Militia Weapons

[Half Rations]

I hope to provide over the next couple weeks information on the weapons carried by the Georgia Militia. This is the event to get out that weapon you hardly use.

Below is some reports by the Adjutant General of the State of Georgia, Henry C. Wayne. These forms can be viewed at the UGA main library, Athens, Ga. See Henry C. Wayne, microfilm, E484.C655R.39, No. 1581.

No. 9 - REPORT OF MILITARY STORE KEEPER MILLEDGEVILLE ARSENAL.
STATE ARSENAL,
Milledgeville, Oct. 21, 1863,
Maj. L. H. McIntosh, Ordnance Officer:
Sir: - In compliance with the law regulating my duties I herewith submit my Annual Report of the Ordnance and Ordnance Stores now in the Arsenal and Magazine.
Very respectfully,
T. M. Bradford,
M.S.K.

Inventory of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores in the State Arsenal and Magazine at Milledgeville, Oct. 21, 1863.

ARSENAL
400 Austrian rifles, cal. 54 - 100.
230 Mississippi rifles.
52 Flint lock muskets, 69 - 100.
20 Belgian rifles, 57-100.
20 Muskets, 69-100.
16 double barrel shot guns.
100 Muskets (not fit for service) 69-100.
39 Maynard rifles, with appendages.
13 New Country rifles.
20 Cavalry sabres.
51 Artillery sabres.
75 Holsters.
350 Eagle and U.S. belt plates.
150 waist do.
52 cartridge boxes.
2,000 bayonet scabbards.
200 waist belts.
300 cap boxes.
70 sabre bayonet belts.
47 do. do. scabbards.
4 Express Portmanteaus.
2,270 gun slings.
38 pistol pouches.
1,700 musket slings.
A lot of old accoutrements.
5,871 pikes.
3,856 knives with sheaths.
2,680 belts.


What this list does not include is those weapons stored in Macon.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Militia Weapons

Anybody know what a "New Country" rifle was? I've never heard of that one.

[csabugler]

Re: Militia Weapons

What jumped out at me was

20 Cav sabers
51 Artillery sabers
75 Holsters
38 pistol pouches

But NO PISTOLS!!! I suppose the Josey Wales crowd will say that's because they issued them all to the cav so they'd have 9 pistols each.

[Half Rations]

Re: Militia Weapons

My guess is that the New Country Rifles is refering to civilian weapons. If anybody else can shed some light please do so.

[Half Rations]

Re: Militia Weapons

Here is another repot. Notice the date.

MILITARY STORE KEEPER'S REPORT.

STATE ARSENAL,
Milledgeville, Oct. 25, 1864,
Mrj. L.H. McIntosh, Chief of Ordnance:

Sir: - In compliance with the law regulating my duties, I herewith submit my Annual Report of the Ordnance and Ordnance Stores now in the Arsenal and Magazine in this place. Very Respectfully,
T. M. Bradford,
M.S.K.

No. 1
Inventory of Ordnance and Ordnance in the State Arsenal and Magazine at Milledgeville, Oct. 25, 1864.

ARSENAL.
989 Muskets, cal. 69-100.
78 Georgia rifles, 54-100.
178 Double barrel shot guns.
52 Flint lock muskets.
13 New country rifles.
70 Holsters.
350 Eagle and U.S. belt plates
150 Waist U.S. do.
900 Bayonet scabbards.
40 Sabre bayonet belts.
4 Express portmanteaus.
1,800 Gun slings.
38 Pistol Pouches.
3 boxes Artillery harness.
1,998 lbs. lead.
A lot of old shot guns and rifles.
A lot of old accoutrements.
4 6 lb cannon mounted.
5,871 Pikes.
3,856 knives and sheaths.
1,600 belts.

[Coatsy]

Militia Participants... Pay attention....

Jordan posted some very good info regarding the Militia's weapons. So good in fact I am bumping it up for all of us Militia Types to look at again. FYI due to the rules we cannot allow flintlocks. I know it would be 100% correct in small numbers, (Will Tatum... Don't cry. :cry_smile) but the site staff has firmly said "No". But other than the flintlocks, there is a wide vareity to choose from.

Do you have a Mississippi Rifle? Bring it! Do you have a Lorenz??? Bring it! Do you have a shotgun? You'd better bring one along!

Who said research is not fun?????

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Militia Weapons

Jordan-

What are "4 Express Portmanteaus"... artillery, small arms? I've never seen that word referring to a weapon before. A "portmanteau" is a word made from two other words with a combined meaning of the 2 old words. But a weapon in an armory???

Go ahead, Herby... just try and shoot us Yankees with your 4 "express portmanteaus"... what ammo do they take... verbs, nouns, gerunds... expletives? Perhaps a 'strong letter of condemnation'...

See you there at Bummers (if you happen to face-off with us in Craddock's boys)...

Good list, Jordan. Very timely for impressions.

Feel the fire secesh ... Johnny Lloyd:wink_smil

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Militia Weapons

What are "... Portmanteaus"...

They are cases or boxes, most often made of leather. I have handled 18th century examples for large tents and loose equipment.

[rogue]

Re: Militia Weapons

And to add, an "express" was a smaller sized example suitable for use to be the equal to our "carry on" luggage today, small compact, ready to grab and carry on a fast coach, or "express" wagon or rail road coach.
S.Sullivan

[North_State_Rambler]

Re: Militia Weapons

Herbomania,
I just wish I understood why everyone is so scared of flintlocks. A fire-hazard you say? Not any more so than a percussion lock. The sparks from the flint mechanism don't survive long enough to hit the ground, and a smoking piece of wadding from a percussion lock weapon is far more of a fire-hazard than the ignition sequence of a flintlock. I suppose some people just aren't man enough to handle that weapons system :tounge_sm

I shall bring my M1842 then. I like that 1864 return for 900 odd .69 cal muskets. Buck and ball for the yankee hordes. I wonder how long it will take all those Spencers and Henrys that the yankees keep chortling about to jam up or break.

[Coatsy]

Re: Militia Weapons

I am not sure why there is a "fear" of flinters. Perhaps when someone says "Flintlock" their brain processes it as "Flintstones" and that just makes people even more afraid.

Yee Olde Pumpkin Slinger is an excellent choice.

[DBAR1918]

Re: Militia Weapons

Unless a more detailed account arrives, I will make an educated guess on the "13 New Country Rifles". In the first years of the war, many hunting rifles were turned in by citizens or replaced in the hands of troops by ordnance personnel. Being a variety of calibers, a number of the barrels were bored out to .54" caliber and subjected to a full proof test. While a large number burst, those that showed no evidence of damage were then rifled for issue to second-line troops.

When researching for my master's thesis many years ago, I found that the Tyler Ordnance Works (and possibly at other southern locations) also turned the barrels from octagon to round and built new rifles around them ("Hill Rifles", for example).

The J. P. Murray rifled musketoons from Columbus may be part of the "Georgia Rifles"?

I would think that the division ordnance returns would be most instructive telling us what type of weapons the GSL carried in this campaign.

Dave Stieghan

[Cincinnati Rebel]

Re: Militia Weapons

Not to spoil anyone's fun, but in considering the armament of Georgia militia in 1864, it should be remembered that the weapons in the arsenal were not in the field, so we should be more interested in what is not listed than what is listed.

Note that the Austrian .54 rifles and Mississippi rifles that were in the arsenal in 1863 were not there in 1864, indicating that they had been issued;
the number of shot-guns dramatically increased in 1864 (no longer in the field);
the 52 flint-lock muskets remained in the arsenal, not in the field;
the 13 new country rifles remained in the arsenal, not in the field;
"a lot of old shot guns and rifles" were added in 1864, not worthy of an accurate count.

The Erasmus Jordan account of service in the Georgia militia refers to his 10 lb. musket. That weight would rule out a whole lot of hunting rifles and shotguns.

Maj.Gen. Henry Wayne, AIG of Georgia, and directing troops in the field around Oconee River Bridge in November 1864, including the GMI cadets and militia, requested 4000 rounds .69 and 6000 rounds .54 at the time of that action (OR Vol. 44).

There may have been some odd weapons, but it looks like the '42, Lorenz, & Mississippi are the weapons of choice.

[Auld Pelty]

Re: Militia Weapons

I don't have a smooth bore musket, but I have a 1840 vintage double barreled shotgun and I know how to use it. And I will bring some hemp rope so we can dispatch prisoners without making much noise.

[DBAR1918]

Re: Militia Weapons

I prepared a brief article titled, "Secesh Shotguns," for the use of my pards in Company B, 11th Georgia Militia Infantry Regiment. Since it would require twelve posts on this forum because of the number of digits, I offer to send it as a regular email attachment to other Goober Grabbers who would like a copy:

dstieghan@mchsi.com

Of further interest are two instances in "Joe Brown's Pets" by the late William R. Scaife and William H. Bragg. In the first, the CS authorities requisitioned "1,000 Austrian rifles in the town [Macon] that belonged to the Georgia Militia, then on 'agricultural leave.'" (43) While they were to be replaced at a later date, I find that doubtful.

In addition, note the letter by Major George T. Jackson, commander of the Augusta Battalion at the Battle of Honey Hill (Confederate Reserves): "My command was tardy getting off, which called forth a pretty sharp inquiry from General Smith as to the cause. I told him my men were very poorly armed with old muskets, rifles, etc. and that I had four different sized calibre of guns which made it necessary to be very particular in distributing the ammunition (126)....[after the battle] I availed myself of the state of affairs to arm my whole battalion with fine Enfield rifles and turned my old ones over to the ordnance officer." (127) This was a Confederate unit, not the more poorly-armed Georgia Militia that was called back hurredly from agricultural furlough and it is unknown if any of their "state issue" arms were available to them at Lovejoy Station or later.

I am working on an article on "Secesh Country Rifles" this weekend. By the way, flintlock rifles, muskets and fowling pieces were again in demand in the Southern countryside by 1863- the greatest ordnance shortage among the civilian population was percussion caps, followed by powder and lead. I am reloading my own caps.

Dave