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Appendix VIII Background Notes Regarding Arms Procurement in the Pre–Civil War Period During the 12 years extending from 1849 until the Civil War began in 1861, the Ordnance Department procured infantry muskets and rifle muskets only through fabrication at the two national armories. Only rifles, breechloading carbines, and pistols were purchased through contracts with private gun makers; the procurement of rifles from private gun-makers ceased in 1855. Thereafter, all rifles for the U.S. Army were produced at Harpers Ferry Armory. The Ordnance Department believed that the output of the national armories was adequate for both federal and state requirements. Springfield Armory produced both muskets and musketoons in the late 1840s and early 1850s. Following the adoption of a new model-series of arms in 1855, Springfield Armory produced rifle muskets, cadet muskets, and limited quantities of muzzleloading carbines, and pistol-carbines. The carbines and pistol-carbines were not too successful in the field as the cavalry preferred breechloading carbines and revolvers. When the Civil War broke out, there was again a tremendous shortage of arms. As many of them had done in the War of 1812, several states procured arms both within the United States and abroad. The policy for federal reimbursement to the states for the arms was as follows: 1. The federal government paid for arms procured by a state for its volunteer troops in federal service. 2. The federal government paid for arms procured by a state for its militia, when that militia was called into federal service. 3. Except for those arms enumerated above and the arms allocated under the Militia Act of 1808, individual states paid for the arms they procured. ...

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