Comparative merits of a Sharps improved rifle verses the Rifled Musket.

Sharpshooter Weapons.

The creation of a unit specialising in skirmishing and sharpshooting was bound to attract a great deal of controversy as to which weapon they would be equipped with. The initial recruiting that was carried out for the Sharpshooter’s offered a $60 bounty for men bringing their own target rifles (and the weapon being accepted as fit for use, though this was never issued) as well as the promise of being equipped with the ‘new improved breech loading Sharp’s rifle’.

The whole issue was complicated from the beginning with Colonel Ripley, the chief of ordinance insisting that the sharpshooters were issued the standard Springfield rifled musket, Berdan himself edging towards the Colt, and the men shouting for the Sharps rifle as promised. There was also much competition from the different arms manufacturers and inventors who wanted their weapons to be used.

There was also the element of cost, as seen from the Department of War, the average cost for a Springfield rifled musket (as paid by Cambridge Ma. Arsenal was $18.73, whereas the Colt and the Sharps were $43/45 dollars each. There was also the cost of ammunition to be considered, especially with the Sharps breechloader that could be fired 8/10 rounds per minute as opposed to a muzzle loader averaging 3 shots per minute.

January 27, 1862 an order was issued for the supply of 1000 of the Colt repeating Rifles for the 1^st Regiment. On the same date an order for the same quantity of Sharps rifles was also issued to be delivers as soon as possible. The Colt’s were issued on            though not particularly popular with the troops at first, largely because of the rumour that all five chambers could igniting simultaneously ( there is no evidence of this ever happening). the troops  had no option but to except the guns until they could be replaced with the sharps

The Sharps rifle that had been selected in October 1861 and requested from the Secretary of War, Simon Cameron was the standard New Model 1859 military rifle furnished with double set triggers and supplied with a sword bayonet but the sharps factory in Hartford was already in full production. The government had issued a contract to Sharps for 3000 carbines on June 29^th 1861 and for a further order for 3000 less than a week later, and In December 1861 this order was expanded for all the carbines they could produce. Unfortunately the production of the carbines was slow, the second order of 3000 not being completed until January 1862. if the sharpshooters where to have their sharps rifle they would have to wait.

Berdan was also in discussion with Colt at the same time as Sharps. Colt wanted to supply the sharpshooters with the 1855 “army model” Revolving rifle. This was a .56 calibre, five shot, repeating rifle with a 31 & 5/16-inch barrel weighing nine pounds fifteen ounces, at a cost of $45 each

Colt Revolving Rifle

By November 1861 there were only two fully armed companies, C (Michigan) and E (New Hampshire) and they were equipped with their target rifles.

The final specification was for the New Model 1859 sharps rifle and an angular bayonet at a cost of $42.50, The placing of the orders would not get the regiment’s supplied any quicker as the carbine contracts still had to be met and there were problems of discipline and almost a mutiny over the use of the Colts in action.

 

a second order for another 1000 Sharps was placed on February 6^th 1862.

March 20 1862 and the regiments left Washington armed with the Colts.

May 7 1862 first batch of 600  Sharps rifles received at Falmouth Va. Batches were thereafter received direct from the factory.

June 16 1862, last units of 2^nd Regiment issued with Sharps rifles.

Sharps 1859 Rifle

Morgan James target Rifle