U.S. military weapons?
January 20th, 2010 by eranio
What weapons were the American army and navy using from 1870-1914 (before WWI)?
I’m making a report on the progression/evolution of the US military’s weapons and technology from after the civil war to before WWI, and am having trouble finding sources that list and describe the various weapons adopted over time, and info about them…any info or sources would be appreciated, thanks
Posted in military weapons
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
1870-1885
US Army Weapons
Calvary: Long arm (Rifle)1872 Springfield Carbine, breech loader Caliber .45, Colt Peacemaker (Thumb buster) revolver 6 shoot Caliber .45. Saber type 1863.
Infantry. Long arm 1872 Springfield Rifle (the Long Tom). Officers Carried Colt Peacemaker Pistols.
Artillery:
1860 3" Ordnance Rifle and Hotchkiss 3 Pounder Breech loading Gun and 1870 .50 Caliber Gatling Gun.
Reserves and State Guards used old Civil War Weapon or Remington Arms Rlling Block Weapon Caliber .45.
Very much like what was used in Civil War.
US Navy
See what navy was using in Civil War. Until 1880’3 Modern Navy is born with building of ABCD Ships begin the building of the first modern warships for the United States Navy Since 1862. In 1880 the Navy got it’s first Breech loading guns for main armament and Sails were relegated to secondary status.
Weapons Used By landing Parties similar to US Army Infantry
1885-1900
Army buy’s first bolt action rifles 30 Caliber Krag-Jorgensen both Rifle and Carbine the Krag will be the last Carbine used by the Army until WWII
Pistol form 1885-1895 .45 Peacemaker 1895-1899 .38 Caliber Smith-Weason issued to CAlavary and officers as it was felt that there was no longer a need for a .45 caliber pistol to be issued anymore. 1899- .45 Caliber pistols were issued after it was discovered that the .38 had limited stopping power by troops in the Phillipines.
Artillery 3" Hotchkiss gun and 1885 .50 Caliber Gatling Gun
Reserves used Springfeild Black Powder Rifles and Carbines See troop issue for regular arm 1870-1885.
US Navy now building Modern warships Maine and Texas are testbeds and Cruiser from England are bought. Ships now built of Steel not Iron and Armor od Harvey Nickle Steel. Sails no longer appeat on major warships and are just decoration on smaller gunboats. First destroyers join fleet in 1895.
Small arms Lee-Remington 7mm bolt Action Rifle Plus Colt .45 Pistols Gatling guns and small "POM-POM" Guns issued to landing parties plus same field gun as used by Army.
1900-1914
Army
Rifle 1903 Springfield rifle based on Ger man Mauser design, M1911 Colt .45 Automatic Pistol. Issued of First man portable Machine guns to field troops with Hotchkiss (Bienot) .30 Machine gun.
Reserves Issued Krags and .45 Revolvers some states buy 1911 automatics.
Navy is the ModernArm that is seen until 1924 when the First Carriers enter Fleet. This is the Great White Fleet. First ideas on Range finding and controlled Gunnery the start of the big Gun Battleship stats in 1911 for US NAvy with lauching of USS South Dakota Arms for issue to Navy are 1906 .30 Caliber Springfield and the .30 Caliber Krag to over seas units .45 Colt Pistols and no Machine guns.
The last entries reflex the United States Forces at the start of WWI .
But as you can see in that 44 years was a period of major changes in the Armed Services of the United States . We went from being a minor power to a major power and we in just teh years changed our navy from a backward force to become the force that would place Ameica on the Woeld stage as a maojor Power.
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Guns.
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
The oldest weapon i can think of that is standard issue is the M-1 Grand
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
You may want to look up Elting Morrison’s essay on continuous aim firing. It’s a bit of a classic of military science.
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
The Army in the Indian Wars relied on the Whinchester Model 67 and Whinchesters continued to make upgrades at least till model 1876 or 77. Eventually they would be replaced by the Enfield Rifle but Whinchester would again emerge with the M-1 just before the Second World War.
Gattling was also taken over by Whinchestera but it saw little action until the Spanish American War. At that time Navy and Marine Officers were given a standard issue Colt 38 with an 8 inch barrel, a quite stylist beauty but it proven in-effective in the Phillipians which led to the standard issue becomming the 45 Semi-Automatic.
I don’t know the whole History but it would seem to me that checking the history and Museums of those manufactures will tell you all you need to know !
January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
1863-1868 Sharps Carbine
1860′s Springfield .58 caliber riffled muzzle-loader
1873 Springfield Breech loader rifle and carbine
1893 the US Army adopted the Krag-Jorgenson bolt-action rifle. Among the last industrialized nation to adopted an bolt-action rifle. Used by the regular army and marines during the Spanish-American war. State militias continued using the Springfield breech-loaders.
1903 3.06 Springfield Rifle.
The biggest hindrance to the development of US fire arms was the US government was still paying for the civil war and lacked the funds to produce and purchase modern fire arms. The military development boards were penny pinching and were opposed to adopting any weapon that might make a soldier waster ammunition. Custer’s massacre made them think again.