Model 1819 Pistol
date: label: date made
content: 1822
name: label: maker
content: North, Simeon
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description:
label: Description
content: This .52 caliber smoothbore flintlock U.S. Model 1819 pistol was made by Simeon North for a U.S. army contract. This pistol has a sliding safety bolt located at the rear of the lockplate that half cocks the hammer while the frizzen covers the primed flash pan. It has all iron mountings with a swivel iron ramrod. The barrel band is secured by a spring backstrap that travels from tang to butt plate. The front sight is a brass blade and the rear sight is oval on the tang.
label: Description
content: The lockplate is stamped “S. North” in a semicircle above the “U” and “S” on either side of an eagle with “MIDDLTNCONN.” in a semi circle below. The barrel is stamped “RJ/P” for Robert Johnson and “JD/P” for John D. Johnson – both of whom tested the barrels. The stocks are stamped in cursive “LS,” “ET,” “JM” “JN” and “JW” for ordnance inspectors Luther Sage, Elisha Tobey, Justin Murphy, John Newbury, and Jos. Weatherhead respectively.
label: Description
content: History:
label: Description
content: The U.S. Ordnance Department showed Simeon North a sample pair of pistols from the Harper’s Ferry Armory on June 12, 1819. North then produced a pistol similar to that of Harper’s Ferry with a few alterations. He signed a contract with the U.S. on July 21, 1819 producing 10,000 pistols. A total of 20,400 were made.
label: Description
content: This pistol’s sliding safety bolt is rare for a pistol from this year. When these pistols were converted to percussion, this bolt was often removed because it got caught on holsters. This pistol also introduced the iron swivel ramrod. It was created because wooden ramrods often fell out of pistols and were lost.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
label: Description
content: Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, 142.
label: Description
content: Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 164.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Connecticut, Berlin
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: The Bitter Collection of Firearms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Adriana and Edwin W. Bitter Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1983.0777.05
label: accession number
content: 1983.0777
label: catalog number
content: 1983.0777.05
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pistol
label: Object Name
content: pistol, flintlock
label: Other Terms
content: pistol; Firearms; Flintlock; .54 In; Smooth Bore; Muzzle Load; Sa
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 15 1/2 in; 39.37 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 15 1/2 in x 6 1/4 in x 2 in; 39.37 cm x 15.875 cm x 5.08 cm