STANDARD CATALOG OF®
CIVIL WAR FIREARMS
by John F. Graf
©2008 Krause Publications, Inc.,
a subsidiary of F+W Media, Inc.
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Cover Photo Courtesy Benelli USA Corporation
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008937702
ISBN-13: 978-0-89689-613-0
ISBN-10: 0-89689-613-7
eISBN: 978-1-44022-470-6
Designed by Elizabeth Krogwold
Edited by Dan Shideler
Printed in CHINA
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4: MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLES
CHAPTER 5: BREECH-LOADING RIFLES AND RIFLE-MUSKETS
CHAPTER 6: MUSKETOONS AND MUZZLE-LOADING CARBINES
CHAPTER 7: BREECH-LOADING CARBINES
CHAPTER 8: SINGLE-SHOT PISTOLS
CHAPTER 9: REVOLVERS
APPENDIX: CIVIL WAR INSPECTORS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
DEDICATION
To my grandmother, Celine (Coninx) Robertson. Though she is gone, I carry that which she taught me: the love of the Civil War, pursuit of scholarship, and always trying to do the right thing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John F. Graf has a master of arts degree in historical administration and has been a military collector for more than 30 years. He is the long-time editor of Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine and is the author of Warman’s Civil War Collectibles, Badgers for the Union, Warman’s Civil War Field Guide, and Warman’s WWII Collectibles as well as numerous articles on nineteenth century material culture. He currently resides in Missouri.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
U ndertaking this book would have been inconceivable without relying on the scholarship and dedication to antique firearms of Norm Flayderman. His Guide to Antique Firearms, now in its ninth edition, is unsurpassed for accuracy in both identification and pricing. It was inconceivable to me that my publisher would ask me to assemble a book that would ever come close to the scope of Norm’s work. With trepidation, I approached him for assistance. Always the consummate gentleman, Norm respectfully declined, explaining that he was going through his own authorship struggles as he completed the proofs of his current edition of the Guide. He did, however, express his good wishes and expedience with the research. Having obtained his “blessing,” I felt as though I could proceed. My thanks—or that of the hobby—to Norm cannot be measured.
I wish to thank Thomas Kailbourn for his hours and hours of research. I have known Tom for more than 20 years and through all that time, I have had nothing but the very highest regard for his scholarship, thoroughness and professionalism. I count him among my closest friends, in addition to being a fine colleague.
The accumulation of information included in this book has occurred over nearly 40 years, so an accurate listing of those who aided is nearly impossible. Indeed, many who have contributed to this work are no longer around to see the results. This saddens me. However, I do want to thank the following: Alya Alberico, Jeff Anderson, Bill Brewster, Weldon Brudlos, William K. Combs, Joseph S. Covais, David Doyle, Jason Devine, David Fagan, Paul Goodwin, Larry Hicklin, Patrick F. Hogan, Randy Jackson, James D. Julia, Turner Kirkland, H. Michael Madaus, Anna McCoy, Denise Moss, John M. Murphy, Steve Osman, Patrick Quinn, Robert M. Reilly, Celine Robertson, Frank Reile, Harold St. Mary, Thomas Shaw, Jefferson Shrader, Perk Steffen, Donald L. Ware, Bill Weber, and Jaime M. Wood.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the strength I receive from my family. First, and foremost, I must thank my parents, John Milton and Helen Graf. Without their accepting my fascination with the Civil War as a young boy, and then helping me to discover the possibilities that scholarship, study, and perseverance provide, I could never have followed my passion for history and the Civil War. When I was 12, they gave me my first gun: A reproduction Model 1863 Remington rifle.
I am blessed with the finest brothers and sister: Tom, Joe, Jim, and Celine. Even though I am now old and gray-haired, I will always be their baby brother. The number of times they let me tag along to go shooting, borrow books, or explain history to me are countless. All I can say is, “Thank you.”
And finally, there are two women who stand out: My partner, Diane Adams-Graf, and my daughter, Trisha Lynn Graf. You were both so patient and supportive as I worked on this book. I am, indeed, a fortunate man.
INTRODUCTION
B etween the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, and the final surrender of Confederate troops on May 26, 1865, the way wars were fought and the tools soldiers used changed irrevocably. When troops first formed lines of battle to face each other near Bull Run Creek in Virginia on June 21, 1861, they were dressed in a widely disparate assemblage of uniforms. They carried state-issued, federally-supplied, or brought-from-home weapons, some of which dated back to before the War of 1812. They marched to the orders and rhythms of tactics that had served land forces for at least the previous 100 years. Four short years later, the generals and soldiers had perfected the art of warfare on the North American continent, having developed such leaps as the use of the repeating rifle and widely dispersed infantry formations.
This change levied a toll on the nation, however, in the form of more than one million casualties (over 620,000 war-related deaths). At that rate, nearly one in four soldiers experienced the pains