Springfield Model 1816-1822 Percussion Conversion Musket-NMAH-AHB2015q027653

The Springfield Model 1822 was a .69 caliber

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also know ...

musket manufactured by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the early 19th century. The Model 1822 was an improvement to the Springfield Model 1816. Some documents refer to the Model 1822 as its own separate model, but other documents refer to it as a variant of the Model 1816 designated as the Type II. Like the Model 1816, the Model 1822 was a .69 caliber

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

flintlock, with a barrel and an overall length of . One of the most noticeable differences in the Model 1822 is the attachment of the lower sling swivel. The forward part of the trigger guard was provided with an enlargement which was drilled to receive the sling swivel rivet. Previously, the sling swivel had been affixed to a stud in front of the trigger guard."Guns on the Early Frontiers" by Carl P. Russell, Published by U of Nebraska Press, 1980 In addition to the Springfield and

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

armories, the Model 1822 was produced by numerous other independent contractors. It was eventually replaced by the

Springfield Model 1835 The Springfield Model 1835 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured in the United States during the early 19th century. The Model 1835 was manufactured by the Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories and also produced by other independent co ...

, which is also considered by many to be a continuation of the Model 1816 designated as the Type III. Like other flintlocks, many of the Model 1822 muskets were converted to

percussion lock The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise ...

in the 1840s and 1850s, as percussion caps were more reliable and weather resistant than flintlocks. However, during the Mexico City campaign,

General Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

insisted on his army being equipped with flintlock muskets because flints were easy to make or procure, important in a hostile country where supply lines were vulnerable. Some Model 1822 muskets also had their barrels rifled so that they could fire the newly invented

Minié ball The Minié ball or Minie ball, is a type of hollow-based bullet designed by Claude-Étienne Minié, inventor of the French Minié rifle, for muzzle-loading rifled muskets. It was invented in 1847 and came to prominence in the Crimean War and ...

if the barrel was thick enough and structurally sound. However, the increase in breech pressure created by the new expanding bullet was too much for the conversion process and older musket barrels to contain and rifled Model 1822 muskets were issued instead with standard .69 caliber round balls. The Model 1822 was used in both the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. During the latter, .69 caliber muskets (mostly percussion, but some flintlocks as well) were common in the early part of the war (either in their original form or converted to rifling). They had totally disappeared from the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

by the second half of 1862 (aside from the Irish Brigade, which carried

Springfield Model 1842 The US Model 1842 Musket was a .69 caliber musket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th Century. It is a continuation of the Model 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to as its own model number rather than just a ...

muskets until 1864), but the less-well equipped Confederate Army used them for longer, and the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

's ordnance chief claimed that Gettysburg was the first

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in which the army was completely free of smoothbore muskets. In the Western Theater, the situation was worse for both sides and smoothbores remained in use in the

Union armies Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

into 1863. Some Confederate regiments were still carrying .69 caliber muskets at the Battle of Franklin in November 1864.''The Civil War Book of Lists'', by Combined Books (Firm), Published by Da Capo Press, 1992

References

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{{USCWWeapons Springfield firearms Muskets American Civil War weapons Weapons of the Confederate States of America

See also

References

External links