cannot be gained by firing at long ranges; at short ranges the (smoothbore musket with) the buck and ball cartridge is certainly more effective. It is a grave error to adopt for an army rifled (muskets) to the entire exclusion of smoothbore arms.”
Craig L. Barry Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters the University of North Carolina (Charlotte). Craig Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications preservation.
He is the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy (2006, 2011), The Unfinished Fight: Essays on Confederate
has also published four books in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores European imports.
Right: Alldredge is decked out in this fine 1862 photograph posed with smoothbore Model 1851 Navy revolver, Sheffield Confederate wishbone buckle on waist belt with percussion cap box and cartridge box.
Below: U.S. Model 1842 .69 caliber smoothbore musket by Harpers Ferry. The U.S. M1842 holds the distinction of being the first percussion infantry musket adopted for general issue by the U.S. Ordnance Department and the last general issue smoothbore long arms. It was essentially a percussion redesign of the earlier U.S. Model 1835/40 flintlock musket, which was based on the French Model 1822. It was also an early attempt at achieving parts interchangeability at the U.S. armories.
During the production life, between 1844–1855, Harpers Ferry manufactured around 103,000 guns and Springfield produced around 172,000. Arston Grant collection.