Serial Number Spencer 1865 Carbine4/17/2021
Before the attackers even reached the Confederate defensive positions, they had to cover 600 yards of open fields.A few days later, on the skirmish line, the men noticed a number of hogs rooting in the woods in front of their position.Before the officers could stop the firing, a number of pigs became supper for the men.A few troopers were arrested for killing the pigs, not because of the consumed swine, but because it was against orders to fire at any object other than a gray-jacket.
On a more serious note, simply put, the.52-cal. M1860 Spencer carbine was the most advanced carbine in service during the American Civil War. The tubular magazine, located in the buttstock, held seven rimfire cartridges. Lowering the operating lever, which also served as the trigger guard, ejected the fired case and automatically fed the next round into the chamber from the magazine. With the action closed, the hammer was then cocked, and the Spencer was ready to fire again. The 22-inch-long blued barrel, secured to the stock by a single band, had a brass blade front sight, and the folding rear sight-secured by a curved spring base-was graduated out to 800 yards. A sling swivel was located on the buttstock, and there was a sling ring and bar on the carbines left-side grip area. On the Model 1860, the flat top surface of the receiver was stamped. Deliveries started in October, and by the end of the year the government received 7,000 carbines. In December, the contract was revised to state that the U.S. Ordnance Dept. would take delivery of 34,500 carbines in 1864 at the same price of 25. Another wartime contract of May 24, 1864, stated that the Army would take the entire production fabricated by the Spencer factory through Sept. Spencer 1865 Carbine Plus Screwdrivers ToThe accoutrements included in the contracts were a cleaning brush and thong, plus screwdrivers to take the gun down. By the time the wartime contracts were completed on Jan. Spencer factory had delivered 64,685 carbines. In the failed Judson Kilpatrick-Ulric Dahlgren attempted raid on Richmond in February 1864-in which Dahlgren was killed-59 Spencer carbines were reported lost. The 500 members of the Fifth New York Cavalry dismounted and formed a loose skirmish line, and there they were attacked by a division of Confederate infantry. For three hours the men of the Fifth held off the Southern attacks until they started to run out of ammunition for their Spencers, which forced the Federals to pull back. The Confederates opposing them believed that they had been fighting an entire brigade. The Fifth New York suffered about 80 casualties in the action. The field reports from 10 officers of the Fourth U.S. ![]() Brevet Maj. Gen. James Wilson felt that the Spencers were the best firearms ever put into the hands of the soldier. He stated that the Spencer excels all others in use in durability, rapidity of fire, and general effectiveness. They were designed to carry 10 tinned tubes containing seven Spencer cartridges each, giving cavalrymen an additional 70 cartridges at their fingertips. This gave soldiers tremendous potential firepower, and prior to the raid Wilson requested that his men be issued a quantity of the Blakeslees. The attack was being made by Brig. Gen. Eli Longs Division of Wilsons Cavalry.
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