The Shasta courier., 1865-12-09
The Springfield Armory--work of Two
fears--Relics of the war.

No complete muskets have been made
and assembled at the armory for about two
months, though work is still going on upon
the unfinished parts. The fabrication of the
current year is therefore likely to be consid.
erably less than that of last, and that of last
was smaller than that of the preceding. The
total number made in the year ending with
June, 1864. was 276,2 200; while in t. y..r
ending with June, 1865. I9s, ,405 were
fabricated, falling off of 77.795. During
the two years from July l, 1868, to July /.
1865, the issues from the armory to the
army amounted to 322.261 muskets. and
there remained on hand at the latter date
287 003 which is about the number now.
The most interesting work going on at the
armory at present is the repairing of old
muskets, the relics of every battle field of the
war. This work has been attempted at
other arsenals, but the repairs made here are
so much superior to all others. and are done
with 80 much less expense to the Govern
ment, that the War Department has decided
to transfer the whole business to this city
More than one hundred thousand old guns
have already been sent here, and others are
coming in sizable quantities every few days. A
large part of each story of the southeast shop
is filled with them. packed perpindicularly
and as closely together as possible. Among
them are fifteen hundred Enfield rifles,
which have evidently never been used, and
we're probably captured from a rebel vessel
which was trying to run the blockade.
The guns sent for repairs include nearly
every kind used in both armies, the follow
ing being the list of those already here -
Springfield rifle musket, 100; the Spring.
field smooth bore, caliber 69-lOO; the old
flint lock musket; the Enfield rifle musket.
caliber 577.lOO; the same with saber bay.
onet ; the Enfield, Dresden, Mississippi,
Spencer, Windsor and Austrian rifles
Colts revolving rife; the Richmond rifle.
musket, and the Burnside, the Spencer and
Sharp's carbines. Of course, it is impossi.
BILE to say, how many or which of these guns
came direct from rebel hands, as the rebels,
captured extensively from US in the early
part of the war, and we from them in the.
latter. The Mississippi and Richmond
guns, however, were made by them. and
they imported large numbers of Enfelds.-
The Richmond is patterned mainly after the
old Springfield rife, and the rebels stole
enough machinery from Harper's Ferry ar
mory to begin its manufacture.
The guns are battered, twisted, broken.
damaged, in every conceivable way. and
show in every form the signs of hard usage
and the shock of war; The barrels are
frequently filled with sand, and to find
several charges in one gun is common
thing. Names and devices are carved or.
painted on some of the guns, and in the
lock plate of one is neatly engraved: George
A. Spencer, June IL, 1864; July 80, 1864 !;
September 80, 1864; April 2 1865, the bat
ties in which the hero was engaged.
Few except Springfield guns have as yet
been repaired, and these are found to be in
better average condition than was expected.
Only about fifteen per cent. of the barrels
are condemned, and twenty-five to thirty
per cent. of the stocks. The average ex.
pense of the repairs made thus far on the
Springfield rifles is only about 81 50-a
small cost when it is considered that the
battered guns are really made as good as
new. The lowest some of the other arsenals
could figure it was 50. Only a portion of
of the workmen at the armory are engaged
in this business. but two hundred and fifty
guns are repaired daily. The whole num-
Der repaired thus far is eighteen thousand
Springfield Republican.