Smith Cavalry Carbine

[musketman]

Civil War Smith Cavalry Carbine.

Caliber: 50 Smith, combustible cartridge, fired by a caplock
System of operation: Single Shot
Length overall: 39.5 inches
Barrel length: 21.6 inches
Feed device: Single Shot
Sight:Front: Blade
Sight:Rear: Block and single Leaf sight
Weight: 7.50 lb

The original Smith Carbine was patented by Gilbert Smith of Buttermilk Falls, New York on June 23, 1857, and successfully completed the Military Trials of the late 1850's...

Significant quantities were ordered by the Union military authorities, who after all had to supply both Armies for most of the Civil War...

More than 30,000 were produced by the Massachusetts Arms Co. and American Machine Works of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts...

 

[cayugad]

When you say

50 Smith, combustible cartridge

how exactly did that work? Was that a paper crartridge that you tore the end off, or what?

 

[musketman]

how exactly did that work? Was that a paper crartridge that you tore the end off, or what?

In the early days of the Civil War, inventors, crank and otherwise, besieged the War Department in Washington, proposing various weapons and ammunition as sure rebellion stoppers. Among these were a number of "patent" cartridges designed to replace the standard paper cartridge used in the .58 caliber infantry rifle-musket.

This ammunition was designed to accelerate the loading process by omitting the need for a soldier to tear a paper cartridge with his teeth, pour the powder down the muzzle, disengage the minie ball from the paper and then discard the paper before ramming the ball home.

A cartridge with a combustible covering for its powder charge (nitrated paper or linen) was simply inserted in the gun's muzzle (powder side first) and rammed. Some could be dropped down the muzzle without the use of a ramrod.

Breech loading shooters had to place the combustible cartridge in bullet first, when the breech was closed, it would sheer off the rear of the paper and expose the powder to the percussion cap...

The nitrated paper was then consummed with the burning powder when the weapon was discharged, leaving the breech clear for the next shot...

 

[musketman]

More on nitrated paper and linen cartridges

Sharps Linen Cartridge - Perfect bullet with exceptional linen.

Excavated Burnside Cartridges - These are excavated Burnside cartridges. They are complete and in good excavated condtion.

This is an excavated Galagher cartridge. It is complete and in excellent excavated condition.

Galagher Cartridge - Tinned case wrapped in paper. Original condition. Perfect.

Buck and Ball Paper Cartridge - This a .69 caliber buck and ball paper cartridge. It consists of the original bullets (1 .69 caliber musket ball with 3 small buck balls glued to the larger one), paper and string. The portion of the paper that contained the powder has been torn away, but the buck and ball are still entact.

 

[cayugad]

That's really interesting. I always figured that is what it looked like but had never actually seen one... thanks