The first version of this carbine was the Cosmopolitan, designed and patented by Henry Gross in 1859 and manufactured by Edward Gwyn and Abner Campbell. It is a single-shot .52 caliber carbine that loads from the breech with a paper cartridge and a separate external percussion cap. After producing a batch of the guns, Gwyn and Campbell realized that the breechblock design could be much simplified, and they patented that simplification – essentially pushing Gross out of his own invention.
Several successive contracts for the carbines were fulfilled during the Civil War, with about 8,200 produced in total. It was not the most popular or most numerous cavalry carbine of the war, but it is rather remarkable for actually being reliable and delivered consistently on time.
Cap & Ball video on the Gwyn & Campbell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlgWUb7In1g
“Cosmopolitan and Gwyn & Campbell Carbines in the Civil War” by Thomas Rentschler:
https://amzn.to/4kvApNp
“Civil War Gwyn & Campbell Carbines (aka Cosmopolitan, Union, & Grapevine)”
WHere is forend?
“(…)single-shot .52 caliber carbine that loads from the breech with a paper cartridge and a separate external percussion cap(…)”
What was standard operating procedure when cap was struck but failed to ignite propulsive explosive? Trying with another cap or removing what is inside barrel, if 2nd how and when it was supposed to be done?
First try another cap, or two. Wait a few minutes, with the muzzle pointing away from anything you don’t want shot. This allows a slow burn to either ignite the charge or die out. Then open the breech, with the top of the carbine facing away from you at arms length. If nothing happens see if the paper cartridge can be pulled out of the breech. If so, Drop it on the ground and step way back. If nothing happens, carefully take the cartridge apart. Keep the bullet and spread the powder on the ground. If the cartridge can’t be removed by hand, improvise a ram rod, insert it via the muzzle and push the cartridge out of the breech. Follow the safe cartridge disassembly process.
I don’t know if this was standard operating procedure back then, but it is the sane way of dealing with the situation. However, if the misfire occurred during combat, no telling what crazy stuff was done.
Another possible way to deal with misfires was to pour power down the nipple ‘s hole and ignite it, as you would do with a matchlock gun.
In actual combat, I guess you’d try another 2 percussion caps and switch to your sabre if they didn’t work.
Yes. This is still recommended today for black powder firearms.
Quite a procedure when you are getting shot at
Did you used to write standards for OSHA?
A few extra bits of trivia.
1. Another name for this one was the “Ohio” carbine, due to where it was manufactured. Several Ohio volunteer cavalry units were armed with these at the state’s expense. They were also sent to units in the West, notably the Army of the West after the whole Fremont business blew over.
2. The Second Model’s rotating breechblock was rather cleverly designed. Note that crescent-shaped “gap” above the lower section when it’s open; the breechblock had a camming action to force that tapered section as tightly as possible into the chamber leade’ to minimize gas escape. I believe it’s the only combustible-cartridge arm of the era to have such a setup.
3. The Union carbine could not only use its own proprietary cartridge, it could also chamber and fire the Sharps .52 caliber combustible cartridge, nitrated linen version. It was emphatically not to be fired with the Sharps paper combustible cartridge, as it tended to split in the chamber and deposit powder inside the action; not a good thing to have happen.
4. The main reason Ripley had no objection to breechloading carbines for cavalry was that every cavalryman knew what a PITA it was to try to reload a muzzle-loading carbine or musketoon on horseback. This was the main reason that most cavalry on both sides relied on revolvers as their primary weapon.
The saber’s day was over. In May 1861, one of Ripley’s first orders was to order 40,000 Model 1860 light cavalry sabers from the Ames Cutlery Company of Chicopee, MA. They were delivered in August of 1862.
In 1891, the War Department, in the liquidation sale, sold the whole 40,000 to Francis Bannerman & Co. for five cents each. They were delivered to Bannerman’s Island in the original packing crates in which Ames had delivered them to Watervliet Arsenal in 1862.
They had never even been uncrated or issued.
clear ether
eon
One Texas cavalry regiment, 8th Texas Cavalry, had short, double-barreled shotguns.
A lot of Confederate cavalry had sawn-off civilian double-barrels in addition to their revolvers, precisely because there were basically no breechloading carbines to be had.
The British Enfield Pattern 1853 Cavalry Carbine was a common weapon with Southern cavalry as well;
https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.php?smallarms_id=1124
Imported along with the Pattern 1853 Rifle Musket, it had the advantage of using standard .577/.58 caliber ammunition. It was also copied by several Southern arms makers.
cheers
eon