Photos of my Civil War collection for they that are interested.

Thanks jpc, crazy_davey and redbirddog--CosmiCIOR.

When I was corresponding with Two Flints I asked him if he could help me with the unit that my Smith carbine was issued to.

"Some time ago I acquired the four volume set of the Springfield Research Service (SRS) Serial Numbers of U.S. Martial Arms. I purchased the set so I could help SSS members identify which unit their original Spencer Carbine or rifle was issued or assigned to during, and perhaps, after the Civil War. "

Two Flints answer;
"The SRS books don't have many Smith serial #s listed - closest serial # to your 21198 I found is - 20097, a Smith Carbine issued to Company C, 11th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry on July 27, 1864."

In 2002 I had the research person at The Horse Soldier in Gettysburg do some research on C. H. Duba which is stamped on three places on the stock of the Smith carbine.

Interesting that SRS records S/N 20097 Smith carbine to the Company C, 11th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry and the name stamped on the stock of my gun S/N 21198 shows (C.H.Duba) there was a John C. Duba who was with Company C, 12th Illinois Cavalry. (Duba is a bit of an unusual name)

With the difference in the serial numbers 21198 (mine) and 20097 that you found in SRS, I suspect that my carbine might have been issued to Company C, 12th Illinois Cavalry.
One of the puzzling issues that I had was the vet 's name was John C Duba and the name stamped on the stock of my carbine is C.H.Duba.

My research on this carbine dates back to 2001.
When The Horse Soldier was doing the research they were researching the Duba name without any regard to the Smith carbine and SRS tracks the serial number and where the arm was issued. They only found three Duba names---John Duba was the only cavalry vet she found.



Company "C" 12th (Consolidated) Illinois Cavalry
Company "E" 12th Illinois Cavalry

DUBA, John Private St Ann Feb 28, 1862 See Co. C, as consolidated

DUBA, John Private --- --- Mustered out Dec 31, 1865

It appears that John Duba survived the war.



Serial number 21198 on my Smith carbine.





JM cartouche --perhaps for John Magg's.

John Maggs, active in 1862, during the American Civil War, accepted firearms and accessories on behalf of the Federal Army.

I don't know!----this a cartouche on this Smith carbine.



David
 
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Thanks for all of the kind comments.

I received a question regarding finding unit information for Spencer carbines and rifles based on the serial numbers.

First you have to join the Spencer Shooting Society.

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/board,35.0.html

This is an example dating back to 2008.

Two Flints
Spencer Shooting Society Founder & Moderator
Deputy Marshal
Top Active Citizen

Online

Posts: 2156


Moderating SSS IS a "Labor of Love"!


Re: Spencer S/N?
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2008, 07:11:22 am »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Cavalry Trooper,

Some time ago I acquired the four volume set of the Springfield Research Service (SRS) Serial Numbers of U.S. Martial Arms. I purchased the set so I could help SSS members identify which unit their original Spencer Carbine or rifle was issued or assigned to during, and perhaps, after the Civil War.

Unfortunately, not all the Spencer serial numbers are listed in the four volume set I own. And, there are gaps between indicated serial numbers. This paragraph is a DISCLAIMER of sorts. As a courtesy to SSS members, I am happy to reveal to you the information I have regarding the serial number of your Spencer carbine or rifle. But, please remember, I am just regurgitating what I read in my SRS volumes with some "unscientific conjecture" on my part . What I do is the following: I take your Spencer serial number and try to place it in between the two closest serial numbers to yours listed in my SRS volume. In most cases, if the serial numbers for the Spencer before and after your own serial number were issued to the same unit, I assume your Spencer went to the same unit. Or, if your Spencer serial number is very, very close to another Spencer serial number, I assume your Spencer went to the same unit. I call this the Two Flints guesstimation I'm guessing and estimating at the same time as to what I believe to be correct information based upon the information I find in my four volume set of SRS And that is the best that I can do for you

Now, having written all the above: Cavalry Trooper, your 1860 Spencer Carbine serial # 11434 was issued to a member of CO I, of the 19th New York Volunteer Cavalry on or about October, 1864.

Two Flints

NOTE;

When I first joined the Spencer Shooting Society I went back through all of the earlier threads ---Two Flints has posted many interesting articles relating to Spencers together with period photos.

Some period photos and an article from the Spencer Shooting Society web site.



Indian scouts with Spencer carbines.









The Lincoln Spencer Rifle.



David
 
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I appreciated Two Flints help with this New Model 1863 Sharps carbine relating to which unit it was originally issued to.

Sharps Carbine C9371 - closest serial # to yours is C9338, issued to Company C, 5th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. Other serial # beginning with the C also issued to the same unit or other Illinois Cavalry units.

From Frank Seller's Book - Sharps Firearms....the Regiments that Sharps carbines and rifles were issued to.





------------------------------------
This carbine was originally percussion and after the Civil war in 1867 it was converted
to 50-70 center fire.

Following the Civil War, the U.S. Government in 1867 decided to convert many of the percussion military arms to metallic cartridge breechloaders. The Sharps carbine was one of those selected for conversion and contracts were given to Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co. to alter carbines of their manufacture. A total of 31,098 carbines (of all three styles i.e., New Model 1859, 1863 and 1865) were converted. In addition to the normal inspector markings found on Sharps percussion carbines, an extra inspection stamp (initials DFC in a ribbon cartouche) was marked in the center of the left side of the butt stock. Conversion carbines are of two major types; (A) Original six-groove bores. (B) Relined bores with three-groove rifling. Conversions were refinished by the factory; when condition of the original stock required that it be replaced, a buttstock with no patch box was used in all cases, regardless of the original model designation.
These carbines were re-issued and saw substantial use during the Indian Wars.
--------------------------------------------



Serial number C,9371.
The prefix ‘C’ designates the serial number 100,000.
Therefore this New Model 1863 Sharps carbine serial number C, 9371 would be 109371.







Most of the CW inspector's cartouches disappeared following the conversion---some traces are still there on this Sharps carbine.



The DFC cartouche for David C. Clark following the conversion is clearly present on the stock.



Some original .50-70 cartridges and some repros.


--------------------------------------------------
Supposedly this Smith carbine was also issued to either the 12th Illinois Cavalry or to Company C, 11th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry on July 27, 1864.



I do not own one of these Smith carbine cartridges.



Interesting that both carbines might have been issued to Illinois Cavalry units.





David
 
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Thanks Road King.

I found this exercise with Two Flints the moderator on Spencer Shooting Society very worthwhile.

I never thought that I would have found the units that my three CW carbines were issued to based on their serial numbers as I did not have the data resource.

Model 1860 Spencer carbine- serial number 53299.
Issued to Company A, 3rd Kentucky Cavalry.




-----------------------------------

New Model 1863 Sharps carbine- serial number C, 9371.
Issued to Company C. - 5th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry.




------------------------------------------------------------

Smith carbine –serial number 21198.
Issued to Company C, 11th Illinois Cavalry.





David
 
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I found this info today regarding Company "A" Third Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry.

I wonder if one of these troopers was issued this Spencer carbine?



David,
I see a Spencer Carbine, serial # 53,317 as issued to Company A, 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, in 1864 (no day or month give) . . . your serial # is 53,299.
Hope this helps,
(Two Flints-moderator on Spencer Shooting Society)








From John D. McAulay's book-Carbines of the U.S. Cavalry 1861-1905.



NOTE;

I find the photo above rather interesting.
It shows a Model 1860 Spencer carbine serial number 54,589 that was issued to B.O.Mitchell 3rd Kentucky Cavalry Company “A” in 1865.

My Model 1860 carbine was supposedly issued to someone in Company "A" 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry in 1864—serial number 53,299.
Pretty close serial numbers.

Mitchell, Benj. O.
Pvt.
A

Mitchell appears in;
THIRD KENTUCKY CAVALRY
from "Union Regiments of Kentucky"
(Under the 13th Army Corps)

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kymercer/CivilWar/Union/3cav/3cav-3.html


David
 
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