M1841 Mississippi rifle
| M1841 Mississippi rifle | |
|---|---|
| Type | Rifled Musket |
| Place of origin |
 United States,Harper's Ferry |
| Service history | |
| Used by |
 USA1 Mississippi Regiment  Confederate States of America
|
| Wars | Seminole Wars Mexican–American War American Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1840 |
| Manufacturer | Harpers Ferry Armory, E. Whitney |
| Unit cost | 16 dollars |
| Produced | 1841–1861 |
| Variants | bayonet mounts |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 9 pounds 4 ounces (4.2 kg) |
| Length | 48.5 inches (1,230 mm) |
| Barrel length | 33 inches (840 mm) |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | .54 ball,.58 minie ball |
| Cartridge weight | 0.5 ounces (14 g) |
| Caliber | 0.54, 0.58 |
| Action | percussion lock |
| Rate of fire | 2-3 per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,000 to 1,200 feet per second |
| Effective firing range | 0-1100 yards |
| Maximum firing range | 2000 |
| Feed system | muzzle |
| Sights | blade (front), V-notch, leaf, ladder sight (rear) |
The M1841 Mississippi rifle is a muzzle-loading percussion rifle used in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
When Eli Whitney Blake took over management of the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1842, he set about tooling up under his new contract from the U.S. government for making the model 1841 percussion rifle. Machinery and fixtures for making the 1822 contract flintlock musket had to be retooled or replaced in order to produce the lock and barrel of the new model. Whitney, Jr. had the good sense to hire Thomas Warner as foreman, who, as master armorer at Springfield Armory, had just been making the same kind of major changes there. Thomas Warner had spearheaded the drive to equip the Springfield Armory with a set of new, more precise machines and a system of gauging that made it possible for the first time to achieve, in the late 1840s, the long-desired goal of interchangeability of parts in military small arms. Under his tutelage, Eli Whitney, Jr. equipped the Whitney Armory to do likewise.
The nickname "Mississippi" originated in the Mexican–American War when future Confederate president Jefferson Davis was appointed Colonel of the Mississippi Rifles, a volunteer regiment from the state of Mississippi. Colonel Davis sought to arm his regiment with the Model 1841 rifles. At this time, smoothbore muskets were still the primary infantry weapon and any unit with rifles was considered special and designated as such. Davis clashed with his commanding officer, General Winfield Scott, who said that the weapons were insufficiently tested and refused the request. Davis took his case to the President James Knox Polk who agreed with Davis that his men be armed with them. The incident was the start of a lifelong feud between Davis and Scott.
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Wikipedia