[from An Ephemeris Kept by Loren Webb...]
Monday, 29th Cloudy, and some rain. To day we rec. our guns and equipments. The guns were the old flint lock changed to cap locks .[from Belleville Weekly Advocate; Belleville, Illinois]
Letter from Camp Yates. Springfield, April 29th, ’60
To the Editor of the Belleville Advocate.
I was requested by many friends, before leaving old St. Clair, to keep them posted in regard to our movements, etc., and in order to do so, I will make a short statement through your paper, if you will allow me.
We all arrived safely at Springfield, on Tuesday, and immediately marched out to Camp Yates, where we learned we had to reduce our company to sixty-four, in consequence of which many of the boys went out, but they came together shortly after, formed another company and elected Mr. C. Van Cleve Captain, and your humble servant First Lieutenant. We are in the same regiment with the other St. Clair companies and are now awaiting marching orders. Your old friend and fellow-townsman, Mr. A. J. Cox, has been elected Major of the Regiment.
To the parents and friends of the boys from Mascoutah, I will state that they are all well and in good spirits. They seem to enjoy camp life very much. The almost continual waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies and hats by the gentlemen, as we passed along the railroad to the place, and the very welcome reception here, have altogether seemed to inspire them with such courage that they are lifted above the true realization of the hardships of camp life.
On Sunday we had a fine sermon here at camp and from the responses, I judge that many of the officers and privates are of a religious turn of mind.
There is no more room for doubting about the matter: the Stars and Stripes will be upheld. If the country over is responding like our State, all the minions of despotism cannot prevail against our rights.
There are several thousand troops in camp. 2,000 have already gone out, but their places are almost immediately filled by new arrivals.
I will close this letter, knowing that you have several more competent correspondents here who can do the subject more credit than I can. I will, however, at some future time, write again. - Loren Webb
The men were issued their guns and equipment (cartridge boxes, bayonets, etc) on Monday, 29 April 1861 at Camp Yates, Springfield, Illinois. The regiment was issued over 800 ‘altered muskets’ procured from the state arsenals. These guns were already antiquated at the time, and cumbersome; older by far than many of the men who carried them. They were originally various types of 1816 and 1822 model muskets which had the flint-lock mechanisms dismantled, the frizzen removed, the firepan blocked, and a new cap hole drilled and nipple fitted, converting them to the percussion system between 1848-1857. Some had been converted earlier and served as the primary weapons in the Mexican War.
ReplyDeleteA new hammer that curved over the barrel and struck the nipple much nearer the center of the barrel made them different than conventional guns of the day. Whether this unconventional lock system made them more difficult to shoot or not is unclear, but the guns issued to Company F were .69 caliber, with 42 inch smoothbore barrels, well rusted, inaccurate and with terrible range. It was noted that the men had to stand much closer to the enemy to stand a chance at hitting them than regiments issued with better muskets or rifles, there was little faith that the muskets could fire even 400 yards. The old muskets fired a composite projectile, composed of a massive .65 ball & three .30 buckshot, wrapped in paper, backed by 110 grains of black powder, which is a normal .69 caliber musket load, but still a powerful cartridge load in its day, when most used a .52 or .58 caliber musket or rifle.