muskets bayonets for maryland - comh

7/28/2019 Muskets Bayonets for Maryland - CoMH

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Frederick C. Gaede

J. Richard Marsden

Presented 21 April 2012for the

Company of Military Historians


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Dick displaying at a recent SABC annual

meeting, and in his collection room.Part of his collection of 650 different

socket bayonets with Americanassociations is in the background.


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John Pendleton Kennedy (1795-1870)


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Annapolis, Capital of Maryland, on the Western Shore. The smallerstar represents the temporary sub-depot in Baltimore.


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Familiar to Marylanders, the capitol buildingtowers over the 1670 armory in the background and

Old Treasury Building at right.


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TheFrederick Barracks, the other armory on the Western Shore.Barracks, the


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Sketch by Corporal Henry Bacon, Co. D,13th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia


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The unnamed officer reported theyat first appeared serviceable guns,

highly burnished; but uponpersonal inspection and trial, I findthem very indifferent. A doublecharge I am convinced would bursthalf of them. The bayonets, the onlyand last resort after snapping [the

locks], are made of old, indifferentiron, rather blunt, and badly fixedon the musket[s]. Such sir, are thearms with which we are to defendour country.


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The armory at Easton was the only one on the Eastern Shore.


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A rare view of the armory as the municipal firehouse a few years before beingdemolished in 1904. The sloped roof at right was the cannon shed, added in 1823.


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NPS Henry Musket with statename branded on fore stock.

Another MARYLANDbranded on a fore stock,this time on an Evans.

Smaller MARYLANDstamped on flat opposite lock,seen on several of the Bartlett

and Ghriskey muskets.


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Two 27th Regimentbrands are on thisHarpers Ferry -mademusket.

A 39th regimental brand is

shown on a Barlett-mademusket. Both regimental

numbers were assigned toBaltimore City in 1792.


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This 6th Regiment,Maryland Militia ,brand is on a Maryland-marked musket

used by a Baltimore City company.

James Haslett of

Baltimore Cityrepaired this surplusRevolutionary War

French musket for thestate before the

War of 1812.


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Two Henry-made cavalry swordswith the Maryland M on blades.


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PSPSS

HF

Above: M with Contract Insp Marks.

Left: NPS Henry with Sunken P and M.

Below: Bayonets with Maryland Ms.


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The HMS Leopardstopped and boarded the USS Chesapeake, removing four deserters

from the Royal Navy. The British citizen among them was later hanged. Interestingly,the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, never mentioned impressment.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Leopardchesapeake.jpg


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Lock with US surcharge. Stock with Post-Revolutionary Marks ofJoseph Perkins (IP) and John Nicholson (IN),

both of whom were paid frequently for

cleaning, repairing and Stamping muskets, aswell as bayonets. This particular receipt fortheir work is dated 28 May 1784.

Large Maryland brand on fore stock.


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Another M1763 Charleville-style musket, made at the St. Etienne armory.

Alteration to percussion, ca. 1860. Markings indicating Continental ownership.

Maryland brand on opposite fore stock.


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The 27th Regimentwas assigned in 1792

to Baltimore City.

Several musketsmade at Harpers

Ferry Armory withMaryland markingsare known. This one

is dated 1810.


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The Henry family of Boulton, Pennsylvania,was involved in the manufacture offirearms for a century and a half. WilliamHenry and his son, William Henry II,worked for the colonies during theRevolution. William Henry IIs oldest son

was John Joseph Henry. By 1807 the sonwas experienced enough in the gun trade toopen his own shop in Philadelphia. Hedelivered a variety of weapons, swords,pistols and, of course, muskets to theOrdnance Department , the U.S. Navy and

several states. While he no doubtmanufactured some of his own weapons,his business acumen helped him organizedeliveries from other gun makers (the so-called consortium) so all could benefitfrom the 1813 contract with Maryland.


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Single X-marked bayonetfits the bottom stud barrel

on this Henry perfectly.


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Thelock on this Bartlett musket

has full Federal markings, eventhough on a musket diverted toHenry and one of the 917delivered to the state ofMaryland.

Besides the Maryland M, note the fourmarkings comprising the barrel proof required

by the state of Massachusetts for any barrelmade in the state not intended for the Federal

Government. These markings confirm thismusket went directly to Maryland and was not

intended to be delivered to the Government.


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The only known surviving Brooke-made musket with Marylandmarkings, this is one of the 183delivered to Henry and subsequentlyto the state. Note the unusualplacement of the brand on the

bottom of the stock, rather than oneither side of the fore stock.


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The same single X-marked bayonetfits this Evans perfectly as well.

With both the large MARYLAND brandand an M on the barrel, this is the onlyknown example from among the 433muskets delivered to Henry for the state.


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Although not a recognized member of Henrys contract consortium, Ghriskey was well known in thearms community and likely used subcontractors to make the parts for these muskets, which he

assembled. The total number delivered to Henry remains unknown. The two muskets examinedwere nearly identical, with anM on the barrel and small MARYLAND stamped opposite the lock.


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Both of the knownMaryland Miles-

marked muskets weremade by John Kerlin,

who placed a distinctiveMiles ribbon mark on

the locks. No bayonetsare known similarly

marked, suggesting thatK-marked bayonetsaccompanied the 25

known muskets Kerlindelivered to Henry.


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Above: Kerlin-made bayonet for theFederal Government, K and US-marked.

Right: Kerlin-made bayonet for Henryand the state of Maryland, with only a K.


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On the bottom stud barrel of

a Ghriskey-marked musket.

One, at left below, made for a top stud barrel.


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Small H on shank, or neck,with an XX-marked blade,

for a bottom stud barrel.

LargeH on face of blade.


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Most of the ~10,000 muskets purchased from theGovernment would have been accompanied bybayonets, and those made at the National armories orunder contract would have had bayonets with USletters on them. Subsequently a number had theMaryland M applied, using one of the Henry suppliedstamps. Here are two, with the one at upper right

recovered from the battlefield of Gettysburg. What astory it could tell about how it got there!


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Preprinted discharge of Pvt. John Pocock from Lt. Col.

Kennedy Longs 27th Regiment, M.M., 18 November 1814


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To indicate some accoutrements

were also marked for stateownership, this wooden hooped

canteen dates from the era of theWar of 1812. The Maryland mark

was stamped into the wood beforefinal assembly and, being somewhat

larger, is not the same as seenbranded on the stocks of state

owned muskets. From 1784 through1824 the archival record indicates a

total of only 1,900 canteens wereprocured by the state. That would

indicate most volunteer companiesand enrolled militiamen wereexpected to furnish their own

containers for carrying anyrefreshments of choice.


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With 8,534 muskets and an unstated number of bayonets remaining

uncollected after the war, Maryland subsequently conducted an activebounty program to recover state-owned arms, paying 50 cents per musket.

Benjamin Pindell was among the most active, with a total of 1,696 recoveredmuskets between 1817 and 1819. In addition he recovered 1,103 bayonets and

other types of military arms and equipment, as summarized above. Howappropriate that his last delivery to the state armory in Annapolis was exactly

five years after the battle of Baltimore, on the 14th of September 1819.


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BG John Stricker, 3rd Div. General Sam Smith LTC George Armistead Commodore Joshua Barney(1758-1825) (1752-1839) (1780-1818) (1759-1818)

Portraits by Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860), Defenders of Baltimore, Commissioned by the City of Baltimore, 1817, MHS


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The Bombardment of Fort McHenry, 1814

Alf d J b Mill ( 8 8 ) 8

muskets bayonets for maryland - comh

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