Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-22
Commissioner of Pensions Ware
Writes an Interesting Letter
to an I0wan
CIVIL WAR ~klckING" MuskETs
Commissioners Letter Inspired by Ar
ticIe In the National Tribune, Writ
ten by F. A. Parrot, Of Iowa City
Some Military Weapons Which Are
Treasured as Valuable keepsakes.
special to Times Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
! Iowa City, July 22.-Eugene Il. Ware,
commissioner of pensions, has written
a characteristic letter on firearms in
war times to f. A. Parrot. of Iowa
City. Mr.. Ware recently read a brief
from Mr.. Parrot in the
National Tribune, on the Kicking"
muskets of the civil war; and it called
forth the commissioners letter which
reads in part as follows:
What you wrote pieases me very
much for l have vivid recollection,
as il it were but yesterday, of the gun
which l first drew. 1t was branded U.
Is, 1929. 1t had been in its day very
choice military weapon. 1t was long
and had good bore.
During the Mexican war, owing to
the great progress that had been made
In military inventions, the flint lock
had been taken off from 1t, the powder
hole on the side had been pushed with
brass. and a percussion lock had been
put on which would now be curiosity
for ANYBODY to behold. The recoil of
the gun was so magnificent and effec-
tive that there was much discussion
as to how it might be rensdied.
Corporal Shannon. of Company ~,
had been in the Mexican war and knew
all about military matters, from hyio-
gisitics down to bareback. He said
that the cause OF the recoil was due to
the distance in the bore of the gun be-
hind the tube on which the percussion
cap was placed.
| asince then there have been scientific
men who think that the recoil OF gun
lis due to the difference between the
weight Of the gun ard the weight or
the momentum OF the projectiie. put
that was not the way Corporal Shan-
non understood the art of war.
"It was found out by experiment
that a silver dime would At the bore OF
the gun quite tightly, but yet per-
feet fit. owing to the disappearance
~ silver currency, which at that time
Was at a premium. had great diff
Guilty In acquiring some dimes, put !
did manage to get enough to NIL up the
bore of the gun oak OF the TUBE. AZ
took six. Those dimes cost me about
#s1.50 in wild cat currency, ana wnen !
had the gun fixed TO my great amaze
ment it kicked as hard as ever.
AT some future age, somebody Will
ha showing an admirlng and patrlotic
vo,,th some of those old fashioned guns
in some old museum or armory, and
win say: There were giants in those
aays because a man who could stay
behind one of those guns and shoot II
one fine after another had to be put
together in pretty good shape. A COM
mon ordinary man who was just glued
together would go to pieces after about
the fourth round; but there was one
great benefit to those guns--when
proiectiie hit man 1t let him know.
There was nothing insidious or Sc
eretiye about it; it didn't make much
difference where 1t hit him. It paralyz-
ed him and he fell in heap. The pro-
iectiIe didn't go thru him like knit
ting needle as is the present case In
war and the man wasn't ready for
business again in a week. he was
shot and had to be discharged from
the service.
Right after the battle OF Wilson's
Creek, exchanged my gun TOT
Springfield rife musb.et made In 1851.
1t wa. very fine arnl-the
Springfield rifle musket OF that day
brought that home with me. and still
have II, together with some bullets
which / took out of the cartridge box
of one of those young gentlemen from
Mississippi who came UP and tried to
make liz get Off the ridge"