who used the springfield rifle in the civil war
Confederate States of America United States
title: Springfield Model 1861 text: Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts), it was the most widely used U.S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability. The barrel was forty inches (102 cm) long, firing a .58 caliber Minié ball, and the total weight was approximately nine pounds (4,9 kg). The Springfield had a general effective range of 200 to 300 yards (183–274 m) but title: Rifles in the American Civil War text: brought out of storage for similar reasons. These old and obsolete weapons were replaced by newer weapons as they became available. The second most widely used weapon of the Civil War, and the most widely used weapon by the Confederates, was the British Pattern 1853 Enfield. Like the Springfield, this was a three-band, single-shot, muzzle-loading rifle musket. It was the standard weapon for the British Army between 1853 and 1867. Confederate soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. ammunition used by both sides. The Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, England, was forbidden title: Springfield Model 1855 text: Springfield Model 1855 The Springfield Model 1855 was a rifle musket widely used in the American Civil War. It exploited the advantages of the new conical Minié ball, which could be deadly at over 1,000 yards. About 60,000 of these rifles were made, and it was a standard infantry weapon for Union and Confederates alike, until the Model 1861 supplanted it, obviating the use of the insufficiently waterproof Maynard tape primer. The Model 1855 Springfield was a rifled musket used in the mid 19th century. It was manufactured by the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and at the Harper's Ferry in title: Springfield Model 1855 text: Springfield Model 1855 The Springfield Model 1855 was a rifle musket widely used in the American Civil War. It exploited the advantages of the new conical Minié ball, which could be deadly at over 1,000 yards. About 60,000 of these rifles were made, and it was a standard infantry weapon for Union and Confederates alike, until the Model 1861 supplanted it, obviating the use of the insufficiently waterproof Maynard tape primer. The Model 1855 Springfield was a rifled musket used in the mid 19th century. It was manufactured by the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and at the Harper's Ferry in title: Rifles in the American Civil War text: was eventually replaced in the Union ranks by 1861 Springfields). The Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle, the progenitor of the Model 1855 and 1861 Springfield, was still used in the Civil War to a fair degree, especially by Confederate non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and sharpshooters. The Confederacy also produced a variety of weapons itself, standardizing on .58 caliber in 1862. These were usually clones of existing designs and tended to be poor quality due to shortages of raw material and skilled labor. Some such weapons included clones of the Sharps carbine, the Richmond/Fayetteville rifles (a Springfield clone) and imitations of Enfield rifles