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I have a copy of the National Intelligencer, from 1867. An article goes on about this weapon that was so powerful, if owned by just one nation, that nation could dominate the world. Turned out to be the metallic cartridge and repeating rifle. I’ll see if I can dig it up.

That was pretty huge in 1867 as I think the French beat everyone to that draw. Kinda like being the only kid on the block with an A-Bomb. And the battle at Gettysburg was only four years prior. Can you imagine the advantage a cartridge firing infantry rifle would have provided an army there?

Yes, someone wrote a novel concerning some people using a time machine to bring modern rifles to the Confederates. They won the war in that scenario.

I'll see if I can dig it up in the morning and copy it.

The Spencer and the Henry were both used during the Civil war.

Its when Savages were made in China.

Buford's dismounted Calvary won the day with Spencer carbines and held the high ground at Cemetery Ridge the first day of the battle of Gettysburg.

The Henry was referred to by the Rebs as those Damn Yankee rifles they loaded on Sunday and shot all week.

Neither could be produced fast enough to outfit even a fraction on the Union forces though so although they were they represented the future of modern warfare at the time they were not used widely during the civil war

The US army had a hard time adjusting to and adopting the whole volume of fire notion of shoulder fired repeating weapons for a long time after the civil war. Pretty much until the Kraig was adopted in the 1890's

That's why they adopted the single shot Springfield trapdoor after the war of Yankee aggression.

The best book I have ever read about the morning of the first day of the battle of Gettysburg is "Morning at Willoughby Run" by Richard Shue. He has a section in the book about controversies, one of which is whether or not Buford's soldiers had Spencer carbines. On June 3, 1863 Spencer applied to the Army Ordnance to manufacture 11,000 carbines. The application was approved six weeks later -after the battle of Gettysburg. Shue cites evidence and concludes that Buford may have had a small number of Spencer rifles (not carbines) but for the most part they were armed with single shot breechloaders. Still more firepower than rifled muskets. And no doubt that Buford, and then later the Union First Corps, held off a much superior force long enough for the Union 11 Corps to occupy Cemetery Hill and secure the high ground for the Union army.

Interesting and given the dates you provide I would be surprised if Buford had any Spencers, less they were bought privately. I am no scholar of the Civil War, not by a long shot, but it's always been my perspective that Buford's success largely had to do with his leadership, ability to square up a situation, his tactical skills and, in the face of harms way, willingness to make a "command" decision and act on it. The latter of which seems a rare thing in these days of ours. Even perhaps a rare quality in the lineage of the human species.

Fellow history Buffs. I like that. I suspect there were Spencers on the field that day or that story would not have survived this long. How many and in what configuration could be debated endlessly and in reality it probably wasn’t the weapons that won that day anyway. It was men like Buford and Reynolds and their men who carried the day. There were great men on both sides of the fence. A shame all of that American humanity was wasted trying to kill each other.

Supposedly Robert E. Lee was indecisive that day. He had recently lost a couple of his best generals and JEB Stuart was no where to be seen. Stuart did show up later.
The decision to invade the North was probably a bad one but then again you can't win a war fighting only in the defensive. You have to take the battle to the enemy.
As far as the quality of leadership in the U.S. military is concerned it may be pretty bad at the upper levels. Emperor Obama was canning the higher ranking officers who disagreed with his extreme left wing ideals. I've heard that chairman uncle Joe Biden is purging the military of people who don't toe the party line.

This was Trumps biggest failing, not cleaning house.

You're right. That wasn't fair. I've obviously never met him, I was only judging the odd advertising we see from his company back when he was around. Surely he had a hand in it, or at least the final o.k. on it.

I had always heard and read the Buford had mainly Sharps 1863 breach loading carbines. I had never heard of the possibilities of Spencer's on the field that day.