Considering that Lewis made no entries for 20 months out of 36 on the trail, we cannot look at this late entry or lack of mention of the short rifle early in the expedition as being of any significance. The only place a front sling swivel could be mounted was through the fragile front rib, which, being hollow on the first 15 rifles (based upon serial number 15 rifle), makes it incapable of bearing the weight of the rifle without an extra barrel mounted loop for this purpose. One of these threats were the Indians on our new Western frontier (ending at the Mississippi river) in the area won from England after the Revolution. Most went directly to the troops for which they were intended but part of the last contract (1060) were sent directly from Lancaster, Pa. to Schuylkill Arsenal in the 1795-1797 period, just as the inspection process began in earnest in 1799 at Harpers Ferry and became a standard process for all firearms. Only military horns have wood screw type base plugs as shown below. This list, with its confirmed serial numbers and lock dates, produces a relatively good chart to judge the authenticity of any rifles made between 1803-1806. (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. PDF U.S. Model 1803 Prototype Rifle It is important to remember that when shooting at longer distances, their target would consist of an enemy cannon crew, a group of officers, or an infantry line of battle. Sometime in 1804 breech contour became octagon rather than round (and continued to end of all production) to possibly reinforce this area. Harpers Ferry Model 1803 - The US Army's First Rifle Both entries show that the locks and their components were indeed interchangeable. Such lists are both incomplete and inaccurate; they omit arms from years when existing specimens show that they were made; and they exaggerate the number made there during certain years by incautiously jumbling Model 1800 rifles, Snipper rifles, Wallpieces, Whale guns, and barrels only which were furnished both to contractors and to militia companies, all in one list. He delivered 106 rifles on the Feb 7,1794 (second contract placed) order of 2000. Most saw hard use and abuse, with minor parts being replaced as needed and thus may not be marked to the gun. This acquisition of a large quantity of rifle powder is very significant since the only weapon requiring this expensive powder (three times the cost of regular powder) was the new short rifle. the type procured. It is quite likely that Lewis and Jefferson decided to change the civilian exploring party into a military expedition by doubling the size. At the battle of Bemis Heights (Saratoga Campaign) in September of 1777, Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates reinforced Colonel Daniel Morgan riflemen with 250 sharpshooters from Major Dearborns light infantry units. cit., pg. (5) IBID, Pg. On January 13, 1792, General Hand wrote back and said "he received The arsenal had no part in the 1792/94 contract rifles and none were ever stored there. He brought with him 15 of his most highly-skilled workmen. There is no mystery here, just very careful preparations for a long journey into a wilderness where no replacement equipment would be found. (12) Jackson, op. Horseman's Pistols, 15 Rifles, 15 Powder Horns and Pouches, 15 They were carved into the stock and then filled with pine resin which hardened to a glassy apperance. The records at the arsenal are not exact on the matter, as it appears the first 1803 prototype was produced six months after Lewis departed Maryland. What becomes immediately apparent is that Dearborn is describing an existing rifle, in hand, in order to have such a detailed description for Perkin. John Collins, who was flogged for being AWOL and stealing whiskey, returned West with William Ashleys 1823 expedition, being killed in a battle with the Arikaras that same year. Unfortunately he died May 7, 1812, not at hostile hands, but by jaundice (another term for blood poisoning). These are true mountain man or Indian decorations. Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, and Meriwether Lewis are the principal players in this story. In many instances they were free from the normal camp and fatigue duties of the common soldier and were encouraged to practice with their rifles as often as possible. (11) Merritt Roe Smith, Harpers Ferry and the New Technology, (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1977), Pg. Thus, if any notes or journals exist for those lost periods, there is a good chance the rifles were mentioned in one form or another. 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. We are fortunate that one of his 15 rifles survived, as well as other pre-December 1803 production military rifles, as they shed a whole new light on the Harpers Ferry short rifle story. 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. In an arti- cle in a similar vein that Tait published in Man At Arms,4he stated that several hundred of the Contract rifles were known to have been stored at Harpers Ferry in 1803. Early production retained the heptagonal rifling if using a pre-rifled barrel from old stock, later production (about mid 1815) used the new round bottomed rifling if using a new made barrel. It was these fiascos from private contractors that sent rifle production back to the arsenals. 42-inch barrel that featured a patch-box with a push-button release. (Smith, op. (44) A thorough inspection of this early Model 1800 rifle revealed that all assembly numbers matched, making it a very important gun for both the collector and the historian. Both armories also produced the Model 1842 percussion musket and Model 1855 percussion . With the advent of round bottom rifling the .520 round ball was probably retained.
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