American Military Shoulder Arms, Volume II: From the 1790s to the End of the Flintlock Period

157. MODEL 1816 MUSKET

MODEL 1816 MUSKET YEAR-MODEL DESIGNATION The construction of pattern muskets, representing various features of a proposed new model of musket, started at Springfield Armory in 1815. The particular pattern musket that wasadopted wassent from Springfield Armory to Chief of Ordnance Colonel Bomford on August 27, 1816. On November 27 of that year,Colonel Bomfordwrote Armory Superintendent Roswell Lee that the pattern had been approved by the secretary of war. This established the yearmodel designation for this musket. The first known reference to a "Model of 1822" appeared in the 1841 Ordnance Manual. This misnomer undoubtedly originated with sixty pattern muskets made upforcontractors bythe national armoriesin 1822. On September 3,1821, Colonel Bomfordordered thirty musketsmade "according to established standard pattern" (that is, the pattern adopted in 1816) at each armory. The selection of one armory's musketsover the other's aspatterns for contractors was to be based on the uniformityof the muskets within the lot. The muskets made at Harpers Ferry were selected as patterns for contractors. Although no new model was intended, these muskets had lower sling swivelsriveted to the front branch of the trigger guard bow rather than to a vertical stud passing upward through the front trigger guard extension. They were dated "1822" and were stamped "MODEL" on many of the metal components. It can readily be seen how someone in the Ordnance Department twenty years later made a misidentification , which found its way into the Ordnance Manual and, thereafter, into posterity. PATTERN MUSKETS The several pattern and prototype muskets made up at Springfield in 1815 and 1816 contained various features that were proposed for adoption in what would become the Model 1816 musket. In addition to these, numerous other patterns were made up after the model had been adopted, which were to serve as patterns for contractors. On January 28, 1817, Springfield Superintendent Roswell Lee wrote to Decius Wadsworth that he had delivered the following pattern muskets to contractors during 1816: 4 muskets had been sent to Washington 2 muskets had been issued to U.S. contractor Asa Waters 1 musket had been issued to Lemuel Pomeroy 2 muskets were on hand at the armory 157. MODEL 1816 MUSKET 4O9 Six other pattern muskets, made pursuant to Colonel Wadsworth's orders of November 1816, were dated 1817. A few of these pattern and prototype muskets have survived and are located in Springfield Armory Museum and in a few private collections. The existence of these muskets has led some arms students to erroneously believe that Springfield Armory production of Model 1816 muskets began in 1816. But it wasn't until January 10, 1818, that the Springfield Armory superintendent was able to report that the muskets produced were of the "new model." SERIAL NUMBERS In 1816 regulations were promulgated that required all muskets made at the national armories to be marked with serial numbers. This idea was not new, as Harpers Ferry Armory had applied serial numbers to muskets, rifles, and pistols from the beginning of production until 1812. The practice had been discontinued at the outbreak of the War of 1812. The first musket to be numbered was stamped U AO," the next "Al," then "A2," and so on, until "A99" was reached. The next musket was stamped"BO," then "Bl," "B2," and so on, to "B99." Thereafter, "CO," "Cl," and so on. This continued through the alphabet, except for the letters "J" and "V," which were not used until 2,400 muskets had been serial numbered between "AO and Z99." The next series of numbers started by adding a lowercase letter beneath the uppercase letter. The first musket in this series was "A/a 0," then "A/a 1," "A/a 2," and so on until "A/a 99." The next series started "B/a 1," "B/a 2," and so on, until "B/a 99" was reached. By processing through the twenty-four available lowercase subset letters, this numbering system had a capacity for providing unique serial numbers to just under 60,000 muskets. A comparison of the serial numbers and dates of several examplessuggests that these serial number series were stamped into consecutive muskets at each Plate 157.3-D This Model 1816 (Type II) Springfield musket has serial number"Z 58" stampedinto the barrel's breech. This serial numbering system wasused at the national armories from circa 1817 to the late 1830s. 41O AMERICAN MILITARY SHOULDER ARMS, VOL. II of the...