Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-11
Three Hundred Thousand ar Four Hun.
dr~d croOs and Good Army Gus< IN the
south not thou ht OF

| From the Richms nd Cva Examiner.
Our people over-esimate the value of the arms
manu- 'acturpd expressly for war, and they do moi
appreciate the value of the immense number of ri
firs in their possession. Now, if every man in the
South. and especially those whose highest duty it il
this time to look after the means of defence which
are in the South, would consider the facts which
Will detail, and act upon the suggestions given
we will soon be the best armed people in the world
The Southern people proverbial for the passion
which they have always had for hunting rifles and
prlze-guns. There are but few of these guns which
are the length of the Minnie rifle (39 inch
esq Their barrels have metal enough TO bear Dor
ing out for large balls; there smiths enough in
every county in the South TO bore and rifle them out
| in ten days, as to carry an approved, uniform
and required Harpers Ferry ball.
In the size of the bore and the shape of the ball
is the great virtue of the Minnie rifle. This improve
ment ordered az once by the authority of the Con
/ federate States and single bullet mould sent tC
the clerk of the Circuit Court of each county as
pattern and every rifle cut down to thirty nine inch
| es would at once arm the whole coun ~, If our
| State Convention would make the move the whole
| South would adopt it. Imp owed rifles would al
once be in the hands of these accustomed to their
use To satisfy any person who 10 at all skeptical
| on this point let him measure eff four hundred
yards from barn door, load his small, bored life
| with double charge of powder and round ball
| and, after trying three fires then let him
| try three fires with the Minnie ball. He
| Will 00Q InhC tue lu'e6 MS U1'lS VIII nUI fSd II
the door and that the three last are killing shots
l have tried this with rifle, shooting ball the
| size of buckshot, and therefore know what say
| to be true. The masses will not examine and pry
INTO the philosophical principles which demand that
| this change should be made at once. There are
few scientific reasons which will convince all think
ing men of It's pro. riety, z the lowed ball re-
ceives the full volume and force ofIl powder, no
of il escaping by the side, as in the case of the
! round. bali Its expansive power causes more re-
|
! burn more powder and give more force to the ball
The concal shape of the ball causes less atmospher
ic resistance and the excavation of the ball causes
rush and conclusion of air that absolutely tend tC
sustain the ball in its flight.
| The masses W IL not experiment. Their guns
which will take off squirrels head at eighty
yards, altered as propose will kill from six
! to eight hundred yards. You had well say tina,
/ rifle carrying ounce ball will shoot far
cannon, as TO say AL bored rifle win shoot as
| far as large one. Our people aIe willing to obey
| their rulers (and with accord they would
| heed JEFF. Dayls) If the order given requir-
ing change of all our rifles, il would be obcyed
Instantly. Our people would then test their guns
| from a spirit of Awakened curiosity and every
Southern man. being thus convinced of the fact that
he had as good shooting gun as the world afforded
| would be ready not only to obey orders, but he
| would rush TO the field already armed. Con
| scious power would muse new ardOr into our en-
| tire population aud we would hear no more of the
only lear eApresseu ooull dIiu Iudt IS
| that we may not have arms enough We have the
men who can whip the world upon our own soil
and this move would give us the arms. We would
| at once be nation of soldiers.
| believe that underestimate the number Of
! rifles in the South. Our merchants have never
| ceased treati them article of merchandise
| Men own rifles who scarcely own anything else.
| know one such man who owns five. / know the
| fact that there are about thousand rifles in this
county and it is of the smallest counties in the
| ft,a Fo,,f IIFtia fI,a hinLc
Of the mechanical skill of the South that we have
| in the county OF Smyth one hundred men who car
make this proposed alteration of rifles and, upor
short notice can bring together Smyth county mer
| who can change, at Marion three hundred riffs q
| day. We have every facility here for Government
| Armory, either upon large scale or a small one
| md. if the suggestions given are needed, worl
| shOuld be commenced at once, SNYTH.