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Re: A Mississippi Rifle by Todd Watts
My Gr-Gr-grandfater was in Co. B, 7th TN Inf. and with input from Bob Parker, a local historian that is trying to write a history of that Reg't, I learned that that particular entire Reg't was originally issued .54" MS rifles probably from the State arsenal at Nashville. This uniformity of issue from the outset was uncommon if not down-right rare that early in the game for CS Reg'ts. By '63 however, the Reg't was requesting ammunition in .58" mixed in with the .54" and from what Bob told me he learned that after G'burg the Reg't was largely re-armed with 3-band .58s of various sorts. But, Pappy Gibbs was already out of action by then, wounded and partially if not mostly crippled at Cedar Mt. in 8/62, most likely by someone in the 10th Maine which was standing across from Archer's Brigade in the wheatfield in the 1/2 hr or so in which the 7th actually saw vicious fighting.
I am hoping that the coordinators of the 150th events, LH and re-enactments, will wake up the cold-hard fact that there were more weapons in use than Enfields and Springfields. I plan to take along my MS rifle to some events, authorized or not. Once on the field, what are they going to do, stop the event because they might catch a glimpse of a 2-bander? It is not an issue at LHs so I certainly will show it off at some of those.
BTW, Craig, check thy e-mail for an important querry.
My Gr-Gr-grandfater was in Co. B, 7th TN Inf. and with input from Bob Parker, a local historian that is trying to write a history of that Reg't, I learned that that particular entire Reg't was originally issued .54" MS rifles probably from the State arsenal at Nashville. This uniformity of issue from the outset was uncommon if not down-right rare that early in the game for CS Reg'ts. By '63 however, the Reg't was requesting ammunition in .58" mixed in with the .54" and from what Bob told me he learned that after G'burg the Reg't was largely re-armed with 3-band .58s of various sorts. But, Pappy Gibbs was already out of action by then, wounded and partially if not mostly crippled at Cedar Mt. in 8/62, most likely by someone in the 10th Maine which was standing across from Archer's Brigade in the wheatfield in the 1/2 hr or so in which the 7th actually saw vicious fighting.
I am hoping that the coordinators of the 150th events, LH and re-enactments, will wake up the cold-hard fact that there were more weapons in use than Enfields and Springfields. I plan to take along my MS rifle to some events, authorized or not. Once on the field, what are they going to do, stop the event because they might catch a glimpse of a 2-bander? It is not an issue at LHs so I certainly will show it off at some of those.
BTW, Craig, check thy e-mail for an important querry.
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