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1792 U.S. CONTRACT ARMY RIFLE The defeat of General Arthur St. Claire and most of the American armyby the Miami Indians under Little Turtle in November 1791 resulted in national recognition of the necessity of a standing federal army to defend the western frontiers. On October 24, 1791, Congress approved "An Act for Making further and more effective Provisions for the Protection of the Frontiers of the United States." This act was designed to strengthen the army in order to deal more effectively with the several Indian tribes and Indian nations on the then-western frontiers of the young country. It also provided for raising three additional regiments for a maximum of three years, or "the said three regiments shall be discharged as soon as the United States is at peace with the Indian tribes." Under the powersof this act, the president reorganizedthe army and created a task force, called The Legion of the United States, composed of 5,120 officers and men under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne, to deal with Indians. This legion was composed of four sublegions,each of which, in addition to regular infantry, had four rifle companies. Each rifle company had eighty-two privates, or riflemen, and the remaining thirteen personnel were officers, N.C.O.s, and a bugler. A total of 1,312 rifles wasrequired to arm the eighty-two riflemen in each of the sixteen rifle companies within the legion. PROCUREMENT AND ISSUE PERIODS There were two distinct periods of purchase and issue of the 1792 contract army rifle. In order to distinguish between them, they will be referred to as the "first issue" and "second issue" in this text. There is no known difference in the details of the arms as a result of these two procurement periods. The "first issue" rifles were procured specifically to arm Wayne's legion. The second issue rifles were procured for the same reasons given for the 1794 U.S. musket contracts, the authorization to purchase arms abroad, and for the establishment of the national armories: to provide a reserve of rifles for the regular army, because a 1793 inventory of arms showed the reserves of arms in U.S. arsenals to be dangerouslylow. PROCUREMENT FIRST ISSUE PROCUREMENT The initial procurement of rifles was authorized by Secretary of War Henry Knox in a January 4, 1792, letter to General Edward Hand,1 at Lancaster, Pennsylvania: General Hand was the military agent for Lancaster,Pennsylvania. For additional information regarding the role of military agents in arms procurement, see Appendix2. 125. 1 AMERICAN MILITARY SHOULDER ARMS, VOL. II I have just received your letter of the 1st instant, together with the proposals of the manufacturers. As no time is to be lost, on this occasion, do embrace the offer respecting the rifle guns at twelve dollars — you will therefore pledge to enter into a written agreement with them, for five hundred certain, to be paid for in this city, on your certification of having received one hundred of each hundred. As you are experienced in this business, I shall take the liberty of relying solely on your inspection and judgement of them. . . . Although five hundred ismentioned, Iwish the number ofone thousand could be made, at Lancaster, so as all are to be delivered as early as possible, not exceeding however the fifth of May, in parcels of a hundred each. The "manufacturers" referred to werethe riflemakers ofLancaster, Pennsylvania. On January 13, General Hand wrote Secretary of War Knox that he had received Knox's letter of the fourth "which I immediatelycommunicated to the gunsmiths. In consequence, the barrel makers have been set to work and the gunsmiths, that they might not be idle until a supply of barrels can be obtained, are busy in preparing mountings, locks, ram rods, and next week they intend to finish some rifles." Hand also added that he had established a barrel length of 44l /i" and a bore diameter of 45 balls to the pound, or about .47 caliber. On February4, Knox wrote to Hand that he had received a pattern rifle and noted many changes he wanted made. This information is presented under "Configurations of 1792 U.S. Contract Rifles," later in this section. Knox also wrote that he had let a contract for 300 rifles at Reading, Pennsylvania, and another contract for 300 rifles at Philadelphia. By the end of April only 270 rifles had been delivered, but production increased over the next few weeks. A...

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