in New York have been ordered to you.”
Accoutrements were also filled through the Ordnance Department and there are many recorded instances of mismatched sets. For example, a soldier who turned in his .69 caliber
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smoothbore musket for a newer model .58 caliber rifle-musket would not simultaneously receive a new matching set of .58 sized U.S. accoutrements. The soldier was expected to keep his old set until it was no longer serviceable, never mind if the smaller size
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Hence, we don’t know if all new U.S. model rifle-muskets were requisitioned for the 22nd Massachusetts recruits in late 1863, but most likely it would not have mattered. Pvt Orrin Cook and his comrades ended up with whatever mixture of serviceable weapons were available, some of which would have likely already seen previous action and some which may have been refurbished. Only after the existing stockpiles of returned serviceable small arms were back in the ranks, would recruits in the 22nd Massachusetts receive new arms, the coveted prize which Pvt. Cook refers to as the best arms of the whole lot, “a fine United States Springfield rifle.” There are no documented examples during the Civil War of any soldier on either side discarding a serviceable U.S. M1861 rifle-musket in favor of something else.
Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from UNC (Charlotte). Craig served The 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 to battlefield 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 Vol. I and II (2012, 2013). He has also published four books in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.
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The Artilleryman is a quarterly magazine founded in 1979 for enthusiasts who collect and shoot cannon and mortars primarily from the Revolutionary War, Civil War to World War II.