The carbine, almost exclusively used as a cavalry weapon, was a major factor in the improvement of Union mounted forces from 1863 until the end of the war. The repeating carbine, especially, was responsible for the dramatic turnaround in performance over Confederate troopers. Considering the importance of these weapons, it is surprising to note how little attention they get in wargaming literature. While this short article does not pretend to be the final word on the subject, information on nineteen types of carbines is covered, including (when possible) effective range for firing, units known to have been issued the weapons, and the numbers of each carbine model produced for use with the armies during the war years. The following is an alphabetical listing of all carbines known to be used during the Civil War: BALLARD CARBINE: The wartime carbines were produced by Ball & Williams between 1862 and 1666, with those manufactured prior to 1864 being .54 caliber, and those made in 1864-65 being .44 caliber. The .54 caliber "Old Model" was 38" long and weighed 7 pounds, while the 1864 model (.44 cal.) was 37 1/4 inches in length with a weight of 6 3/8 pounds. The sight was graduated to 500 yards, the maximum realistic range for any accuracy at all, although "effective ranges was more like 150 - 200 yards. Tests showed that the Ballard could fire up to 18 rounds per minute, although not accurately aimed. The Federal Ordnance Dept. purchased 1509 carbines, all being of the .44 cal. variety. However, Kentucky State troops used as many as 18,500 of the weapons (.54 cal.), and it is known that the 13th Kentucky Cavalry and the 30th Kentucky Mounted Infantry were armed with Ballards. BURNSIDE CARBINE: Invented by Ambrose Burnside in 1856 (who later led the Army of the Potomac), the Burnside Carbine was the first weapon purchased by the government that used metallic cartridges. During the Civil War there were a total of four actual models, each an improvement in some way over the others. The fourth model was 39 1/2 inches long and 7 pounds 2 ounces in weight. The maximum range was about 500 yards, with the actual effective range extending out to 200 yards. The Union forces purchased a total of 33,031 Burnsides for the war effort. The author could not find any information on rate of fire. Some of the cavalry units known to have used the carbine were the 1st New Jersey, 1st Michigan, 3rd Indiana, 5th, 6th and 7th Ohio, 3rd W. Virginia, 13th, 14th and 18th Pennsylvania, 14th and 21st New York, and the 2nd, 12th, 14th and 16th Illinois. E.G. LAMSON CARBINE (BALL & PALMER): E. G. Lamson bought the factories and assets that allowed them to manufacture and provide to the government two different carbines, the Palmer, and later, the Ball Carbine. The .50 cal. Palmer was the lightest of all ACW carbines, being 36 inches long and weighing only 4 1/2 pounds. The Palmer had some initial problems in that its rifling grooves had no effect due to a smaller cartridge used by the Federals. However, in 1863, in a test conducted at West Point, an improved .32 cal. Palmer was shot 12 times at a target 336 yards away, with all shots hitting the target within a 3 foot pattern. The Palmer was found to produce good results at a rate of fire of 15 shots per minute. The Ball Repeating Rifle was produced too late in the war to be counted as a wartime weapon. GALLAGER CARBINE: The Gallager' Carbine was patented in 1860 and was manufactured in Pennsylvania. In the patent, Gallager claimed that his carbine was a superior weapon because of the easy removal of a spent cartridge from the breech. However, the mechanism was flawed, and cartridges had to frequently be removed by prying them out. Even so, the cost was low enough so that the government procured 17,728 of the .50 cal. weapons, each being 39 1/4 inches long and weighing 7 lbs., 8 ounces. Of the 50 officers who tested the Gallager, 40 rated it as totally worthless. Effective range seems to have been about 130 yards. Cavalry units who used the weapon include the 3rd W. Virginia; 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th Ohio; and the 13th Tennessee. GIBBS CARBINE: The Gibbs Carbine had a very short lifespan during the war, but left an unusual footnote in history. Based on the same principles as the Gallager Carbine, this .52 cal. weapon was 39 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, six ounces. Only slightly more than 1000 had been delivered from the factory in New York City City by July 1863. On July 13th the New York not occurred, and the rioters assaulted the building. At first, 34 policemen, armed with Gibbs Carbines guarded the factory. They shot 3 rioters before being ordered to another area, at which point the mob burned the factory down, effectively ending the career of the Gibbs Carbine. The few soldiers in the field that used the weapon were not very impressed. GWYN & CAMPBELL CARBINE: Also known as the Cosmopolitan, there were 3 separate models of this carbine in use by the end of the war, the Cosmopolitan, and the Gwyn & Campbell types I & 2. Each design was only slightly different, and all used linen .32 cal. cartridges. While the type 1 G&C carbine had sights graduated out to 900 yards, none of the models had an effective range of over 200 yards, but could be fired with steadily diminishing results up to 500 yards. The weapon was 39 inches long and weighed 6 lbs., 9 ounces. A total of 9342 carbines of all rnodels were sold to the government. Cavalry units using the weapon included the 2nd and 3rd Arkansas; 5th, 6th and 16th Illinois; 3rd and 4th Indians; 4th and 8th Iowa; 2nd, 6th and 14th Kansas; 10th, 12th, 14th and 40th Kentucky; 4th and 8th Missouri; 5th and 8th Ohio; 7th Tennessee; and the 3rd Wisconsin. HALL CARBINE (U.S. MODEL 1843): The Hall Carbine was the first introduced in the world, with the first weapons being sold in 1834 to the 1st Reg. of U.S. Dragoons. Being a smoothbore, the government had many of the carbines rifled for .58 cal. cartridges. The weapon was neither accurate or efficient, leading all 21 officers who tested the weapon to rate it as either poor or worthless. The range was considered too short and the carbines often fouled after only a few shots. The 2nd and 9th Illinois Cavalry were armed with Hall Carbines, but many of the troops apparently found other arms. JOSLYN CARBINES (MODELS 1855, 1862 AND 1864): All of the carbines manufactured by Joslyn were of the .54 cal. single shot variety. The first model was 38 1/4 inches long, weighing in at 7 lbs., 4 ounces. The 1862 model, being a rimfire weapon, was 38 7/8 in. long and weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces. A total of 11,261 of the Joslyn Carbines were purchased by the government even though officers who tested the guns did not like them. The range was as per most carbines of the period, but the breechblock tended to blow open when the weapon was fired. An additional problem was that Spencer cartridges fit poorly in this gun. Cavalry units issued the Joslyn were the 4th and 8th Indiana; 1st N.Y. Dragoons; 19th N.Y.; 13th Tennessee; 9th Pennsylvania; 3rd W. Virginia; 1st Wisconsin; 1st Nebraska; 1st Nevada; and the 11th Oh i o. LINDNER CARBINE: Only 892 Lindner Carbines were purchased during the war, and the only use of the weapon was by the 1st Michigan Cavalry in the Shenandoah Campaign and later, at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run. The regiment turned their Lindners in for Sharps Carbines in 1862, ending the brief debut of the weapon during the Civil War. MAYNARD CARBINE: An extremely accurate and well liked weapon, the Maynard was found in some quantity in arsenals in the Southern States at the beginning of the war. Coming in two varieties, the .35 cal. and the .50 cal., this weapon was a good performing gun. Invented by a dentist, Dr. Maynard in 1859 held a demonstration for the government where he fired 237 rounds (at a rate of 12 rounds per minute) at a 3 ft by 6 ft. target placed 200 yards away -- and 'never missed.' The weapons were light, but the .50 cal. carbine had a bit too much of a kick to it. Not used by Union forces very much because of the late delivery (1864-65) of the weapons, the Confederate cavalry used them to great advantage. The 9th and 11th Indiana, and the 11th Tennessee were known to have been issued Maynards during the war. MERRILL CARBINE: The Merrill Carbine seems to have been either loved or hated, depending on who was reviewing the weapon for the Ordnance Dept. Survey of Weapons. I have chosen to use the ratings of the 91 officers who helped to conduct the weapons trials. They rated the Merrill as generally a poor choice (72 of the officers. rated it as "fair" to "worthless", with only 19 call it it "best" or "good"). However, General Stoneman liked the carbine and asked for many of his cavalry troops to be armed with it. Using a paper cartridge of .54 cal, the Merrill Carbine was 37 3/8 inches long and weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces. There does not seem to be a record of its effective range. Cavalry units known to have carried the 14,255 Merrills purchased by the government were: the 27th Kentucky; 1st, 5th, and 18th New York; 1st New Jersey; 7th Indiana; 1st and 3rd Wisconsin; 11th, 17th and 18th Pennsylvania; and the 1st Delaware. REMINGTON CARBINE: This weapon has been listed in several books cover inig Civil War carbines, but the actual orders from the government were not received until the war was over, so this carbine will not be reviewed. SHARPS CARBINE: This famous weapon was first produced during 1849-50 in Pennsylvania. Two later models, the "New Model 1859" and the "New Model 1863" were the types used during the war. The Sharps Carbine was widely used, with 5800 being purchased by the government in 1861, 17,134 in 1862, 22,205 in 1863, 25,039 in 1864, and 7152 being delivered in 1865 for a total wartime purchase of 77,330 weapons. Both models used during the Civil War were .52 caliber and were 39 1/8 inches long, weighing in at a hefty 7 lbs., 12 ounces. Field officers who responded to an 1863-64 Ordnance Dept. survey about the weapon overwhelmingly shouted its praise. 0f 422 officers, 215 considered it the best arm in the service, 199 rated it as "good", and only 8 mere rated the Sharps as "fair" or "poor". The battle of Gettysburg showed the intense ability of this gun to stop an enemy. General Buford's cavalry, 5 regiments of which were armed with the Sharps Carbine, threw back Confederate infantry attacks on the first day until Union infantry reinforcements came to the rescue. The rate of accurate fire was ten rounds per minute....at up to 600 yards, although a heal thy 300 yards was considered to be the effective fire range. The Confederates also had access to some Sharps Carbines, with 5200 of the guns being manufactured between 1862 and 1864. Some of the Union cavalry units issued the weapon include: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th Illinois; 1st California; 5th and 6th Ohio; the 1st through 6th U.S. Regulars; 1st Michigan; 3rd and 13th Pennsylvania; 1st and 2nd Massachussets; 5th Iowa; and the 20th New York. While many more regiments obtained the Sharps Carbine, my research could not come up with their names. SHARPS & HANKINS CARBINES: There were three actual models put out by the Sharps & Hank ins factory, none of which saw much use during the war. Of the 1468 S&H carbines pun-chased by the gover-ment, 500 went to the navy, and many others were of a fairly experimental nature. The differences between the models were primarily connected with the release and breech-frame mechanisms. One very short model (slightly over 33 inches in length) was tried out for cavalry useage, but was manufactured too late in the war to make any impact on the field. The Sharps & Hankinis- model put out in 1863 was timed at a rate of fire of 14 rounds in 1 minute and 40 seconds. The 9th New York Cavalry and the 11th New York Volunteer Cavalry are known to have been issued the special short barreled carbines. SMITH CARBINE: In 1860 a board of officers met at the Washington Arsenal to conduct tests on weapons that were being considered for future purpose. The carbine most raved about was the Smith, being considered the simplest to operate and the most durable for cavalry use. The weapon was .50 caliber, was 39 1/2 inches long, and weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Taking either a foil and paper cartridge, or one of rubber, the Smith was not the most accurate, the fastest loading, or the carbine that could extend a shot out over great distance. It was, however, reliable, and the troops that were issued the weapon rated it highly. A total of 31,002 were purchased for the war. Units known to have been given the carbines include the 1st Massachusetts 6th and 9th Ohio; 1st Connecticut; 7th and 17th Pennsylvania; 7th and 11th Illinois; and the 3rd West Virginia Cavalry regiments. SPENCER CARBINE: This carbine was the royalty of the Civil War period. Capable of firing 7 rounds within 10 seconds, the Spencer Repeating Carbine certainly did much to change the fortunes of the Union mounted regiments. General Ripley, of the U.S. Ordnance Department, being a typical myopic bureaucrat, refused to believe that such an advanced weapon could actually be of value on the field. Nonetheless, over 95,000 of the repeaters were procured due to the insistence of President Lincoln, who personally tested the Spencer. This gun used a copper rimfire cartridge which was easily loaded to a maximum of 7 rounds. The Blakeslee cartridge box, patented in 1864 by Col. Eratus Blakeslee of the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Cavalry, gave troopers much more firepower capability than before. The cartridge box was capable of holding up to 13 'tubes" of 7 cartridges each, giving the Union cavalryman an additional 91 rounds at his fingertips. Being effective at up to 400 yards, Confederate reports of battles fought against units armed with the Spencer often grossly exaggerated the number of Union combatants involved. The Spencer carbine was effective not only in a defensive mode, but also in the attack, since troops armed with it could fire on the run without needing to reload. Units armed with this weapon were too numerous to mention, but Custer's troops made good use of the carbine at Gettysburg and other battles. STARR CARBINE: Better known for its revolvers, the Starr Arms Company also produced a carbine that started the war as a percussion weapon and ended up, with only slight modifications as a rimf ire carbine. The .54 caliber Starr Carbine was 37 5/8 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, with an effective range of about 200 yards. The percussion model was well liked by the navy, but in a test conducted by 78 officers during the 1863-64 survey, 61 of the men rated the weapon as "poor or worthless.. The major complaint was that it would not fire much of the time. The rimfire carbine was a vast improvement, but only 5001 of the guns made it to the armories before war's end. The following cavalry regiments were known to have been issued the Starr Carbine: 1st Arkansas, 5th Kansas; 11th Missouri; and the 24th New York Volunteer Cavalry. WARNER CARBINE: This was the only brass frame carbine produced during the Civil War. It did not go into production until 1864, used Warner rimfire cartridges (many of which were poorly made), and was. tested at a rate of fire of 13 rounds in a minute. However, the carbine was plagued by an extraction problem with swollen cartridges that had to frequently be removed by hand. I could find no facts concerning whether the guns were ever actually issued for use in the field. A total of 4001 Warner Carbines were purchased by the government, but they may have never seen action, and certainly they did not have much of an impact on the war. WESSON CARBINE: Only 151 of these carbines were purchased by the government, although about 4500 were sold to the state forces of Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, and Missouri. This carbine had a serious flaw in that the cartridge, once fired, had to be removed by hand, and often it was necessary to use a ramrod, since this gun had no extractor system. The only photo of a Civil War soldier carrying a Wesson Carbine that I have seen was a Confederate. It is possible that many of the guns were abandoned by Union soldiers since the Wesson was intensly disliked. Sources Lustyik, A.F. Civil War Carbines from Service to Settlement 1947. McAulay, J.D. Carbines of the Civil War 1981. Lewis, Col. B.F. Notes on Cavalry Weapons of the ACW 1861-1865 1961. Back to The Zouave Vol I No. 3 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com