use of personally owned weapons by enlisted soldiers

[sharps54]

This discussion from another thread got me thinking about personal weapons in use by soldiers in the west:

Thanks for all the information so far! Trailrider, I am looking at initially doing a field uniform for right after the Civil War (so I can shoot C&B) as a private, that way I can start simple and then add to it.

Well, in that case, so far as uniform clothing is concerned, any CW stuff will do nicely.  After 1872, the uniform regs changed, but, as I said, a lot of CW uniform articles were used in the field until they wore out.  The potential for anachronism will only come up regarding the guns.  For CAS you won't be using "regulation" small arms anyway.  A Henry Repeating Rifle (NOT Henry Magnums, etc.) replica or M1866 Winchester or even a '73 could have been purchased by a private.  Perhaps he was a higher rank during the War and bought himself the expensive rifle.  The C&B pistols, especially Remington New Army (aka M1858) or Colt's M1860 .44's would be totally authentic (except for the Italian proof marks  ).

Good shooting!

While I have read that officers carried personally owned weapons (Custer probably being the most famous example during the Indian Wars) I didn't think enlisted soldiers would be allowed to do so. I found this reference yesterday which talks about a SGT and PVT that used personal longguns http://www.historynet.com/wars_conflicts/weaponry/3035316.html. I understand the pitfalls of using the internet for research but my job keeps me in front of a computer for 12 hrs a day....

Anyhow I just thought this was interesting, have I been living in the dark or was this common / accepted? Was it up to the soldier's CO? I know most enlisted soldiers were probably too poor to afford their own weapons but it is an interesting question. Are their documented cases of soldiers using personal lever actions?

[Pitspitr]

I don't know of any documented accounts of lever guns, but there was a Sgt. at the Little Bighorn with a Sharps target rifle.

[sharps54]

I don't know of any documented accounts of lever guns, but there was a Sgt. at the Little Bighorn with a Sharps target rifle.

Pitspitr,
Yep, that is what the online article refers to. From that article, "Captain Thomas A. French of Company M carried a .50-caliber Springfield that his men called "Long Tom." Sergeant John Ryan, also of Company M, used a .45-caliber, 15-pound Sharps telescopic rifle, specially made for him. Private Henry A. Bailey of Company I had a preference for a Dexter Smith, breechloading, single-barreled shotgun"

I'll get over to the research library here on Quantico on Friday and see if I can find anything.

[DJ]

And going back to a few years earlier, several sources state that the first reported use of a Spencer repeating rifle in combat was in October 1862 by Sergeant Francis Lombard of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, using a Spencer rifle given to him by the inventor, Christopher Spencer.

[sharps54]

And going back to a few years earlier, several sources state that the first reported use of a Spencer repeating rifle in combat was in October 1862 by Sergeant Francis Lombard of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, using a Spencer rifle given to him by the inventor, Christopher Spencer.

Good point, I believe at the beginning of the Civil War there were quite a number of personal weapons used by both sides, the South and the northern State units especially. I know prior to the Civil War the Dragoon units got to test various weapon systems but again I'm not sure how many got to use personal weapons instead of the issued carbines.