Need a serial number checked Please

[Cannonman1]

Two Fints.. When you see this can you please check on Spender Serial number 14592  Carbine

As always, really appreciate your assistance with this.

Cannonman1

[Two Flints]

Bill,

Looks like your Spencer Carbine, serial # 14592 may have been issued to Company E, 7th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry in February, 1865.  Quite a few Spencer Carbines with serial #s higher and lower than your 14592 were issued to the same unit.  In any case, I hope you have read my Spencer Serial # Disclaimer.

Two Flints

[Cannonman1]

Thank You !!

[Cannonman1]

Really amazed that a serial number that low would have an issue date as late as Feb of 65??  What explains that ? 

Thanks
Bill

[DJ]

As I understand it, the Springfield Research database of serial numbers is a record of serial numbers that appear in military records for a variety of reasons.  Some may report the date of the original issue, but others may be from a record of a later reissue or simply a unit inventory that occurred for some reason (I believe many units reported to higher headquarters the arms on hand at certain intervals, such as quarterly).  Without seeing the original records, the date and the unit generally mean only that the unit had that weapon on hand on that date, but the weapon could have been in the unit for a considerable time already.

--DJ

[Two Flints]

Bill,

Initially, in 1863,  the 7th Pennsylvania was issued a "hodge-podge" of weapons to include the Burnside, Sharps and Smith Carbines .  In 1864, the 7th still had Sharps and Burnsides, and an increasing number of Spencer Carbines, so by years end (1864) the 7th had roughly 400 Spencers, 27 Burnsides, and 77 Sharps in their possession.  By early 1865, 766 Spencer Carbines had been issued to the 7th.

Getting Spencer Carbines to all the cavalry units was a slow process . . . production could not keep up with the demand, so some units just had to wait until they became available.

The 7th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry was one of the units under the command of General James H. Wilson. General Wilson wanted his cavalry units to have Spencers and fought to have them so armed.

Two Flints

[Two Flints]

Bill,

You might want to pick up a Regimental History of the 7th . . . they usually make for interesting reading.

Just do a Google search online.

Two Flints

[Cannonman1]

Thanks for your thorough reply.. Really appreciate the detail. I have not received the carbine yet but will post pics of it when I get it.


Take Care
Bill

[Cannonman1]

I suspect that some politics may have inserted itself and some units got put to the top of the list and Spencers were actually pulled from other units and re issued. In the case of my carbine.. The lower serial number may have seen that carbine issued to a unit in early 64, for example and then pulled and re issued to the 7th Penn for example. In other words, a carbine (irregardless of make) could be pulled from a unit and re issued to another???

[Rim fire]

Yes

[Cannonman1]

Thats amazing .. Hard to give up those Spencers for some single shot breechloader!!

[treebeard]

If i recall correctly there were one or more black units sent to Florida and had their Spencer rifles replaced with standard muzzleloaders.
They then had to fight the Battle Of Olustee with those single shots and it did not go well for them.