(8) Donald Jackson, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and related Documents, 1783-1854/ Jackson, 2 Vol., (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1968), Vol 1, pgs. DuPont rifle powder (FFFg) made its appearance in the market in 1808, probably at the request of the U.S. Government since it is the same year the first rifle regiment was raised. Dearborns December 5th, 1803 letter is a prime example of a single document proving the invalidity of Bomfords calculations. Workmanship varied considerably from poor to professional, however, each gun WILL give up its secrets if disassembled and studied in detail. It is a well- balanced and a fine example of the long rifle makers work. *********************************************************************** 1803 dated rifles, 15 (C) straight pipe with barrel band possibly added by Shields, 35 (U) Norm Flayderman catalog #51, ca 1961, 94 (C) retains straight pipe with upgrades, *318 (C) first recorded flared upper pipe, 359 (C) straight pipe, 1805 lock plate w/upgrades. 9. This is the subject of this section, to talk about riflemen and their special weapons. he should weigh his powder, and note the difference of effect with a greater or less quantity of powder, and how far the quantity of powder affects the shot.. Although crude woodcuts of the period, they are of interest in the fact that they seem to be purposely depicting the short barrels of the M1800 rifle.(49). From ALL original guns examined, serial numbers were placed in a manner to the right of the oval US cartouche without leaving enough space to insert another number. It, being suitable for priming also, speeds up the loading process. From the numbers above we now know that a large quantity of rifles were made in 1803. He is credited in Arms Makers of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Woods & Whisker, Pg. After examining a prototype rifle, he gave approval on February 4th, 1792 for the first small arm designed specifically for the Army of the United States. (33) Shields shortened this gun on July 1, 1806 as noted by Lewis. Also shown is probably the type of powder horn issued with the axe to his men. Getz is known to have stamped an eagles head on Indian rifles he inspected in 1807. This rifle had been inletted for the brass stock ferrule, but the band found with the rifle was a modern brass replacement making it impossible to ascertain exactly when it was attempted. It is important to note that we only bought the rights to legally acquire full ownership from the inhabitants of the territory. The Model 1816 was first standardized U.S. martial arm to be manufactured at both Harpers Ferry and Springfield. Any man returning West would have coveted such a powerful weapon, as it was the fore-runner of the large caliber Hawkins type rifles that appeared later. Serial number 708 is the lowest 1804 dated gun we could confirm, so anything under that number COULD be an 1803 manufactured gun. Since this bore size conflicted with Dearborns specifications of 30 balls to the pound (a smaller size than a .540 bore would require), we decided to gauge the bores of as many original short rifles as possible. But it wasn't until October 1803 that the first of Rather than be dependent upon British SDS powder, around which the 33 barreled Model 1803 rifle was designed, the new rifle of 1814, with an increase in 1815 to a 36 barrel, could now use the slightly less powerful French formula DuPont rifle powder. See Muzzleloader Magazine, The Class of 06, by Alex Miller September, October, November & December, 2006. This list dispels all previously printed myths in many books on short rifle production. climate, plants and animals, and the customs and languages of The only logical explanation is that it was put on by someone after the gun was made and stored at an arsenal. If we look at what Lewis took from Harpers Ferry, we can see he planned for exactly 30 men 15 with short rifles and 15 with muskets. All of the above are estimated 1803 production SN ranges based upon the earliest serial number of a confirmed 1804 dated rifle (as done with each year block). France had acquired New Orleans from Spain in 1800, so they ignored these threats from Spain toward the United States. All British military weapons used one of these three calibre balls to make supply of ammunition practical. It was about this time we started giving talks on the short rifle and air gun as well as let a large audience shoot the air rifle at their National Convention. It is obvious that the gunsmiths in York and Lancaster took the opportunity to clean out old inventory of rifle parts, even to the point of forming cartels to this end, sharing patch boxes, locks and other mountings. The several close calls with Indians that almost cost him his life convinced him to quit the mountains in 1810, selling his gun, 6 traps and powder to a newcomer Thomas James. Both officers witnessed the Treaty of Greenville on August 3, 1795 that helped secure claim to the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Gump signature on M1792/94 contract rifle . The Gumpf (Johan Christopher Gumpf 1760-1844) common long rifle pictured above meets all the criteria for an M1792 contract rifle and, with its added inspector cartouche is probably the closest example we will ever get to a true 1792/94 contract rifle. He may have even had Shields perform the simple task of adding the brass band to his 15 rifles to strengthen that area, or SN 15 had a band added by a subsequent owner since the fore end displays an old longitudinal crack. Considering the emergency under which these rifles were ordered, they probably were NOT budgeted for 1803. As for the slings Lewis, assigned regimental paymaster to the First Infantry Regiment in 1800, had visited all the Western forts and garrisons and was so well acquainted with them and their men that in 1802 (after he became the Presidents personal Secretly in March of 1801) Jefferson appointed him to prepare a chart rating the 269 officers then in the Army. What is important is that Dearborn was well enough informed of the benefits offered by the new rifling design to make note of it in his letter. Original replacements are often not marked. Dearborn and Lewis probably discussed this interchangeability idea, leading to Dearborns instructions to Perkin to make whatever he needed. He recognized the connection of the Model 1800 rifle to the expedition, going as far as to say that they were prototypes and not the Army contract 1803 rifle.(29). 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490"), stock to be made from well seasoned maple, catch spring release to be high so as to be accessible to the thumb. The men Lewis recruited in 1803 were hardened frontiersmen and as such would not have even considered the use of a sling, but there is another very good reason why they could not have used slings the short rifle is structurally incapable of mounting one. 337, 347 & Appendix 5. Sgt Ordway, June 18, 1806 Drewyer and Shannon Sent on ahead to go to the villages of the pel-oll-pellow nation they took one of the Short rifles in order to git a pilot if possible to go over the mount with us. *SN 359 is a good place to end for Pre-December,1803 manufactured rifles. Perkin had gained extensive knowledge in English arms production, having served his apprenticeship in the Birmingham gun trade before immigrating to America in 1774. 351; Vol. An 1810 inventory lists 3,113 short rifles and 188 long rifles fit for service on hand at Harpers Ferry. TYPE I Lewis and Clark contract rifles (M1800 only) made specifically for their expedition. These are true mountain man or Indian decorations. If someone did manage to rig a homemade sling on a rifle, it would block the sight picture. His Model 1800 rifles, with a unique system of interchangeable locks, were ordered in March of 1803 and well into production two months before Secretary of War Dearborn placed that order. In many early articles on frontiersmen and their rifles, the same method was described to determine a powder charge. From our experience, the lower numbered guns (1803 & 1804 dated) were the most mismatched in terms of serial number ranges and lock date. It meant that one person used a pattern piece of some sort to make them interchangeable. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, and Meriwether Lewis are the principal players in this story. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the recently created Harper's Ferry Armory, was placed in charge of the design of the new rifle. The rib is of hollow construction instead of the solid type found on later military contract rifles (See Appendix I). Clark was a 4-year Army veteran and had fought in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, so he also was no stranger to the tactical effectiveness of rifles on a battlefield. We had access to a large selection of rifles in various collections, many of which still had excellent bores. 25. His first known mention of the short rifle is in March of 1806. John Potts, another expedition member, was killed in this encounter. About 5/8 has been removed from the muzzle of the barrel (perhaps it too had split). This was slightly over a month after his initial visit and tells us that Perkin was in the process of making Lewiss rifles (along with the other items mentioned) a full month before receiving the military contract. Note the hollow rib on rifle SN 15. mention the specific type of weapon Lewis obtained. This may have been done as part of an actual arsenal (or state) overhaul or just to enhance their value to a collector. This is a very good theory since only Lewis had any real opportunity to field test the rifles and make such suggestions. The manufacturing was contracted out to Henry Deringer and R. Johnson to make rifles for use by the military. It was obvious that we were copying a British style weapon when designing the new M1800 rifles. Breech markings on SN 15 rifle. From our experience and with the list above, we know that 1803 production may be as high as 567 (unconfirmed). This brass could only have been for the M1800 rifle project that takes two thicknesses. Henry Rifle Lee Repeating Rifle Marlin Lever Actions Military Longarms Pre-1816 Muskets 1st Model Brown Bess 2nd & 3rd Model Brown Bess Muskets Charleville Musket M1803 and M1814 Rifles M1816 Musket M1817 Common Rifle M1835 US Musket Austrian CW Rifle M1841 US Rifle (Mississippi Rifle) M1842 Springfield Musket M1851 US Cadet and M1847 US Musketoon Lock plate from SN 15 rifle. (Footnote 18). This was not cost effective; thus, we find Pre-DEC 1803 production rifles retaining the straight upper pipe, just as with SN 15. Significantly, the requisition paperwork from Harpers Ferry does not After picking up his rifles and shooting them at the arsenal in July of 1803, he may have influenced Dearborns December,1803 changes to the gun, but other than that possibility, his connection with the rifle ends. If an itemized list of goods sold at auction in St. Louis (September 23, 1806) could be located, we would know how exactly how many rifles were sold, giving us the number kept by members. The size of the mark is not mentioned, nor the total number of shots fired, but most likely it represented a man sized target (for which military rifles were designed), or about an 18 circle, which, in 1803 was very respectable shooting with round balls and thus noteworthy in the journals. 1792-94 Contract Short Rifle O ther historians agree that Lewis would have taken fifteen of the contract rifles but believe that Lewis ordered modifications. Our serial number research shows that all first production military contract rifles (4000) were completed by the end of 1806 (none have been recorded to date with an 1807 dated lock plate), for a total of 4015 and possibly 4 early (Ca. Perkin finished Lewiss Model 1800 rifles on schedule. A letter from Secretary Dearborn, written on Lewiss behalf and addressed to Arsenal Superintendent Perkin, dated March 14, 1803 states You will be pleased to make such arms & iron work, as requested by the Bearer Captain Meriwether Lewis and to have them completed with the least possible delay.(8). Along the same thoughts, the term long rifle never appears in the journals, being inappropriate since in Lewiss day using that term would have specifically meant the M1792 rifle. When he died in 1800, Whelan was appointed to the office. This is more than just a casual letter expressing what might be a nice idea for a new rifle since he makes it a point to state that he has convincing proof of the new rifles advantages, meaning the rifle had passed the test stage. The rifle is in almost relic condition, weathered, sun bleached and exhibiting an extremely hard life in the outdoors. Land claims given to veterans of the Revolutionary War were in this new area, but the Indians were not ready to peacefully give up their ancient lands to encroachment. If we consider that the .525 ball weighs in at 219 grains, a charge of about 55 grains (1/4 the ball weight) would be enough for accurate shooting (man sized target) out to 300 yards. (4) Stuart E. Brown, The Guns of Harpers Ferry, 1968, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1994, P10; National Archives Collection, papers of the War Department; Coxe and Irvine Papers, RG92. (36), Barrel failures are one of the most significant clues left to us as to the type of rifles carried by Lewiss men. 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle Not available at this time Lewis and Clark carried Harper's Ferry style rifles on their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. Just before the battle 2,256 members of the of the Kentucky militia showed up, many without arms, so 1,173 were provided with arms from arsenal stores in New Orleans. Overall metal is generally VG with a light gunm .Click for more info. (45), Among the invoice of items taken from the arsenal at Harpers Ferry with the 15 slings were 15 Cartouch box belts and 125 Musket flints. By that time, Lewis and Clark were leaving Fevert de Saint Memin of Meriwether Lewis in fanciful frontier dress holding an artists conception of a long rifle with sling swivels.. As ridiculous as this print is in itself, it has no historical context nor any importance in regards to the expedition so it is not worthy of being included in the story except for the its effect upon the long rifle theory. Hamilton, Pioneer Press, 1987. The fact that the heptagonal rifling was dropped during the second production indicates that the added production time and expense was not justified. In 1794 George Rogers Clark went so far as offer to lead a military expedition on a state level to take these forts by force of arms. All subsequent rifles had brass blade front sights. Bullet molds had to be supplied with each rifle, requiring the soldier to cast his own balls for his rifle and work up a proper powder charge with whatever powder was supplied at any given time. Many of the guns examined had unmatched locks. Not much doubt that we copied a basic British gun design for our short rifles. [3], A second contract rifle has been identified, the 1807 Contract Rifle, which has different specifications than the weapons of 1792 and 1794. Over time they were issued to a variety of states and even Indian tribes (as many as 600 to the Chickasaws during the 1793/94 period), leaving 911 rifles in stores on October 1,1802. 1792/1794 Lewis and Clark Contract Rifle This RECREATED EXPEDITION RIFLE has been crafted based on the careful study of the five presently-known surviving examples (two of which are signed by Jacob Dickert) of the U.S. "Publick" Rifles in stores at Harpers Perry when Meriwether Lewis arrived in 1803. Our first official Rifle Corps was raised by act of Congress on April 12, 1808 consisting of 849 men. This has been an error that has persisted since books were written on this subject. All short rifles found their way into state arsenals (and many other places) with two being held in each infantry regiment for hunting purposes for which they were unsurpassed.
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