Firing the 1861 Springfield

This Hungarian fellow who styles himself capandball on the Internet has a really thick accent but if you listen closely you can get the gist of his description of the 1861 Springfield percussion rifle-musket he’s firing here.

Most Confederates, if not most Yankees, preferred the British Enfield Pattern 1853 to the Springfield any time they could snatch an orphaned Enfield off the battlefield. Thus the novel’s fictional Private Burton Laing of the New York Cameron Highlanders tries hard to fish the misfired ball out of the barrel of his old Enfield rather than surrender it for a new Springfield.

Pity capandball is not shooting at night so you could watch the impressive 3-feet of flame the black powder produces out the Springfield’s business end.

Via TOCWOC

About Dick Stanley

Retired Texas daily newspaperman
This entry was posted in Civil War armament, Fort Sanders, New York Cameron Highlanders, The Northwest Bastion and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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