SHARP NEW MODEL 1863 CONVERSION CAVALRY CARBINE

On March 6, 1860 a patent for a new carbine was granted to Christopher M. Spencer.  The reliable rapid firing Spencer carbine with it's brass water resistant cartridges was probably the most advanced weapon of the time.  It was a remarkable gun and went far toward revolutionizing warfare as it was then waged.  At an overall length of 39 inches and a weight of 8 pounds 4 ounces, the carbine could fire seven copper rimfire cartridges from a tubular magazine in the end of the buttstock.  The majority of the Spencer carbines used by Federal troops were of .50 caliber and were chambered for the .56-.56 Spencer rimfire cartridge, having a big 350 grain bullet propelled by 43 to 45 grains of blackpowder making the complete round weight one ounce.  More than 58,000,000 cartridges were purchased for the Spencer, but many of them were used in the Ballard and Joslyn carbines of the same caliber.

At first the seven shot tube fed Spencer was slow to be accepted by the Union army.  To prove its sound design and superior construction, C. M. Spencer arranged to demonstrate the weapon to the Navy in June 1861.  Initial tests included burying a loaded weapon and immersing it in salt water before firing it.  Over a two day test fire, Spencer fired the carbine 250 times without stopping to clean the rifle.  During the rapid fire test, the carbine achieved a sustained rate of fire at twenty one rounds per minute.  Commander John A. Dahlgren was so impressed he ordered 700 Spencers to be used by the Navy.  Brigadier General James W. Ripley was not all that enthused and did not order any of the weapons.  However, General James H. Wilson did like Spencer.  In his report to the Union army's chief of ordnance, he wrote, "There is no doubt that the Spencer carbine is the best firearm yet put into the hands of the solider, both for economy of ammunition and maximum effect, physical and moral."  An excerpt from an official report reads, "We found them simple and compact in construction and think them less liable to get out of order than any other breech loading arm in use and are particularly pleased with the light carbine..."  According to procurement records (January 1, 1861 to June 30, 1866) the Union army did finally order 94,196 of the carbines but the initial delivery date of December 26, 1861 was delayed for more than a year due to a production problem with the gun's extractor.

After the improvements were made, the Spencer was reliable and very easy to use.  Lowering the operating lever dropped the breechblock and extracted the spent cartridge.  The same motion caused the magazine automatically to  feed another round into the chamber, closing the breech seated the cartridge.  Thus, all the solider had to do was cock, aim and pull the trigger.  With the production of the Blakeslee Cartridge Box late in the war, the Spencer carrying soldier had 10 to 13 extra loaded magazine tubes, equaling 70 to 91 rounds at his disposal making him an extremely formidable enemy.

The first Spencers used by Union soldiers, which had been bought privately or by individual units may have appeared on battlefields as early as late spring 1862.  The first government bought Spencers were delivered in October 1863 but were slow in getting to the field.  The Spencer was so popular among the troops that when units were denied issue of such arms, they occasionally took it upon themselves to personally purchase the guns.  When Col. John T. Wilder (of the Lightning Brigade) was refused the Spencer arms, he equipped the men of his brigade with 4,000 of the weapons.  His brigade felt such a need for the gun that each man voted to help with the purchase cost of the new carbine.  When the war ended, 105,804 of the 200,000 Spencers in use were purchased by private individuals.