1861 Colt Musket

[BrandonEnglish]

I did a search and found nothing on this subject. I have done a lot of looking and have come up with very very little on the 1861 Colt Pattern Musket. I know it was manufactured by Colt and a company in Vermont and that anywhere between 75,000 and 125,000 were manufactured. I just recently learned that Sam Colt used enfield manufacturing equipment to make the weapon, although I would like better documentation on this. I have read about the small arms used at Gettysburg and there is no mention of this weapon there, even though it was bring produced at the time. I have seen a ton of originals and most of them are in mint condtion.

So to get to my question. Can anyone reccomend a source for locating use of this weapon? Did these get issued or did most sit in arsenals? Or can anyone put me in the right direction of a good primary source for this particular musket? Thanks!

I currently own a reproduction of this weapon as well. Does anyone else use these?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Hallo!

In brief and to over-generalize...

The Special Model 1861 Contract RM was made by four contractors: Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, NH, the Colt Patent Fire Arms Company of Hartford, CN, Lamson, Goodnow & Yale Company of Windsor, VT, and the E. G. Lamson Company of Windsor, VT.

The left over Enfield machinery from the failed Robbins & Lawrence bankrupty failure after the British cancelled their contracts, in both Hartford and Windsor, might have been Sam Colt's motivation to produce this arm (it intended being an improvement on the M1855 "Part Two" or the M1861, but eclipsed by the Springfield and contract made continuation of the M1861 until the new M1863 came out.)

IMHO, one of the reasons that there is not much "said" about the SM1861 is that it is usually always just another "Springfield" or "Minie rifle" on ordnance reports as .58.

I had one ( a Colt Signature Series),for a spell, but found that I was always using my 1862 dated M1861, and sold it off. Now someone else has it...
I would like to see more of them "out there," but it raises the potential question, issue, or "problem" with mixed weapons in the company (in some CW Commuity segments..)

Curt

[BrandonEnglish]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Curt,

Thanks for that info, it is certainly a big help. The repro is great because for the most part minus a few things it is almost defarbed. The price tag was a little steep and I believe they are getting higher. I found this information on the musket and I thought I would post it. It seems to me that Sam Colt may have been one shifty/shady individual.

My last two Present Arms installments covered Enfields, so this time a close relative of the Enfield will Present Arms, the U.S. Special Model Rifle-Musket. This is a peculiar weapon, part US M-1861 Springfield and part English P-53 Enfield. It came into being through a series of events beginning several years before the outbreak of the War for Southern Independence.

In the mid 1850s, the English ordnance establishment became very interested in building Enfield P-53 Rifle-Muskets on the "American plan" of interchangeable parts. On touring several arms making establishments, they were so impressed that an order was placed with Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor, Vermont. This was a well established company, then building Mississippi rifles, Sharps carbines and rifles, and other arms. Their customers included the U.S. government, various militia units and such operations as the "Kansas Immigrant Aid Society". The English contract was for Enfield Type II P-53 Rifle-Muskets, to be machine made and fully parts interchangeable. When the Crimean War broke out, Robbins & Lawrence bet that a very large order would be forthcoming from the British. They bought machinery and other equipment planning to produce a lot of P-53s.

At the same time, Sam Colt was actively courting the English government for a really big order. He testified before Parliament in 1854 that he could produce machine made, parts interchangeable P-53 Rifle-Muskets for $7.50 each, less than half of what the Crown was paying for non-interchangeable hand made guns. The catch was that they would have to give him an order for 1,000,000 muskets! In spite of its amazing scale, this was no idle boast. Colt had costed out the P-53 to within a few tenths of a cent.

A quick end to the Crimean War made such vast arms purchases unnecessary. Colt had not started tooling up, so he only lost the investment in producing his bids. Robbins & Lawrence were in a much worse position. They were actually producing guns, and had just bought the machinery to make a lot more. Not only was the English order not forthcoming, the current order was reduced to those already delivered in England. This left the company with 12,000 undelivered muskets and no prospect for further orders. Soon, Robbins & Lawrence was bankrupt and all their new Enfield production machinery was being auctioned off. Sam Colt, ever hopeful of a really big Enfield order, may have bought up some of the Robbins & Lawrence equipment. A very big purchaser was Lamson, Goodnow & Yale, a long time Colt associate in Windsor Vermont.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Colt proposed to the War Department that he place his Hartford operation at government disposal. Uncle Sam asked the Colonel if his works would be able to make Springfield muskets in addition to his revolving pistols and rifles. Without even examining one, Colt reported in early June of '61 that he could make as many as 500,000 a year! The Robbins & Lawrence machinery at LG & Y was quickly surveyed. It became apparent that major modifications would be needed to make the Model 1861. In order to make maximum use of that tooling, as well as Colt's detailed Enfield knowledge and costing, Sam had a new musket made up, similar in appearance to the '61. On June 29th, Colt sent the "improved" prototype weapon to Washington for examination. This arm was "Springfield pattern, with as few of the simplest changes I can think to make". Ever the huckster, Colt's "minor improvements" amounted to a whole new design. Although the gun bore a striking resemblance to the Springfield, it was entirely different in detail. The changes were claimed to eliminate supposed problems with the Springfield M-1861 Rifle Musket. In fact, those differences allowed Colt, and his associate LG & Y, to use their Enfield expertise and much of the Enfield machinery. In addition, they could order parts through Colt's English operation with very little change from the P-53 pattern.

Based on the sample, A contract was awarded for "twenty-five thousand (25,000) muskets of the exact pattern of the muskets now being made at the United States armory at Springfield...". Colt took the order, conveniently ignoring the 'exactly like a Springfield' clause. Even with the Enfield machinery ready to go, the optimistic delivery schedule the government specified could not possibly be met. So, an additional $48,186.49 was spent on more machinery to build the new Special Model Muskets. Much of this equipment came from England.

When Washington realized that Colt's musket was in fact not parts interchangeable with a Springfield, they tried to have production switched over to the standard model. Colt countered with several points, some valid, one a bit questionable. First, he pointed out that this change would produce a considerable delay in deliveries, which were behind already. Second, costs, and thus prices to the government, would increase. Finally he claimed that the Special Model was so superior to the standard Springfield that the US Armory would do well to switch over and build his model muskets. Springfield actually considered this, briefly. But the US armory probably had more invested in M-1855/61 machinery than Colt had in his whole musket operation. In addition, the government was not anxious to disrupt production with a model change while there was a desperate shortage of muskets. So this was, at best, a very remote possibility.

Even though the first deliveries came in almost a year late, in September of 1862, Colt and LG & Y were among the earliest contractors to provide muskets to the US war effort. Even though LG & Y had been diverted by a 60 day delay in receiving their pattern arm, and by providing machinery, particularly stock making machinery, to many other contractors in 1861 and '62, they beat Colt's first delivery by two days.

Amoskeg came later to the Special Model business. Not a firearms concern, they specialized in fire fighting equipment. Their horse drawn, steam powered water pumpers were well known in fire departments throughout the country. They allied themselves with Colt and LG & Y to provide arms for the crisis. Their deliveries began nine months after Colt and LG & Y, in June of 1863.

When the Government finally stopped buying Special Model muskets on December 28, 1864, Colt had delivered 96,500 of them to Uncle Sam, 2,500 Second class arms to Schuyler, Hartley and Graham, which wound up in the Connecticut State Armory, an unknown number to other State units directly, and had 12,500 on hand, 12,100 of which eventually found their way to Egypt in 1866. LG & Y supplied 50,000 Special Models, and an additional unknown number to various state and militia units. Amoskeg eventually provided 27,001 to the Union war effort.--From Civil War Guns Online.

I find it interesting that a bunch of these went to Egypt.

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Brandon,

Not really adding any new information, just a little interesting story. About three years ago myself and my buddies Brian White and Chad Fuller were invited by our friend Bill Skillman up to Traverse City, MI to help rededicate a monument to the Civil War soldiers and sailors from that area. Bill had spent several years restoring the monument, and a very nice ceremony was planned to help rededicate it.

Brian, Chad and myself were joined by members of the local Sons of Union Veterans organization to make up an honor guard, and we put on a good show. Just a few minutes before the ceremony was to start, one of the Sons comes up to us dressed in street clothes but toting a musket. He explains that this musket belong to his ancestor who was a member of Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, (a unit primarily made up of Mackinac Indians and other tribes native to northern Michigan.) He then asks if one of us would like to fire his ancestor's musket in the salute.

The musket he hands us was a Colt Special Model 1861 in near perfect condition. On it had been added a couple of very nice inlays and American Indian symbols by its original owner. Chad and I decided that since it was Brian's first trip to Northern Michigan (really what the state is all about) that he should get the honor. According to him there was nothing like putting three rounds through that piece of history.

Afterward the owner talked to us about his ancestor, and said that most of the regiment received the Colts, and that they were very proud of them and liked them a great deal. It is doubtful that any special consideration was given by the army to issuing this special unit with a special musket, but nevertheless they ended up with them.

Thanks for the interesting discussion gents!


Best,

Dan

[Benedict]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

He explains that this musket belong to his ancestor who was a member of Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, (a unit primarily made up of Mackinac Indians and other tribes native to northern Michigan.)

Dan,

Do you (or other people as well) know where one can find out more about this or other units made up of Native Americans on the Union side?

Thanks!

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Benedict,

Unfortunately that's not a subject I'm very familiar with outside of a few accounts relating to Company K of the 1st. I am confident that there are likely some books written on the subject out there and those more knowledgeable than myself can fill you in with some good sources of information.


Best,

Dan

[BrandonEnglish]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Brian, Chad and myself were joined by members of the local Sons of Union Veterans organization to make up an honor guard, and we put on a good show. Just a few minutes before the ceremony was to start, one of the Sons comes up to us dressed in street clothes but toting a musket. He explains that this musket belong to his ancestor who was a member of Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, (a unit primarily made up of Mackinac Indians and other tribes native to northern Michigan.) He then asks if one of us would like to fire his ancestor's musket in the salute.

Dan, thanks for that story! I have heard throw some chatter that the Colt was used by several Sharpshooter units.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: 1861 Colt Musket

Hallo!

Yes, Sam Colt was a crafty businessman.
For another example, look to his venture with the M1841 alterations where he initially contracted to buy old M1841's for $10 each, alter them for roughly $4 for bayonets/parts and recycling old Colt M1855 Revolving Rifle rear sights, and then sell them to various states for $25.00.
After a change of mind at the Ordnance Department after Colt had sold 468to Connecticut, they "agreed" on a new price of $18.50 per rifle and appendages to be sold to the Federal Government.

Curt