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Whitney Militia Rifles  371. The term “militia rifle” is used to describe these arms because the sales of the majority of these arms were to states for use by their militias, and to individual militia units. Whitney’s known sales of these rifles extended from the period he was manufacturing Model 1841 rifles under federal contract until early 1862. It is believed these rifles were made by the Whitney Armory from the late 1840s until 1861. Known sales to states and militia units occurred between early 1860 and early 1862. Eli Whitney Jr. took over leadership of the Whitney Arms Company when he turned 21, in 1842. On October 22 of that year, the company contracted with the Ordnance Department to produce 7,500 Model 1841 rifles for the Army. Whitney’s first delivery under this contract was 300 rifles, delivered on August 6, 1844. Another 300 rifles were delivered in late December of that year. The Whitney firm delivered 1,200 rifles in 1845, and 900 more during the first four months of 1846. A large number of Model 1841 rifles made for the government appear to have failed government inspection due to the failure of some of their component parts. Although 2,700 complete Model 1841 rifles had been produced and accepted by the government, Whitney wrote to Chief of Ordnance Colonel George Talcott on May 11, 1846, offering to sell the government 1,000 “second-quality” rifles that he would assemble from components that had failed inspection. Colonel Talcott responded the following day: “[W]e are not disposed to accept your offer of 2nd quality rifles.” Whitney replied on May 13, stating that the inspector rejected the rifles because of minor variations from the gauges, or in their finish, but that they were serviceable. On May 16, Colonel Talcott responded, “If the defects which cause these rifles to be classed below standard of inspection are merely variations, in some parts, from the gauges, or such slight blemishes as cannot affect the service of the arms, they may be received for the U. States. But the price you name is considered too high; and as the contract price for rifles in all respects perfect is twelve dollars, it is thought ten dollars for yours will be a fair offer, and at this price, 1,000 of them may be taken, if on inspection it should be deemed advisable.” On June 3, Colonel Talcott wrote that he approved a proposal transmitted in a letter of May 28 from Whitney. He stated that he would take 10 or 20 of the rifles made from the rejected parts. He added, “The only point to be kept in view is that they shall be perfectly serviceable in all respects, the blemishes being such as only strike the eye with out in any degree impairing them for service.” We have been unable to find any record of the federal government’s receipt or acceptance of these rifles. In 1849, the state of South Carolina purchased 274 Whitney Model 1841 rifles through the agency of Glaze and Radcliffe. Pursuant to that state’s order, these rifles Non-Armory-Pattern Muzzleloading Arms 461 were equipped with angular socket bayonets. Although they might be defined as Whitney militia rifles, we are continuing the precedent established by previous authors in the field: we describe them as state contract rifles in section 201.32. The massive westward emigration, described in appendix VI, opened a new market for Whitney’s rifles. The civilian émigrés needed arms for defense as they passed through dangerous Indian territory. There is some evidence that substantial quantities of Whitney militia rifles were sold to the thousands of civilians who traveled overland to Oregon, California, and other western territories. Whitney California Rifles were advertised for sale by J. & H. Phillips of the California Outfitting Establishment in the spring of 1849. It is speculated that these may have been Whitney militia rifles, but no information regarding these sales is known. In an attempt to categorize the wide variety of features exhibited by known examples of Whitney militia rifles, arms students usually divide them into two groups, referred to in this text as “types.” Whitney’s (Type I) militia rifles were based on the regulation Model 1841 rifles he produced under contract to the federal government between...

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