The topic of this article was recently suggested by one of my customers. I appreciate the suggestion and welcome them from the readership.
The U.S. Model 1858 Cadet rifle musket was the direct result of an 1857 inquiry by the state of New Jersey about the availability of cadet muskets for issue to the state. In response, the Ordnance Department noted that there were not any “Cadet” pattern muskets available in stores, and there were no plans to continue manufacturing the M1851 cadet musket, as it was now deemed obsolete.
The M1851 was essentially a scaled down. .57 caliber version of the U.S. M1842 .69 caliber smoothbore musket currently in service. In 1855, the U.S. M1842 had been superseded by the U.S. Model 1855 rifle musket, a .58 caliber rifled arm with the Maynard patent automatic tape priming system. Once the new pattern rifled arms had been adopted for general issue to the military, the Ordnance Department decided to rifle a small number of the U.S. M1851 cadet muskets in inventory, add long range rear sights, and issue these arms to the Corps of Cadets at West Point. It was deemed a necessary modification to acquaint the cadets with the principles of rifled arms and adjustable rear sights, since their current smoothbore arms were obsolete. At best, this was a stop gap measure. The rifled and sighted M1851 was still styled like the earlier flintlock pattern arms that the M1842 originated from, and the new M1855 incorporated an automatic primer system that was to be standard in U.S. military small arms. As such, the Ordnance Department was at least cognizant that a new pattern of cadet musket needed to be developed.
The New Jersey request for “Cadet” arms set the wheels in motion for adopting a new pattern cadet sized musket. In January 1858, a representative of the Ordnance Department visited
Type II M1858 Cadet rifle musket with the tape primer door open, showing a partial roll of Maynard tape primers in the magazine. West Point to find out what form a new cadet musket should take. The recommendation from the Board of Ordnance after reviewing the West Point requests read in part:
It appears to the Board that the improvements in regard to the weight and length of the arm as stated in Captain Benton’s letter may be attained by reducing the length of the barrel to 38 inches, and altering its form, and that of all other parts of this arm to correspond in shape with the pattern of the new Rifle-Musket, using (for the Cadet Musket) if practicable, either the same lock as for the Rifle-Musket, or the pistol lock with the comb of the hammer lengthened.
The board further recommended that the new arm be “precisely similar” to the model then in production and that the new musket should be fabricated with as little additional new machinery, fixtures, and parts as possible.
Since the Board offered the opportunity to utilize the standard M1855 lock, the National Armory at Springfield designed a rifle musket with the appropriately shorter barrel that was 2-inches shorter than the standard M1855’s 40-inch barrel. The new design had an overall length of 53 inches instead of the standard rifle musket overall length of 56 inches. Both the cadet variant and the standard version M1855 rifle musket were completely identical in dimensions between the front edge of the comb of the stock and the rear barrel band. The buttstock was 1-inch shorter on the cadet musket, and the barrel was 2-inches shorter. Like the slightly larger U.S. M1855 rifle musket, the barrel was secured by three flat, spring retained bands. The barrel band spacing was also proportionally adjusted for the shorter overall barrel length. In fact, Captain Benton noted that “All parts of the new arm should be precisely similar to those of the new Service Rifle-Musket.” The board also recommended issuing the 40 grain cartridge for the M1855 pistol carbine for use by the cadets when they were issued the cadet rifle musket. A specially designed, scaled down socket bayonet was designed for use with the guns, and a proportionally shorter, swelled-shank, tulip-head ramrod of the same pattern used on the U.S. M1855 rifle musket was carried in the channel under the barrel.
Research by George Moller indicates that the pattern cadet musket was manufactured prior to June 30, 1858, and that it was officially adopted prior to August 19 of that year. It is well documented that 2,501 of the muskets were produced at Springfield, with the “1” musket being the pattern gun. It appears the production was divided into three groups, with 1,500 produced during the last quarter of 1858, another 1,000 produced during the 2nd quarter of 1860. The anomaly is a report that 500 were produced during fiscal year 1866 (July 1, 1865–June 30, 1866) (see Moller Volume III, page 282). This would suggest that either 3,001 of the guns were manufactured or that only 1,000 were manufactured in 1858.
The muskets were produced in two “variants” or “types,” with the guns produced during 1858 having long-base, long range M1855 pattern rear sights and brass nose caps (Type I) and the later production guns having the M1858 pattern short base rear sight and iron nose cap (Type II). Although not widely known, thirty new M1858 cadet muskets were issued to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and another two hundred forty-six were issued to the U.S. Navy. These were delivered to the Bureau of Ordnance & Hydrography and were requested by Captain (later Admiral) James H. Dahlgren of “Plymouth Rifle” and “Dahlgren Bowie-Bayonet” fame.
According to Moller’s research, additional M1858 cadet rifle muskets were issued to the states of Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Tennessee prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. However, the numbers issued to each state are not provided. I was able to find a reference to eleven “Cadet Muskets” (model not noted) in the inventory of the Atlanta Arsenal during February- March 1863. By March 18, 1863, these guns were no longer listed in the arsenal’s inventory. The total number of U.S. M1858 cadet muskets issued to the states was 1,624. When combined with the Overall view of an 1858 dated and New Jersey surcharged Type I M1858 Cadet rifle musket. Note the brass nose cap and longbase 1855 type rear sight.
Overall view of an 1859 dated Type II M1858 Cadet rifle musket. Note the iron nose cap and short base 1858 type rear sight. thirty sent to West Point and the two hundred forty-six that ended up with the Navy, that leaves six hundred of the known “2,500” production guns, so it is possible that the fiscal year 1866 reference to five hundred guns might really be a note of how many were IN stores, not DELIVERED into stores. As these muskets were .58 and could fire the standard issue .58 ammunition used with the M1855 and M1861/63/64 rifle muskets, it is quite likely that the M1858 cadet rifle muskets issued prior to the Civil War saw service during the war, along with their full sized brethren.
Markings for both the Type I and Type II U.S. M1858 cadet musket were the same. The locks were marked with the usual horizontal two-line legend: U.S. / SPRINGFIELD forward of the tape primer compartment, with the standard U.S. Spread-Winged Eagle on the tape primer door and the date of production in a horizontal line at the tail of the lock. The left angled flat of the breech was marked with the usual U.S. arsenal V (view), P (proved) and Eagle-Head markings and the barrel’s date of production was stamped on the top of the breech. The tang of the buttplate was stamped U.S. and the barrel bands were stamped with a “U” for “up” on their obverse. As with all arsenal produced arms, numerous small inspection marks are found on various parts with a final inspection and acceptance cartouche(s) on the counterpane, opposite the lock. Some examples are known with rack markings, applied during their cadet service, as well as with state ownership markings, most often the “NJ” of New Jersey. All the guns were manufactured with the “National Armory Bright” polished finish, with all iron furniture, with the exception of the brass nose cap of the Type I variants. Stocks were American black walnut. At least one New Jersey surcharged variant appears to retain traces of a period applied Counterpane of the 1858 dated M1858 Cadet rifle musket showing the New Jersey surcharges on the barrel and lock and the Springfield Arsenal inspection cartouches. blue finish, but why or when the gun was blued is unclear.
An entire family of U.S. military long arms would be adopted based upon the M1855 rifle musket and the Maynard tape priming system. These included not only the rifle muskets, but a 33-inch barreled rifle, a shorter percussion carbine (without the Maynard system), and a pistol-carbine. All these arms were manufactured in numbers exceeding the M1858 cadet rifle musket, with the exception of the M1855 carbine, of which only one thousand and twenty were produced.
For collectors, M1858 is one of the harder U.S. arsenal produced arms from the immediate pre-Civil War period to find for sale. When these are encountered on the market, they often show (All photos by Tim Prince)
heavy use, particularly those with any southern provenance. In addition to being a fairly scarce gun, the U.S. M1858 cadet rifle musket also holds the distinction of being the last of the muzzleloading cadet arms produced by the Ordnance Department, as all subsequent cadet rifles would be metallic cartridge guns manufactured in the post-Civil War period.
Tim Prince is a full-time dealer in fine & collectible military arms from the Colonial Period through WWII. He operates College Hill Arsenal, a web-based antique arms retail site. A long time collector & researcher, Tim has been a contributing author to two major book projects about Civil War era arms including The English Connection and a new book on southern retailer marked and Confederate used shotguns. Tim is also a featured Arms & Militaria appraiser on the PBS Series Antiques Roadshow.