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MODEL 1817 ARTILLERY/ CADET MUSKET On January 29, 1817, Chief of Ordnance Colonel Decius Wadsworth wrote Springfield Armory Superintendent Roswell Lee that Captain Partridge, who was "in charge of' the cadets at the U.S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point, wanted a short, lightweight musket for cadet use. Colonel Wadsworth felt that these short muskets would also suit the requirements of the artillery, who needed a similar arm, and he stated: "These muskets may, for distinction sake, be named Artillery muskets." He ordered 200 muskets and directed that the production of these musketswasto constitute not more than 10 percent ofSpringfield Armory's capacity. On February 6, Superintendent Lee replied that he would begin fabricating the 200 muskets, using standard musket barrels that had defects at the muzzle. This and subsequent correspondence dealt with sling swivellocation and the use of obsolete locks with iron pans. On August 15, 1818, Colonel Wadsworth ordered Superintendent Lee to deliver "Two hundred Stands of Arms, new pattern" to Major Thayor at West Point by September 1, "for the use of the Cadets attached to that institution." A fewhundred ofthese musketswerefabricated each year at both Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories until September 3, 1821, when Colonel Bomford directed Superintendent Lee to discontinue their manufacture. Harpers Ferry probably discontinued the production of these arms a few months later, as the latest date observed on an artillery/cadet musket of that armory's manufactureis "1822." Except for the 200 muskets issued to the cadets in 1818, it has been reported that all other issuesof these muskets were to artillery units. There are two variations of the Model 1817 artillery/cadet musket. The two-band variation is described here as (Type I). Following this is a brief description of the three-band variation, as the (Type II).These "type" designations are for the purposes of study; no such distinction wasmade at the time the muskets were manufactured or used. Both Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories used up existing inventories of obsolete musket parts in fabricating the Model 1817 artillery/cadet muskets. Surviving examples from both armories varyfrom a total use of Model 1795 and Model 1812 metal components to a total use of Model 1816 (Type I) components , with the majority of muskets observed having a combination of both. In general, surviving examples of these muskets with obsolete flat-surfaced locks with integral iron pans predominate. 158. MODEL 1817 ARTILLERY/CADET MUSKET 441 MODEL, 1817 (TYPE I) ARTILLERY/CADET MUSKET 158.1 Examples of Model 1817 artillery/cadet muskets in this two-band configuration are rarer than the three-band configuration, and they probably predate that configuration. Only a few examples are known, two of which are in the West Point Museum. At least the first 200 Model 1817 artillery/cadet muskets made at Springfield and sent to West Point as a result of the chief of ordnance's order of February6, 1817, are believed to be of this configuration. These muskets were sent to the U.S. Military Academy for approval of their configuration. Because an example in the Milwaukee Public Museum is known with an 1820-dated lockplate, it is speculated that the limited production of the (Type I) was interspersed with the (Type II) muskets until 1820 at least. The (Type I) has the same barrel, stock, and overall lengths as the (Type II) muskets described later in this section. Known examples have Springfield Armory Model 1816 locks as well as low-comb stocks and Model 1816-style furniture. The known examples that are equipped with 1817-dated locks are equipped with the deep "transitional" inclined pan described in Section 157.1. In addition, the barrel's upper left quadrant is stamped "P," eagle's head facing the viewer's right, over "V." This is the proof mark used at Springfield Armory prior to 1818, when a raised "P" in sunken oval cartouche superseded the simple "P" stamp. However, these muskets differ in that they have only two barrel bands and are equipped with British-style upper sling swivels, suspended from lateral machine screws through the stocks' forends and through a lug brazed to the underside of the barrel. The locations of the upper and lower swivelsprovide the same distance between them as the regulation Model 1816 musket. The following specifications refer only to those features that differ from the Model 1817 (Type II) artillery/cadet musket, which is fully described in the following subsection. Middle Barrel Band and Retaining Spring: Deleted. Distance from Lower to Upper...

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