What were the main muskets used in the civil war?

Answer 1

Shoulder fired weapons in the ACW can be put into five categories based on the following characteristics:

A.) Type of barrel: Smoothbore vs. rifled, the latter much more accurate.

B.) How they were loaded: Muzzleloaders vs. breechloaders, the latter being more desirable.

C.) How often you had to load them: The less, the better.

D.) Priming, or how the bullet was fired: Flintlock vs. percussion, the latter more reliable.

The five types of muskets are as follows, worst to best:

1.) Flintlock smoothbore. This is a single shot muzzleloader, likely a shotgun, fired by a spark from a flint, igniting powder in a priming pan to fire the bullet. It was just this side of useless, and worthless in damp weather.

2.) Percussion smoothbore. Also a single shot muzzleloader, but improved by removing the lock and replacing it with a hammer that struck a percussion cap placed on a nipple that led to the powder charge that fired the bullet. This cap was like a very small top hat that was placed on the nipple, it was coated with fulmonate of Mercury, a contact explosive.

Both the foregoing smoothbore types were not very accurate. They fired a round ball that was ballistically inaccurate. 100 yards, you couldn't hit a barn door with any certainty...

3.) Percussion rifled, or rifled musket. Single shot muzzleloader with a rifled barrel. Startlingly accurate for those used to smoothbores, (Some Generals learned this quickly, some less so, and some never did.) a veteran could get off three aimed shots a minute with one of these, making frontal attacks, even against hastily prepared positions, unreasonably costly. The drawback of the muzzleloader was that you had to stand to load it, or were expected to.

This was the weapon most troops fought with, and the best weapon available to the south in any quantities. Types included the British Enfield, used mainly by the south, and the US Springfield models of 1861 and 1863, issued to the north.

4.) Breechloader. Single shot rifle loaded at the breech with a one piece bullet that included the powder and primer in a rim fire cartridge. The union Sharps carbine was one of these, carried mainly by the cavalry.

5.) Repeater. Multi shot rifle loaded from a tubular magazine in the stock (Spencer) or under the barrel (Henry) To southern troops, the Spencer seven shot was the rifle you could 'Load on Sunday and shoot all week!' The Henry was the predecessor to the lever action Winchester, as seen in every western movie ever made. First introduced to the confederates at the little known Battle of Hoovers Gap, by a union unit armed entirely with them, known as the lightning brigade, they drove off two divisions and held the pass so Thomas' XIV Corps could use it to flank Bragg out of Tennessee.

There were other muskets used, especially early in the war. Agents from both sides bought up all the outdated stuff Europe had to offer. A lot of union western troops got stuck with an outdated .78 caliber Belgian musket that must have kicked like a mule. Colt made a 5 shooter revolver .54 cal rifle that lost favor because all five chambers could go off at once. A few thousand of those also got sent west.