Black Powder, White Smoke

Henrys, Pedersoli Lorenz & A Musket Swap

By Joe Bilby · Originally published May 2017 · p. 5

As I have mentioned in past columns, as well as my book A Revolution in Arms, the first Henry rifles in action may well have been in the hands of Confederates. The first Henrys off the production line were shipped to local general stores in Kentucky during the summer of 1862. Rebel Raiders rode through and shopped in the area and apparently purchased some. Henrys were sold at stores throughout the country during the remaining years of the war, since they were, save for the ones purchased for the 1st D.C. Cavalry, private purchase arms. Some guns initially purchased for the D.C. Cavalry were eventually issued to volunteers in the veteran regiments raised in late 1864 and early 1865. Those regiments were stationed in the Shenandoah Valley and did not see action. Some also ended up in Confederate hands through capture and were reportedly used in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 as well as by President Jefferson Davis’ personal bodyguards. Confederate use of Henrys, captured or otherwise, was hampered because the Confederacy had no way to manufacture rimfire metallic cartridges so the guns had to use captured ammunition. Privately purchased Henrys saw action beyond the regular battlefronts, however. Some made their way into the hands of Kentucky Union Home Guardsmen, and a dozen of them surprised a like number of Confederate guerillas who were looting the Shelbyville Court House in August 1864. They opened a rapid fire on the surprised Rebels, killing three, as well as an unfortunate local African American blacksmith the Rebels had captured and forced to hold their horses. The surviving raiders fled the scene.

New Pedersolis Balazs Nemeth, the Hungarian black powder shooter and wellknown Youtube historical marksman personality, is featured in new video examining forthcoming Pedersoli products at a European gun show. The new guns from Pedersoli, celebrating its sixtieth anniversary as a firearms manufacturer, include a breech loading double barreled Howdah pistol chambered in .410 gauge and .45 Long Colt. This would provide quite a surprise to a bad

Austrian Lorenz Model 1854 rifle. Imported by both the North and South and was probably second to the British Enfields in the number of arms imported to the Confederacy. Photograph courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine, USA, www.jamesdjulia.com. guy when used as a self-defense weapon. Other Pedersolis include a well-made but reasonably priced single shot percussion target pistol and an economical single barreled muzzle loading shotgun. The gun Nemeth displayed that is of most interest to Civil War shooters and reenactors was Pedersoli’s new .54 caliber Model 1854 Lorenz rifle. Nemeth handled a prototype, pointing out several changes that would be present in the production version. Unsurprisingly, the gun will feature the long range sight rather than the block sight, although both were used on original Lorenzes. Nemeth also mentioned that Pedersoli will be offering a bullet mold to cast the original Lorenz compression style bullet, which should lead to some interesting shooting. I presume the mold will throw bullets of a proper size for the barrel diameter, which has been a problem with some original Lorenzes. This is a very nice looking gun, and well worth a second look. For your own look, see the video at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXaRjSLspRo

Swapping Muskets in the Field Speaking of Lorenzes, the Second New Jersey Brigade composed of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th N.J. Vol. Inf. regiments, had one regiment, the 5th, initially armed with Lorenzes. The brigade’s other three regiments carried smoothbore muskets. The idea was that with a limited supply of rifled arms available, a brigade would get, if possible, one regiment armed with rifles and that unit could then be deployed for skirmish duty where accuracy was more useful. The brigade was deployed in the Peninsula Campaign and, following the evacuation of Yorktown, was in the vanguard of the Federal pursuit of the retreating Confederates. The Jerseymen were with the force that caught up with the Rebel rear guard at Williamsburg on May 5, 1862.

Early .44 caliber Henry Model 1860 lever action rifle with rare 3-digit serial number 617. Photograph courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine, USA, www. jamesdjulia.com.

In the ensuing battle, a brutal close range encounter fought in a rainstorm, the brigade had its baptism of fire. Total brigade casualties in the fight were 526 men killed, wounded and missing in action, 109 of them killed. After the battle, with the Confederates falling back toward Richmond, the New Jerseyans complained, with cause, that their sacrifice had been largely ignored by the national press, while New York regiments received most of the publicity and praise. The Jerseymen were satisfied with their smoothbores, however, with one remarking after the battle that “buckshot tells” at close range. Still, the rifle musket was the most desirable arm for infantrymen, and the brigade’s smoothbore armed regiments were issued Springfield Model 1861s as soon as they became available. A recent manuscript up for auction noted the 1862 experience of First Lieutenant John Willian of the 6th N.J. Inf., although he wrote it in 1864 when he was a lieutenant colonel and ordnance folks were probably trying to straighten out a three-year old issue mess. Willian responded to an inquiry thusly: “…on or about the 30th day of May 1862 at Bottoms Bridge, Va., I issued fifty (50) Harpers Ferry Smooth Bore Muskets Cal. 69 to R. Q. M. Woodward and received…fifty (50) Springfield Rifle Muskets for which no receipt[s] were given or taken. The exchange was made in great haste as Genl. Casey’s Division was at the time engaging the enemy at Fair Oaks, Va., and the Division to which my Regt. belonged was under orders to proceed immediately to his assistance. The exchange was made by order of Colonel G[ershom] Mott Comdg. Regt…J. Willian, 1st Lieut. Co. D, 6th N. J. Vol. Infantry.” Needless to say, men who received the rifle muskets got no training in their use, not even familiarization firing, but this, of course, was not unusual. Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966-1967. He is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author or editor of 20 books and over 400 articles on NJ and military history and firearms, and as publications editor for the NJ Civil War 150 Committee edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (NJ) history and an Award of Merit from the NJ Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]