army was the most widely used handgun of the war. The United States government purchased 125,314 Remington Army Revolvers. The Remington had one telling advantage over the Colt Army with army procurement officers in that it was much less expensive. The Remington was 13.75 inches long, weighed 2 pounds, 14 ounces, and used a .44 caliber conical or round ball.
Firearms used by the Confederacy during the Vicksburg Campaign
The Southern soldiers who fought in the Vicksburg Campaign were armed with a variety of firearms of Confederate, European, and United States manufacture. Whereas the Union infantry at Vicksburg almost exclusively carried rifle muskets, their Southern counterparts had a large number of smoothbore muskets in addition to their rifles. Many of the smoothbores were stacked in the trenches during the siege to give the infantry increased firepower during Union assaults.
When the Vicksburg garrison surrendered on July 4, 1863, a huge amount of ordnance fell into Union hands: 50,000 firearms and 600,000 rounds of ammunition were among the windfall. A reporter for the Chicago Tribune viewed the captured stockpile and wrote: “The number of muskets and rifles taken will far exceed the number of prisoners. Each man in the trenches kept two, three or four double loaded for use in case of assault. The men used ordinarily English rifles. The extra guns were mostly Springfield and Harper’s Ferry muskets.”
Unidentified Confederate Soldier with Enfield Rifle (Library of Congress)
British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket
The British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket was the most widely used firearm of the Confederates during the Vicksburg Campaign. Enfield rifles were smuggled into the South through the Union navy’s blockade, and they were very well liked by the troops lucky enough to be issued them. The 3rd Louisiana Infantry was issued the Enfield during the Siege of Vicksburg, and William Tunnard, a sergeant in the regiment, wrote that they “Began a brisk fire in their eagerness to test their quality.” The Union soldiers receiving this fire noticed the improved accuracy of the Rebels and “Wished to know where the devil the men procured these guns, and were by no means choice in the language which they used against England and English manufacturers.” The Enfield was 55.3 inches long, weighed nine pounds, and used a .577 caliber minie ball.
Unidentified soldier of the 11th Virginia Infantry with Mississippi Rifle (Library of Congress)
U.S. Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle
This rifle was named for the 1st Mississippi Regiment that was led by Colonel Jefferson Davis and used the weapons to good effect during the Mexican War. They were originally designed in .54 caliber, but many were modified during the Civil War to .58 caliber. As originally designed they were not intended to use a bayonet, but many had a bayonet lug added during the Civil War so that a sword bayonet could be utilized. The Mississippi Rifle was 48 inches long, weighed nine pounds, and used either a .54 or .58 minie ball.
Private John P. Alldredge, Company A, 48th Alabama Infantry, with Model 1842 Musket (Library of Congress)
U. S. Model 1842 Musket
The Confederates had many different models of smoothbore musket that they used at Vicksburg, and one of the most common was the U. S. Model 1842 Musket. The last smoothbore musket adopted for use by the United States, many were in Southern arsenals at the beginning of the war. The musket could fire a single .69 caliber ball, or it could fire what was known as a “buck and ball” load. This consisted of a .69 caliber ball with three buckshot stacked on top of it. Each time the gun was fired, four projectiles were sent downrange, increasing the chances of hitting the enemy. It was a very useful round for close range fighting, and many were used at Vicksburg during the Union assaults on the Rebel earthworks. The Model 1842 was 57 inches long, weighed nine pounds, and used a .69 caliber ball or buck and ball load.
Unidentified soldier of the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Battalion armed with a Maynard Carbine (Library of Congress)
Maynard Carbine
One of the most popular Confederate cavalry weapons of the war was the Maynard Carbine, a breechloading single-shot rifle. Unlike most Southern carbines that used paper or linen cartridges, the Maynard used a metallic cartridge with a small hole in the base that was ignited by a standard musket percussion cap. A rugged weapon, the Maynard was known for its reliability and ease of use in combat. Before trade was cut off with the North, the states of Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi purchased 2,369 of these weapons from their manufacturer, the Maynard Arms Company. A columnist for the Oxford Intelligencer in Mississippi wrote that there was “Nothing to do with [the] Maynard rifle but load her up, turn her North, and pull trigger; if twenty of them don’t clean out all Yankeedom, then I’m a liar, that’s all.” The Maynard was 36 inches long, weighed six pounds, and used a .50 caliber metallic cartridge.
Unidentified Confederate soldier armed with a musket and what appears to be a Griswold & Gunnison Revolver (Library of Congress)
Griswold & Gunnison Revolver
Confederate cavalrymen loved the Colt Model 1851 and 1860 revolvers and used them whenever possible. But there were never enough of them to go around, and the Southerners resorted to producing copies of the Colt pistols. One of the most widely used was the Griswold & Gunnison revolver that was made in Griswoldsville, Georgia. From 1862 – 1864, 3,606 of these pistols were produced. They were a close copy of the Colt Model 1851 Navy, the major difference being that the Confederates had to substitute brass for the frame instead of steel. The Griswold & Gunnison was 13 inches long, weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces, and used a .36 caliber round ball.
Published in History
This answers an old question for me. Thanks.
My then future brother-in-law had a replica of a Civil War musket – I’m not sure which model. He molded his own bullets and was really into it. He took me shooting several times and I couldn’t understand how he could stand shooting it.
It winds up that even though I am right handed, I shoot a gun left handed, since my right eye was legally blind. That meant that the muzzle blast went right into the left side of my face instead of harmlessly off to the far side.
Did they make any muskets for left handed shooting or did everyone just learn to shoot right handed?
Quite the in depth look!
I did some research on Civil War firearms when writing this book. One amusing (to me) thing was the Minie was obsolescent by 1861, being replaced in Europe by needle guns, with a center-fire firing pin. But various European arsenals, especially in Prussia, Austria and the Low Countries which had gone to needle guns had tens of thousands of minie rifled-muskets. No one really wanted them, but neither did they wish to scrap good rifles
When the American Civil War started suddenly these rifles had value, and the various nations which had them eagerly sold them to the United States and Confederate States governments. The North American powers were paying well above the original price because they needed them. Europeans saw it as an opportunity to buy more needle guns without breaking the bank. Sell off obsolescent guns and use the proceeds to fund purchase of state-of-the-art firearms.
Since getting cash was the goal, they impartially sold to both sides. Rather, they sold impartially to the highest bidder. And since the USA had deeper pockets than the CSA, when the CSA made a purchase, the USA would be informed and given an opportunity to outbid the opposition.
As I recall, Colored Regiments were given rifles appropriate to their service. Regiments intended to see field service in open battlefields were issues first-class rifles: the Springfield 1861 or Enfield 1853. Infantry regiments intended to guard supply lines, prisoners, or hunt guerrillas were usually issued second-class weapons, such as the Lorenz rifle from Austria, Garrison troops, especially the Heavy Artillery Regiments were issues third-class rifles, such as the .69 caliber Prussian or Austrian rifles
That was a very informative article. Thanks Jeff.
Yes, they did. My grand-uncle also built a few left-handed muskets, which last I knew, my father still had. I expect my middle brother will inherit those. (All three were/are left-handers.)
The stories of the reluctance, stupidity, and malfeasance of US Army procurement throughout the 19th and early 20th century are legendary in this regard. It’s not as is the US Army had no exposure to needle-guns – they had tested them – but that they just didn’t want to pay for them, or entrust their soldiers with them (they might fire too quickly and waste ammo). It’s the same with cartridge-based firearms, by then mature enough to be used in combat. And yet those were either privately acquired, or only issued to elite troops, and when the US finally did switch to cartridges at the end of the war, they simply opted to modify the existing muskets (the armorer whose design was adopted was named Allin, and so these were known as the Allin Rifles). The army then stuck with that awful design (AKA The “Trap Door” Springfield) for the next 3 decades, even as other powers around the world were rapidly innovating.
A bit before the era, but I still love the innovation of the Girandoni air rifle.
While you may have found civilian weapons of the time made for left-handed people, the military weapons would have all been right handed – this was necessary because the tactics of the day required firing in two ranks with the man in the back rank firing over the right shoulder of the man in front rank. Having someone with a left-handed musket in the ranks would have caused all sorts of confusion and messed up the tidy ranks of men trying to shoot at the enemy.
Nah, just put that sinister weirdo at the far end of the line, like having a lefty at the dining table. Don’t want them bumping elbows with someone more dexterous.
I wonder if industry could have scaled up to produce the volume of ammunition required to supply the Union Army.
Almost certainly. The problem was not the ability to produce a supply – it was the unwillingness of the Army to pay for the additional ammunition or the more-expensive (then) high-tech rifles.
In my research for my book on Grierson’s Raid I discovered that one cavalry regiment sprang for its own Colt repeating rifles.
Very nice history lesson – no banning guns in those days – loved the pictures. It was a terrible battle.
Not unusual. I read somewhere Burnside, in addition to selling his patented repeating carbine to the government, supplied some to his units at his own expense.
A number of Union units, some as large as battalions, purchased repeating rifles like the Henry or the Spencer. There is a book about the follies of US Army armory policies. One is called “Misfire.”
https://www.amazon.com/Misfire-Story-Americas-Failed-Military/dp/0684193590/
My great, great uncle, a soldier in the 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was wounded in the last assault on Vicksburg, May 22, 1863. He died June 2 1863, leaving a wife and two children.
The 7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry had 500 Henry repeating rifles, including one company composed entirely of Henrys, which they employed to great effect at the “needless effusion of blood” known as the Battle of Allatoona Pass.
I’ve got a replica 1863 Springfield that I’ve never fired; I just used it on several occasions when I dressed up in a Union soldier’s uniform to talk to school classes about the Civil War. Probably wouldn’t be able to do that anymore because bringing a firearm into a school (even an unloaded firearm without powder for the bullets) would be verboten.
As I recall from reading about the Battle of Chickamauga some time ago, the Union troops used Colt repeating rifles to good effect to hold back the Confederates while the bulk of the Union troops retreated. A post I found about this also indicates that another Union brigade used Spencer repeating rifles:
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/repeating-rifles-played-an-important-role-at-chickamauga.117890/
Although as far as I can determine, my father’s direct (name) line did not fight in the Civil War (being either too old or too young), my great-grandmother was the daughter of a confederate soldier, one or two of whose brothers fought at Vicksburg and were prisoners after the battle. They were paroled, but later fought again, one of them being killed at the Battle of Jonesboro (then known as Jonesborough – one of the battles in the Atlanta campaign). I haven’t been able to locate any relatives who fought for the North; my mother’s father was descended from Danes who came to the US around 1910, and I have no information at all about my mother’s mother’s family. [I knew both my great-grandparents (my grandmother’s parents) when I was a young boy (they both would have been born about a decade after the Civil War), but never thought to ask about their forebears.]
A mediocre Comment that barely scraped by with a Like, on the very last word.
Yes, producers would have supplied 100% of the volume of ammunition required each day, assuming prices equal to the market-rate costs of production.
(At prices lower than that, no.)
The other advantage of repeating rifles in the Civil War is that the Confederacy did not have the industrial base to reload the cartridges. The south scavenged a lot of Union muskets but could not have used the Henrys and Spencers without the ability to reload or manufacture the ammunition.