The following will be Part 1.
So, let’s get down to brass tacks on why I don’t think 1792 Contract Rifles were the ones used by the Lewis and Clark expedition. I’m going to do my best to keep this in an orderly progression. I may not get it all in one post, though, so there may be a “Part 2” to follow, if it runs too long.
I just can’t get around beginning with some background on the 1792 Contract Rifles and their use, because it will help explain some things. Their primary use in the military, and those are the ones that actually came back into storage after use, was with “Mad” Anthony Wayne’s Legion of the United States. (Both Lewis and Clark were Officers in the Rifle “Battalions” [actually Companies by actual numbers of troops] of that Legion. So both Lewis and Clark had extensive experience with those rifles.) Other 1792 Contract Rifles were given away and some were stored without being used. The latter because when Wayne’s Legion was disbanded/changed over to Regular U.S. Regiments, the Rifle Bn’s/Companies were done away with for a while and the rifles returned to government storage.
Generally speaking, the government Arsenal at Philadephia was where 1792 rifles were initially stored after they were purchased from contractors. (A note here that will be important later: A government Arsenal is where arms were/are stored and only had extremely limited repair capability of normally only one or at most two Armorers on the staff. This was/is completely different than a government Armory where arms were manufactured and major repair work done later on as needed.) Under Orders from the Secretary of War, the Philadelphia Arsenal issued the rifles as directed. When Wayne’s Legion was disbanded, the 1792 rifles were returned and again under the control of the Philadelphia Arsenal. A small number of serviceable rifles MAY have been returned to and kept at a much smaller government storage facility in western Virginia for later issue to the Militia, but the majority of the rifles came back to the Philadelphia Arsenal.
OK, here is the first thing I don’t know if authors of articles or books on the subject considered or even knew about, but none of them seem to have addressed in print. When the 1792 rifles were returned to the Philadelphia Arsenal for storage and possible later issue, the one or two Armorers on the staff would have been tasked to first clean and inspect the rifles and placed into one of three categories. The first category was serviceable rifles and those would have been kept for long term storage. The second category were those rifles that only needed MINOR repairs. Those repairs would have been done by the Arsenal’s Staff Armorers OR farmed out to local gunsmiths to repair. The THIRD category of rifles was the one that is really important to this discussion and the rifles in THAT category were the ones that either needed MAJOR repairs or were in such bad shape they were to be either stripped for useable parts and materials or sold for scrap. OK, so what happened to those rifles?
Well, we know the 1792 rifles in the third/worst condition category were NOT sent to Springfield Armory in MA, because they didn’t have anything to do with rifles until much later and there is no evidence whatsoever that worn out/broken/busted 1792 rifles were sent there. I can’t document this, but procedures at the time were that the Philadelphia Arsenal would have stored the rifles in the WORST category until they could be sent to Harpers Ferry Armory, once that Armory was “stood up.” However, what is important to this discussion is the fact the 1792 rifles in storage at Harpers Ferry Armory when Lewis showed up, were in the MOST worn out and badly broken condition. There were NO worn but basically good 1792 rifles in storage, because when Harpers Ferry repaired them, they were sent BACK to the Philadelphia Arsenal along with other Arms they made OR shipped to Militia units as directed.
Here is the second point none of the authors addressed, if they even considered or knew about it. Harpers Ferry Armory only had an EXTREMELY limited storage facility when Lewis showed up at Harpers Ferry. I may be mistaken, but I got the impression the authors thought there was a larger storage area at Harpers Ferry than what there actually was when Lewis showed up. (BTW, this is the first thing that got me thinking, “That’s not right.” It piqued my curiosity and what got me interested in this discussion to do some investigation on my own.) I have been to Harpers Ferry twice before getting involved in this discussion, so I checked and sure enough there was only ONE government building at Harpers Ferry when Lewis showed up and that was what was then known locally and in official reports as “The Gun Factory.” There was NO second building built for storing arms until two years AFTER Lewis and Clark LEFT to go on their expedition. Also, there is NO evidence the Armory or the government rented or used any locally owned building for storage of Arms. Now, what does that mean to our discussion?
Here is the third point none of the authors addressed, if they even considered or knew about it. Most modern people are surprised when and if they actually see a period Armory, because it is almost always MUCH smaller than most of us would think ahead of time. The original Arsenal or “Gun Factory,” as they called it, was burnt down during the Civil War and almost nothing remains when one goes to Harpers Ferry today. I made a point to see where the original building “foot print” had been and even I was a bit surprised how SMALL it was, on my first trip to Harpers Ferry. So, I decided to check how big that building was, as part of my “detective work.” Grin.
I admit I didn’t keep the actual building foot print measurements at hand, but it was not huge, even though it was a full three stories tall. However, it may give you some idea of the size when you consider the building was planned for a total of only about 25 people total. The first or ground floor was where the forges and blacksmithing was done. The second floor was where Arms were filed/finished/assembled. The third floor was where walnut planks for making gun stocks were stored as well as other materials were stored to use to make and repair the arms, and also storing the arms they made or repaired until those arms were shipped out. Some of that room on the third floor would have included upright racks to store the arms until they were boxed up. Also, lumber to actually make shipping boxes and some space to store boxed weapons (or at least the boxes) until they could be shipped. IOW, there was NOT much space at all to store weapons needing to be repaired along with everything else. The PLAN must have been the second building, later known as the “Large Arsenal,” was where Arms needing repair and completed Arms would be stored temporarily ONCE it was built two years AFTER Lewis had left on the expedition. OK, so why is THAT important to our discussion?
Here is the fourth point none of the authors addressed much if any at all, if they even considered it much in the articles/books. The Corps of Discovery Expedition was the PET project of the President and Captain Lewis was his “Fair Haired Lad” in charge of it. That meant Lewis got “Carte Blanche” for anything he wanted and with such a high priority, everyone involved in supplying Lewis did so as quickly and as best as possible. This is obvious from the unusual things the “Gun Factory” had to design and work on, like the collapsible boat frame as one example of many things they otherwise didn’t normally make. So why is that important to our discussion?
OK, I’m going to ask you to think about what probably happened when Captain Lewis first showed up at Harpers Ferry with a letter from the President authorizing Harpers Ferry Armory to make things for him. I imagine “word” had already been received by them from the Secretary of War to do their best to support Lewis, and even if not, that Presidential Letter would have made everyone jump to do their best for Captain Lewis.
NOW, can you imagine them taking him to the third floor to view the severely worn out/broken/extremely damaged 1792 rifles stored there maybe in a pile or stacked closely together?!! Remember, Captain Lewis was extremely experienced with those rifles in the field and in combat. I imagine the Arsenal Staff would have been embarrassed to even show them to Lewis in that condition, as those were THE ONLY RIFLES IN THE ARMORY. I don’t know about you, but if I were Capt Lewis, I (even with my Ordnance experience) would have been thinking, “Holy Smoke, those are all JUNK! If this is all they have, then I better see about getting NEW and UNISSUED rifles from the Philadelphia Arsenal!!” Mind you, it was already planned Lewis would go to the Philadelphia Arsenal as his NEXT stop to get gear and supplies for the expedition and Capt Lewis KNEW he had “Carte Blanche” to get whatever he wanted.
Now I have no documentation to back this up, but I have actually been in almost the exact same position as the Harpers Ferry Arsenal Staff were in at that time, on more than one occasion in the modern military. So, I admit I’m putting my actual experience to work when I suggest what probably happened next. I would have said, “Captain Lewis, allow me to show you some things we are working on and discuss what you want and need, as to your rifles.”
OK, this is a good place to stop as the arthritis in my fingers is acting up and will type more later as Part 2.
Gus
