The Smith Carbine was a 0.50 caliber
breech-loading
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally breech ...
rifle patented by
Gilbert Smith
Gilbert Oswald Smith (25 November 1872 – 6 December 1943
on June 23, 1857 and successfully completed the military trials of the late 1850s. It was used by various cavalry units during the
American Civil War.
The Smith Carbine was unique in that it broke apart in the middle for loading and it used rubber cartridges which sealed the gases in the breech. The downside was that these cartridges were difficult to remove.
The carbines were built by
Massachusetts Arms Company
The Massachusetts Arms Company, of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts was a manufacturer of firearms and firearm-related products from about 1849 into the early 20th century.
The Massachusetts Arms Company was incorporated March 5, 1850 and was founde ...
of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; the American Machine Works in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
; or the American Arms Company in Chicopee Falls. The name of the distributor for the manufacturer, Poultney & Trimble of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, is often stamped on the carbine's receivers.
Service history
Early versions are often known to modern collectors as artillery models, but all Smiths were issued to cavalry units. Units known to have received the Smith Carbine include:
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1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment
The 1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
The 1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment was organized at West Meriden, Connecticut, on November 2, 1861, initially as t ...
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7th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
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11th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
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1st Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment
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10th New York Cavalry Regiment
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6th Ohio Cavalry Regiment
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9th Ohio Cavalry Regiment
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7th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment
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17th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment
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3rd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment
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1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union)
The 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment recruited from Southern Unionists that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was the only predominantly-white Union regiment from Alabama. Of the 2,678 white Alabamia ...
In 1865 the Argentine Armed Forces acquired through Schuyler, Hartley & Graham around 400 examples to be used by cavalry and other forces in the fight against the indians and the rebellions in the interior. A few were sent to the front in Paraguay.
In 1871, 371 were issued to line forces and four to the borders. Some were used on the western frontier, .50 Smith bullets were exacated at Fort General Paz(today Carlos Casares).
They remained in use for line forces up to 1874 (the last inventory of the Artillery Park where they are mentioned dates from 1874), afterwards they were used by the Guardia National of Buenos Aires and other Buenos Aires volunteer forces until 1881.
See also
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Rifles in the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Though the muzzleloader percussion cap rifle was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the Union and Confederate armies, many other fire ...
References
{{USCWWeapons
American Civil War rifles
Carbines
Early rifles
Single-shot rifles