Pedersoli 1795

[guad42]

Re: Pedersoli 1795

Curt, Craig, and Co,

This question may appear amazingly dumb, but has anyone done any serious study into what inventories of pre-1816/1822 Flintlocks were lingering in armories, barracks, storerooms, dungeons, secret hiding places etc. in the various states North and South at the start of the war?

-Sam Dolan

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Pedersoli 1795

Hallo!

In brief and to over-generalize.... no.

When the decison was made in 1842 to end the production of flintlocks for U.S. military use, on June 23, 1842 it was ordered that a "crticial inspection and classification"of all muskets made prior to 1832" residing in several arsenals and depots across the country.

It was tedious, and thanks to the Mexican War was not completed until 1848. The Ordnance Report for 1848 listed 586,513 muskets on hand at national armories of which 242,908 were !st Class, 63,335 were 2nd Class, 198,050 were 3rd Class, and 82,220 were 4th Class (made prior to 1812, and thos emade since that were unserviceable or damaged unworthy of repair).
In private armories, there were 118,133 on hand with 50,826 being 1st Class, 12,850 being 2nd Class, 30,221 3rd Class, and 24,236 being 4th Class (incluisng 2,365 that were foreign).

That can be compared and contrasted to the 1859 survey of muskets and rifles on-hand done by H.K. Craig for Secretary of War John Floyd (My copy of the report is in my old computer, but I suspect but not not check it might be archived here in the SEARCH feature...).

But, while the Class 4's were ultimately sold off, I know of no "count" done (or even how they could have done a count) for all of the sundry militia armories, city armories, arms sellers, military schools, Indian tribes, barracks closets, basement chests, ships' lockers, barns, hardware stores, and fireplace mantles across the country.

Curt