The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-02
OLD SPRINGFIELD RIFLE
THE BEST WEAPON EVER USED BY
THE AMERICAN ARMY.
1t Conquered the Peace of the West
ern FrOntier-Had q Few Faults
Only-Its Successors.
Minneapolis Journal.

Minneapolis Journal
1T was the best gun the government ever
owned.' exclaimed an old soldier the other
day, as he aimed Springfield rife at the
wall of the Minneapolis armory. But she's
got to go. Well, 1 only hope that Uncle
Sam can get better oner'
Our uncle has better one already in the
new Springfield that was adopted, few
months ago, to supersede the Krag-Jorgen-
sen rife in the hands of the regular army.
But most old soldiers that served during the
thirty years after the close of the civil war
will agree with the veteran at the armory,
and will lament, he laments. that the
old Springfield's got to CO. that it has been
withdrawn at last even from the National
Guard; that the old American rifle is al
most as extinct as the Prussian needle-gun
or the British Brown Bess"
For no military weapon was more ef-
fective in its day than the now discarded
Springfield. The Roman legionary felt no
greater confidence in his short sword, the
knight upon a crusade or a quest had faith
no greater in his awkward lance, than did
the Indian-fighting regular" in his forty
five"
This favorite gun inherited its virtues. 1t
that is, from a long series of muskets and of
rifles manufactured by the United States
government in the small arms factory at
Springfield, Mass. Moreover, the improve
ments so happily combined in the Springfield
gun of 1870 were modern as to detail only.
1t was rif1ed gun, but rifling was first used
400 years ago. 1t was breech-loading guu,
but men al arms in casque and corselet bore
breech-loadng guns upon their shoulders in
the fifteenth century. The Springfield dis
faI1 nj a tl1r,N
illuminate or cap. And yet this most recent
innovation was patented in the early thr-
ties, a full generation before the coming OF
the first Springfield breech-loader.
The earliest Springfield was a fint-lock
musket. 1t was Misunderstanding, smooth
bore, little better than the fiint-lockS with
which the Indians chased washington and
certain English troops carried breech-load-
ing rifles during the revolution the primi-
tive fiint-lock maintained its station as the
soldiers weapon until long after the war of
1912, long after the battle of Waterloo
Nothing, indeed is stranger than the re-
luctance of the nations TO adopt improve
ments in their military weapons. The enor-
nous advantage conferred by superior arms
must always have been obvious. Yet Great
Britain fought all her wars during $50 years
with crude, inaccurate muSket, mere
hand-mOrtar, the famous Brown Bess. The
most vital betterments in firearms were ig-
nored for century after century. The mill,
tary officer of the good old times, when all
the world went fighting spent years in
learning trick at fencing. He had no time
to learn how the 'musket of his. soldiers
might be altered to shoot further or shoot
straighter.
And thus, although the copper cap was in
vented in 1913, it was more than twenty-five
years later that the United States army laid
aside the flint-lock musket. The war with
Mexico was fought by Americans with cap
muskets against an enemy with f1int-lockS.
The eagle proved invincible, of course; but
the astonishing speed of General SCOTS
advance towards Chapultepec must now be
recognized a matter of caps no less than
of courage.
CIVIL WAR MUSKET.
a cap gun, too, was the infantry
borne by the greater part of the federal
forces during the civil war. But the Spring.
field rifle then was not in general use. The
union army, suddenly increased to proper
tions undreamed of, was armed with weap-
ons of various sorts from various countries.
Shiploads of muskets were imported from
Belgium and Austria, Enfield rifles from the
British possessions Rifles and smooth
bores'' of any available pattern were Sc
cured from all the private factories of small
arms in America. Although the government
factory at Harper's Ferry was in possession
of the South, multitude of Harpers Ferry
muskets remained available at Northern, ar
guns, the SprngfieldS, the Whitneys and
Remingtons. Some regiments carried weap-
ons from the backwoodS and the farms
double barreled rifles, flint-locks and even
tape-lOcks, that is, guns contrived to
plode successive bits of illuminate conveyed
to the hammer by roll of paper tape.
In general, however, the Federal troops
were armed with muzzle-loading rifles using
caps and paper cartridges. The caps, being
vanished, were fireproOf. But the cart
ridges, like the. Illuminating tape" were
constant reminders of patriot soldiers
duty-"Trust in God and keep your powder
'dryi" The paper of the cartridges, thick and
tough had to be bitten off before the rifle
could be reloaded. Unless a man possessed
a fair proportion of good teeth he couldn't
fire a shot. If he could load, he performed
complicated process. He went through nine
motions in succession, including Handle
cartridge. Tear cartridge, Charge! Draw
hammer. Ram cartridge. Return hammer
and finally "Prime" that is, adjust the cop
per cap: If he nervous under fire he
often spilled his powder on the ground.
Towards the close of the rebellion two
eech-loaders We're introduced into the
Union ranks-the Henry rife, a magazine
gun, for the infantry and the Snyder car
bine for the cavalry. This last weapon was a
modification of the well-tried Enfield rifle,
once manufactured in great quantity by the
British government at Enfield, England.
Yet 1t was not until a year or more after
the civil war that the United States army
first received the Springfield breech-loader,
which was to be the ideal rifle of its day
the gun that the regular soldier swore by
from 1866 to 1896.
1t was single-shot rifle but it could be
loaded almost as fast as any man would
wish to shoot upon the firing line. 1t was
provided with scientific, adjustable sights.
1t would shoot with accuracy at 800 yards.
and often made good records at 1000 yards.
easy insert, n, beneath the hinged breech-