5693 I A3 ; ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA PAPERS OF THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN RESEARCH New SeriesNumber Three Catalog of the Borrowdale Collection NEW SERIES PAPER N ciously and was inclined to cause even the most deter- mined and experienced shooter to flinch after the first few discharges. During the Revolution there was de- veloped by Major Ferguson, of the British army, a breech loading flint lock rifle which for rapidity of fire was infinitely superior to anything then available and for accuracy compared very favorably with the American rifles; but fortunately for the American cause, the Brit- ish government continued to prefer the hopelessly inad- equate Hessian rifle. 3012 An American flint lock rifle with half stock, of large caliber, presumably made by a Pennsylvania gunsmith of the pre-Revolutionary period, though unmarked. Though originated and to a large extent made in Penn- sylvania, these rifles are known as the Kentucky rifles and are the weapon with which the Revolution was to all intents and purposes won. They played moreover no inconsiderable part in the victory of Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham, and had an enormous influence in the winning of the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The "Kentuck" was practically never a standardized weapon, but was made to the order of individuals by local gunsmiths, each man having his guti made with length of barrel and depth and twist of rifling to suit his own preference. Distinguishing characteristics of the Kentucky which not only identified the type but were the determining causes of its points of superiority were: 1. Its length of barrel, which allowed the complete combustion of the powder charge and caused the barrel to swing very slowly and to remain unagitated by slight tremors on the part of the shooter and which brought the sights far apart, thus offering small deviation of aim for relatively great shifting of sights. The very thick barrel of the Kentucky permitted occasional very heavy charges of powder without danger of bursting, reduced the force of recoil very considerably, aided steadiness of aiming, and bv reduced vibration cut down considerably the noise of the shot, which was of great importance in territory where the slightest sign of his presence was likely to draw down on the white man any number of hostile In- dians. During the Revolution the "Kentuck" played a part of enormous importance which may be illustra- ted by a number of incidents. A company of riflemen from Virginia coming to Boston during the siege of that city. by Washington, General Washington ordered a lg special exhibition, not only for the benefit of his OWTB troops, but also for that of the British, whose spies in his camp he very carefully allowed to be present. The remarkable exhibitions of the Virginians, among them the cutting in two of a pole by rifle fire at a distance of a hundred yards, and the shooting of a shilling from be- tween a man's fingers at a distance of fifty yards, so as- tonished General Gage that he felt that a report of it to the authorities in England, supported only by his word, would not be believed. Wherefore he took special pains to capture an American armed with the rifle and send him to England, where he gave a number of exhi- bitions, which not only caused Gage to be believed, but had a seYious effect on recruiting in England for the American campaign. Another occasion of great distress to the British was the feat of an American rifleman who, singlehanded, comfortably posted on a hill near the harbor, proceeded to kill or disable some twenty Britishers who were out on the harbor in a barge. He was all the time in plain sight and they made furious at- tempts to dispose of him with their smooth bore mus- kets, but his piece was so superior to theirs that he dis- posed of all of them before they were able to get within range. One of the reasons for the rapidity of his fire r it may be mentioned, was another quality of excellence in the "Kentuck," namely, the greased patch. These greased patches of cloth or leather were carried in a socket or hollow in the butt of the gun which was cov- ered by a metal trap. After having poured in his pow- der charge the rifleman laid a greased patch on the muzzle of his gun, placed a ball upon the greased patch, and setting the hollowed end of his ramrod against the ball, drove ball and patch together down the barrel of the weapon with a single motion of the arm, the patch not only aiding the progress of the ball, but also remov- . ing all fouling from the previous shot. One of the most important single instances of the services of the "Kentuck" in the Revolution occurred at the battle of Freeman's Farm, commonly ca'led Saratoga. Here the British were under command of General Fraser of the ancient Scotch family of the Frasers of Lovat, unques- tionably the most able of the officers under Burgoyne's command, and far more able, in fact, than Burgoyne himself, his inferior rank being due chiefly to the politi- cal sins of his family. Under his direction the battle was proceeding very unfavorably to the Americans, when he was observed by Colonel, later General Daniel Morgan, in command of Morgan's Rifle, Regiment, composed of picked men from the backwoods of Virginia and Ken- tucky Calling to him one Timothy Murphy, one of the best shots in his regiment, who was possessed of a double barrelled flint lock rifle, Morgan pointed Fraser out and made it Murphy's one duty for th^ rest of the engagement to dispose of Fraser. Murphy climbed a tree and secured a steady aim at Fraser, who was on ex* posed ground, but theoretically beyond even rifle range. His first two shots cut Fraser's bridle rein close to his fingers and killed an aide who was riding beside him. Fraser, however, either supposed the shots to be acci- dentally close or considered that his personal honor de- manded that he should not withdraw. Murphy fired the third time and Fraser was struck in the breast, a wound of which he died before the next morning. Due partially to his absence from command, and partially to the dismay caused 'by his Fall, the British army was defeated at Freeman's Farm. After his death it was again defeated at Saratoga, Burgoyne, without Fraser's aid, being hopelessly muddled. His surrender followed, and due to his surrender America scoured definitely French aid, which is a far cry from Timothy Murphy and his double barrelled rifle, but nevertheless was very much a consequence, 3013 A percussion lock carriage blunderbuss with carved 3014 leather holster , (number 3014) . Piece is of French make, barrel made of twisted steel bands and the stock elabo- rately carved. 3015 A Maynard patent, percussion lock musket made at Springfield in 1859. This weapon is the invention of a doctor, and carried a roll of paper under the flap on the lock plate in which at even distances were placed charges of fulminate to act as caps. These caps were fed to the nipple automatically by the cocking of the hammer. 3016 Sharp's breech loading percussion lock carbine equipped with Lawrence's patent capping device, which consisted of a plunger actuated by a spring, which may be seen through, a slot in the lock plate forward of the hammer. The plunger and spring could be removed by drawing a screw at the bottom of the lock plate, and the passage loaded by inserting a tube which contained the caps, and replacing the plunger and spring. The caps, which were in the form of small disks, were automatically fed to the nipple by the cocking of the hammer. 20 3017 Lindsey's patent 1860, 58 caliber, two shots from one barrel, the ball of the first charge acting as a breech block for the second. Two hammers and nippels, but one trigger, bayonet attached. According to Charles Winthrop Sawyer, the Lindsey rifle was invented as a result of the death of the brother of the inventor in an Indian raid, the Indians waiting until the whites had fired and then charging in before they could re- load. Lindsey thereupon determined to invent a piece which should fire two shots and have the appearance of a single-loader. The basic principal of the inven- tion, that is, two superposed charges, was old r though probably unknown to Lindsey, and was but little more sucessful in his weapon than in previous ones, its great disadvantage being that it frequently fired both charges at once, and while few cases are on record of the barrel being burst by this misfortune still the effect upon the nerves of the shooter was more than considerable, and the weapon having gotten a bad reputation was withdrawn from army issue. 3018 A percussion musket made by Remington in 1863 on contract with Federal Government, as was the sword bayonet with sheath, which is attached. 3019 A flint musket of 1831 made at the arsenal at Har- per's Ferry where the system of standardized interchangeable musket parts was first put into practice about this time. 3020 J. H. Hall's patent, breech loading flint lock rifle with bayonet. This piece, dated from Harper's Ferry, 1839, is a beautiful example of American gunsmith work and inventive ability. The breech block is thrown up by pressure on the lever in front of trigger guard and dropped back into place by pressure of the thumb The piece was capable of being used as a muzzle loader should the breech mechanism fail to function. The Hall breech loading principal was afterwards applied to percussion-lock weapons. The breech-loading flint lock was used not only in the Mexican War but even as late as the Civil War. 3021 A Hungarian or Rumanian percussion musket marked Pirko in Wifn. 3022 J. H. Merril, Baltimore, patent breech-loading mus- ket. The flap on the top of the breech rises and exposes the chamber, into which the cloth is dropped 21 and shoved home by an inside rammer attached to the breech block. 3023 Green's patent breech loading, bolt action, percussion lock rifle, patented 1857, a successful Civil War woapon. The hammer is under the barrel, in front of the trigger guard, the bolt released by a lug on the tang just behind it. 56 caliber. Original bayonet attached. This piece is so unusual in its conceotion, that is, unusual for the period in which it was invent- ed, that it deserves to be placed with more modern rifles. 3024 Remington military rifle, with no date, no govern- ment marks. May possibly have been made for Cuban or other Spanish- American revolutionists, as this type was a great favorite with would-be as well as established governments. 3025 A Harper's Ferry percussion lock musket of 1823 with bayonet. 3026 U. S. Springfield Arsenal rifle, with bayonet, made 1864. Same action as number 3029. 3027 Chaffee-Reece repeating rifle. Made at Government Arsenal at Springfield 1884. The magazine is in the butt, cartridges raised by bolt action. The trowel bayonet attached was intended for use both as bayo- net and intrenching tool. 3028 Remington Ryder 45 caliber, single shot rifle, made at Springfield Arsenal 1870 for use of U. S. Navy. 3029 U. S. Springfield rifle, Springfield Arsenal, 1863. The breech block rises and drops forward over the barrel when catch is tripped. 3030 A German or Austrian walking stick gun with per- cussion lock. A type much favored by the revolu- tionists of 1848 as a means of going armed and of keeping arms in spite of the vigilance of the Prussian spies. 3031 An old-fashioned turkey gun altered from flint to percussion lock, of large caliber and great weight, used for long ranged shooting only. It attained with accuracy ranges which in a muzzle-loading piece seem incredible to us, at least one case being definitely known where a rifle of this type shot with accuracy to a distance of over a mile. The pieces of this type were not fired from the shoulder in the ordinary 22 fashion, but were fired from a rest, usually a wooden bench. The present piece has a set- trigger and unusual rear sight; the percussion lock is by Partridge and the barrel by an unknown maker. The barrel is cut for a false muzzle which was put on while loading to prevent injury of the grooves of the rifling at the true muzzle and removed before shooting. 3032 A Chesapeake Bay duck gun altered from flint. The bore is a trifle ovrer an inch and the barrel is very heavy and specially reinforced at the breech to stand the strain of very large charges of powder. This piece was proba- bly seldom fired from the shoulder but from a rest on either the gunwale of the boat or a swivel mounted in the bow. 3033 Percussion lock rifle altered from flint. The new lock is by H Elwell, but the stock and barrel show work of early American flint gunmakers. The piece has set triggers and has been repaired with leather in front of the lock. 3034 A fowling piece made from an old English musket bar- rel. The percussion lock is by Heaton. 3035 A German fowling piece made by Oeffer at Es^en. 3036 An English double barrelled fowling piece by W. and C. Scott and Son, London. Both ban-els are still charged. 3037 An American double barrelled fowling piece by Blunt, N. Y. 3038 An English double barrelled fowling piece by Perkins, London, which has seen hard use but is still serviceable. The tops are broken from both hammers and the stock has been repaired w.th wire. 3039 A French double barrelled fowling piece by P. F. Clan- din, Paris. 3040 A percussion lock dragoon carbine made at Harper's Ferry, 1847. 3041 A Sharp and Lawrence carbine for sharpshooters' use with set trigger and special front sight, stock missing. 3042 A British Government musket of 1857 marked V. R. (Victoria Regina) which has been altered to a shotgun by cutting down the forestock. About the year 1850 the demand was rapidly growing for improvements in firearms. There were particularly 23 in demand for military use a repeating rifle or at least a multiple shot rifle, and also a type of rifle in which the intelligence of the soldier would be called upon as little as possible for operation. That this last demand was justified is proven by the fact that after the battle of Gettysburg some 12,000 muskets were picked up which contained anywhere from two charges to a num- ber sufficient to fill the barrel from breech to muzzle and all unexploded, due to the fact that some soldier in his excitement had kept on ramming charges down the barrel, pointing his piece at the enemy and snapping the lock without ever placing a percussion cap on the nipple. Various devices were invented for the purpose of automatically capping a percussion lock piece. A number of breech loading percussion lock weapons were invented whereby the soldier upon attempting to reload knew instantly whether or not his previous charge had been fired, but even with these much time was lost by failure to cap the nipple. The breech load- ing metallic cartridge weapon was the only genuine solu- tion to the problem which was disturbing the practical inventors, and this they finally attained after a series of experimental pieces, which is aptly represented in the Borrowdale Collection. 3048 Burnside Carbine, made by Burnside Rifle Co., Provi- dence, R. I., caliber 54, percussion lock, but equipped with special metallic cartridge By pressing the catch and pulling down on the trigger guard the breech block drops back in a quarter circle exposing a cham- ber in the block. The piece is initialed J. M. B. 3044 Smith's patent breech loading carbine, made by Poult- ney and Trimble, Baltimore, Md., 50 caliber. At pres- sure on catch in front of trigger the weapon breaks like a shotgun. 3045 Starr's patent breech loading carbine, caliber 50. Trig- ger guard acts as lever, pulling down breech block, which is made in two parts of which one drops straight down, the other falling backward upon it in a quarter circle. Percussion lock. 3046 Gwynn and Campbell's patent breech loading carbine, called also the Union carbine, the Campbell carbine, the Grapevine carbine and the Cosmopolitan carbine. The breech block slides down backward, actuated by trigger guard as lever. Dated 1862. 3047 Sharp and Hankins, Philadelphia, cavalry carbine, 50 24 caliber. Trigger guard acts as lever, throwing the barrel straight forward. 3048 Sharp and Lawrence cavalry carbine, patent 1852, for metallic cartridges. 3049- Sharp and Hankins carbine, duplicate of 3047. 3050 Duplicate of number 3048. 3051 Duplicate of number 3048. 3052 Duplicate of number 3048. Note: It is peculiarly ap- propriate that a Sharp's carbine should have so many duplicates in this collection, as the Sharps played a large part in the winning of the West, particularly the section east of the mountains between 1860 and 1875. 3053 Sharps-Borchardt patent carbine. Made at Sharp's factory at Philadelphia. Breech block action the same as Sharps action, but the piece is hammerless. 45 cali- ber, center fire. 3054 Ballard's patent carbine, by Merrimac Arms Co., New- buryport, Mass., 1861. Trigger guard acts as lever, breech block and hammer fall. Cartridges ejected by lever in front of trigger guard. 50 caliber. 3055 Maynard's patent carbine, trigger guard acts as lever and barrel tips up. 50 caliber. 3056 Spencer magazine carbine, 7 shot, 50 caliber, rim fire. Magazine in stock, trigger guard lever. Made by Burnside Rifle Company, Providence, R. I., model of 1863. 3057 Another Spencer carbine made by Spencer Rifle Co,, Brooklyn, N. Y., model 1860, otherwise similar to 3056. The Spencer repeating carbine was more thoroughly de- tested by the Confederates than any other weapon used against them. One Confederate is reported by a Yan- kee captor as saying, "We 'uns don't care what you fellers are shooting with so long as you ain't got them damned guns you load up on Sunday and shoot the rest of the week.' ' 3058 Remington cavalry carbine, badly worn, wood parts badly rusted, no date visible. Ryder's patent. 3059 Eli Whitney 45-60 sporting rifle, seven shot, magazine under barrel, lever action, made at Whitneyville, Conn., 1879- 3060 Evans repeating rifle, by Evans Rifle Co., Mechanic 25 Falls, Maine. This weapon is rather curious, with very large magazine operating by means of an Archimedean screw which is contained in the stock The hammer is in the trigger guard, to which is also attached the breech block. The flap on the right side of the gun is opened by the action of the lever, giving opportunity for use as a single loader. The Evans was never a high- ly successful weapon because of the great difficulty of loading. While the magazine held from 26 to 32 car- tridges, depending on the model, loading the weapon was an extremely slow process and occasionally a pain- ful one, and a further disadvantage was the very great weight of the gun when loaded. 3061 "Hunter" shot gun, about 10 gauge. Same action as French Tabatierre rifle, the breech block turning over to the right. 3062 Bullard Repeating Arms Co., Springfield, Mass., mag- azine sporting rifle. Complicated mechanism, is no longer operable. 40-90 caliber. 3063 Henry repeating rifle, patent 1880. Stock repaired with leather. 3064 Repeating rifle, caliber 45-70, patented by A. Burge, 1855, and barrel by G. W. Morse, 1856. 3065 Martini-Henry sporting rifle made by T. Burkett, St. Mary's Square, Birmingham, England. Single shot, about 38 caliber. The s^ock has been badly cracked, but the whole piece shows evidence of the very best workmanship of an English sporting gun maker. 3066 Winchester sporting rifle, model 1873, with King's im- provements. Caliber 38-55. 3067 Winchester sporting rifle, model 1895, shooting 30 Gov- ernment cartridge, Lyman sight. 3068 A Harper's Ferry percussion lock barrel, lock and trig- ger dated 1854. 3069 A U. S. Government percussion lock barrel, probably Harper's Ferry. 3070 Barrel and receiver of Henry Volcanic rifle, date unde- cipherable but the piece is of Civil War period, and was a great favorite among Northern sharpshooters, many of whom bought Henry rifles privately. 26 PART ^--MISCELLANEOUS. 3123 Brass shell, marked "Hotchkiss Patent, Paris." Made for Hotchkiss revolving cannon, one pounder, many of which were used by United States troops against the Indians in this locality. 3124 Powder flask of tin. 3125 Shot flask with stamped leather cover and device for measuring charge. 3126 Metal powder flask. 3127 Leather shot flask. 3128 Flat powder horn 3129 Powder horn. 3130 Hand grenades of Civil War period. 3131 3132 3133 Heavy cast iron shell. The inside was filled with pow- der and a fuse block was screwed into the hole in which threads may be seen. It acted much as the high explosive shrapnel of the present day. This shell was made for an eighteen or twenty-four pounder. The larger hole was not made with the shell, and was also not caused by explosion but by some circumstance oc- curring presumably since the shell was discarded by the army. 3134 Leather cartridge case. 3135 Leather cartridge belt. 3136 White leather holster. 3137 Cartridge loading tool. 3138 Pair of old spurs. 3139 3140 Tin covered glass bottle which served as a canteen. 3141 Small wooden canteen of cheese box shape, which was much favored during the Revolution. 3142 Large wooden canteen of similar shape. 27 3143 Small wooden barrel shaped canteen. 3144 A native throwing spear, apparently manufactured with white man 's tools. Possibly South African in or- igin. 3145 A pair of boarding pikes used in the days of wooden 3146 ships both for boarding an enemy vessel and in repel- ling his boarders. These may have been either Ameri- can or British navy, but were more probably in use by privateers, as they bear no government stamp. BIBLIOGRAPHY. "Firearms in American History" series, by Charles Winthrop Sawyer, published by the Cornhill Publishing Co., Bos- ton, Mass. "Schools and Masters of Fence," Edgerton Castle. Miscellaneous sources. 1UTHERN itiii 8 ulUlHW" _ o 000331579 3