WEEKLY VINCENNES GAZETTE Article Dated October 28, 1865

[Two Flints]

Collection: The Civil War Part IV. A Midwestern Perspective
Publication: WEEKLY VINCENNES GAZETTE
Date: October 28, 1865
Title: Springfield Armory.
Location: VINCENNES, INDIANA

WORK OF TWO YEARS—RELICS OF THE WAR.

The Springfield (Mass) Republican of Saturday says:

No complete muskets have been made and assembled at the armory for about two months, though work is still going on upon the unfinished parts. The fabrication of the current year is therefore likely to be considerably, less than that of last, and that of last wits smaller than that of the year proceding. The total number made in the year ending June, 1864, was 276,200; while in the year ending With June, 1865, 108.405 were fabricated, a falling off of 77,793; During the two. years from July I, 1863, to July 1, 1865, the issues from the armory to the. army amounted to 322,261 muskets, and there remained on hand at the latter date 287,003, which is about the number now.

The most interesting work going on at the armory at present is the repairing of old muskets, the relics of every battle-field of the war. This work has been attempted at other arsenals, but, the repairs made here are so much superior to all others, and are done with so much less expense to the Government that the War Department has decided to transfer the whole business to this city, More than one hundred thousand old guns have already boon sent here, and others are coming in sizable quantities every few days. A large part of each story of the southeast shop is filled with them, packed perpendiculary and as closely together us possible. Among them are fifteen hundred Enfield rifles, which have evidently never been used, and were probably captured from a rebel vessel which guns sent for repairs include nearly; every kind used in both, armies, the following being the list of those already went here: Springfield rifle. musket, calibre 58100, the Springfield smooth bore, calibre 69-100, the flint look musket, the Enfield, rifle musket, calibre 577-l00, the: same with, sabre beyonet, the Enfield, Dresden, Mississippi, Spencer, Windsor and Austrian rifles, Colt's. revolving. rifle, the Richmond rifle, musket, and; the Burnside, the Spencer and Sharp's, carbines, Of course, it is impossible to say, bow many or; which of these. guns came direct from rebel. hands, as the rebels captured extensively from us in the early part of the war, and we from; them in the. latter, The Mississippi and Richmond guns, however, wore made by them, and they imported large numbers. of Enfields The Richmond; is; patterned mainly after, the, old Springfield, rifle, and the rebels stole enough machinery from the Harper's Ferry armory, to begin, its manufacture.

The guns are battered, twisted, broken, damaged', in every conceivable way, and show in every form the signs hard usage and "the shock of war, The barrels are, frequently filled with sand, and to find several charges in one gun is a common thing, Names and, devices are carved or painted on some of the guns, and in the lock plate of one is neatly engraved: George A. Spencer, June 17, 1864; July 30, 1864; September 30,1864; April 2, 1865 —the battles in which the hero was engaged.

Few except Springfield guns have as yet been, repaired, and these are found to be in better average condition than was expected. Only about fifteen per cent. of the barrels are condemned, and twenty-five to thirty per cent, of the stocks. The average expense of the repairs made thus far on the Sp ingfield rifles is only about $1 50—a small cost when it is considered that the battered guns are really made "as good as new. The lowest some of the other arsenals could figure it was $2 Only a portion of the workmen at the armory are engaged in this business, but two hundred and fifty guns are repaired daily. The whole number repaired thus far eighteen thousand.