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| Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. http://www.berdansharpshooters.com/usssbb/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=161 |
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| Author: | KangViper [ Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
I'm going to the 145th Bentonville with a company being raised in the State of Ohio for Chris Anders CVG Battalion. The unit we're portraying is the 21st Michigan Infantry. Now since I will be getting a Sharps and want to use my future Sharps at the event. How do I go upon looking for the Ordnance Records for the 21st MI around the time of Bentonville 1865 to see if anyone carried a Sharps in that regiment? Thanks for your time and help guys! |
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| Author: | BrianTWhite [ Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
Joseph, I did a quick search on http://seekingmichigan.org/discover for any ordnance related papers related to the 21st Mich. but came up with nothing. It's usually a good resource for ordnance reports from many different regiments but they just don't have anything for your regiment. They do however have several portraits of various companies in the field; it looks like they are carrying Springfield rifles. |
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| Author: | KangViper [ Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
I was able to find that that 40 Sharps Rifles were issued to the 21st Michigan as replacement arms on June 30th, 1863. The funny things is that they won a shooting competition between a Wisconsin and Illinois regiment. The prize of these matches were they won the right to get Colt Revolving Rifles. In which 113 were issued for what I could find in the record. But the records I found stopped on December 30, 1864. |
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| Author: | Michael Phillips [ Mon Feb 15, 2010 1:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
Joseph, I'll be seeing you at Bentonville! I'm going there with my unit the 26th NC. I should be grey for the entire weekend. It houldn't be hard to find us. We have 140 rifles registered and another approx 50 F&S. I'll try not to shoot you!  A side note I'll be picking up my Berdan pack from Paul Lopes there.  when are you passing thru N. VA? I live in Stafford, VA. |
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| Author: | KangViper [ Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
Michael, lol...Okay I'll try to watch out just in case you do take am at me. I'm just happy that I found enough evidence to show that they were atleast issued and were used by them up until the point of Dec. 31, 1864. But with us falling in with the CVG our company takes Campaign Battalion to around 115-130 the last I heard. But I won't be passing thru N. VA at all as I will take the Turnpike over to Cleveland pick up my other two mess mates and then down I-77 thru WV and VA |
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| Author: | Bill Skillman [ Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:30 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
Fellow Sharpshooters, A very thorough analysis of weapons issued to Michigan regiments from 1861-1864 is James Gordon Genco's masters thesis entitled Arming Michigan’s Regiments, 1862-1864 (1982). You can obtain a copy through inter-library loan. Genco lists each infantry, cavalry and sharpshooter regiment and the arms used by them. Genco essentially copied the quarterly Ordnance reports for each regiment. Unfortunately, specific details about the type of arms carried is often lacking. Why is this important? The 1st MI Sharpshooters Ordnance records simply decribe "Springfield rifle muskets" without going into details if they were Armory or contract-made arms. My friend, Bob Clark, has a contract Springfield rifle musket that was made by Lamson, Goodnow & Yale that belonged to his great-great grandfather; Robert Finch, who was a sargeant in the 1st MI SS until wounded at North Anna. Brian White had the opportunity to fire Finch's rifle at the 2005 rededication of the Grand Traverse County (Civil War) Soldier monument. The action and trigger pull of Finch's 150 year old rifle are still 'buttery smooth' compared to my original Armory issue Springfield. It has been my (unproved) hypothesis that at least some of the 1st MI SS was armed with the superior (my opinion) LG& Y contract arms for long distance skirmishing and sharpshooting. But we cannot prove if Finch brought the rifle home with him when mustered out/released from the hospital, or obtained it post-War. The number of Sharps issued to the 21st MI Vols. sounds just the right size for their sharpshooting and skirmish company. Similar number of Shaps were issued to the Brady's. Another good source for Sharps rifles issuances is McCauley's Civil War Sharps Rifles and Carbines, that you can purchase through Amazon. Bill Skillman Randolph Mess-USSS |
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| Author: | Bill Skillman [ Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Ordnance Records of the Sharps Rifles. |
Fellow Sharpshooters, By mid-late war it was not unusual for an increasing number of veteran Federal regiments to be armed with breechloading or repeating rifles. Had Christian Spencer secured a Gov't contract and was manufacturing his 7 shot repeaters when Hiram Berdan inspected the prototype arm sent to Camp of Instruction; it is likely the USSS would have made their name with this arm instead of the Sharps. It is interesting to speculate what would have happened at fights like the Cedars, Pitzer's Wood, Slyder Farm and other actions had the USSS been able to combine expert marksmanship with 7 shots instead of 1. For example, the 5th and 6th Michigan Cavalry was issued Spencer repeating RIFLES, which they used to great effect during the Gettysburg Campaign. Likewise, Col. Wilder's "Hatchet/Lighting" brigade of mounted infantry also proved the superiority of repeating arms during the Talahoma and Chickamauga campaigns. What I have found from my investigation of late War Michigan regiments is 1-2 companies obtaining/being issued repeaters or breechloading arms (usually Sharps, Spencers, rarely passed-down Colt-Roots). If you are familiar with the evolution of tactics, rifled arms were typically issued to the flank companys, while the remaining 8 'line companys' were armed with smoothbore muskets. The flanks were usually the skirmish and sharpshooting bodies that would be sent in advance to locate the enemy force and allow the rest of the regiment to close within smoothbore range and volley fire. By 1864-5 'flank' or skirmish companys were armed with the advanced breechloaders/repeaters; allowing them to move faster and more aggressively. Bill Skillman Randolph Mess-USSS |
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| Author: | Bill Skillman [ Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Images of 21st MI and Western Troops |
Fellow Sharpshooters, While preparing for the upcoming Authentic Campaigner Back Waters event (I'll be the Battalion bugler, but carrying my Sharps in case our skirmish line is pressed), Frank Perkin sent the members of the Midwest contingent a link to the Hard Case Boys website that has an excellent series of photos showing the 44th Indiana and 21st Michigan infantry in camp circa 1864. The close ups are particularly revealing about the types of facial hair, headwear, uniform and Ordnance carried by the men. While we are more familiar with the USSS and Eastern regiments, the images of the Western soldiers shows a distinct 'rugged independence' attributed to the hard marching and fighting enlisted men and NCO's. The Randolph Mess makes every attempt to base our USSS field impression by incorporating period letters, regimental reports, photographs and lastly, post-War memoirs. Please feel free to use the images for honor the Wolverines of the 21st Mich Volunteers at Bentonville. Here is the link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 524713.jpg Bill Skillman Randolph Mess-USSS |
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