The Spencers turned out to be the most effective small arm of the Civil War. Stuart’s cavalry commanded by Colonel John R. Both would have seen use on the East Cavalry Field at Gettysburg on Jwhen newly minted Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer’s dismounted 5th Michigan Cavalry clashed with a brigade of J.E.B. Shown here are two such rifles bearing serial numbers #1253 and #1853. Identified 5th Michigan Cavalry Spencer rifles are extremely rare. Nine hundred of these new rifles went to the 5th Michigan Cav, with the final three hundred being delivered to the 6th Michigan Cav. The first thousand Spencers bore serial numbers ranging from #1000 to #2050 the final two hundred were numbered between #2051-#3250. The remaining two hundred arrived around February 10, 1863. The first five hundred were received about January 5, 1863, followed by an additional five hundred in mid to late January. Copeland who spared no expense while organizing his 5th Michigan Cavalry.

The first batch of twelve hundred Spencer rifles were privately ordered by Lt. The rifles were being replaced by carbines during the latter part of 1863. Contract costs ranged from $35-$40 for each arm. An estimated 11,471 were sold to the Army and another 2,000 to the Navy. It has a spring cartridge injection system located in the buttstock and utilizes a blade type extractor to remove spent cartridges from the magazine. The Spencer rifle has a 30 inch barrel of 6 grooves, with an overall length of 47 inches and a weight of 10 pounds. Only the mid-war endorsement of President Lincoln brought the Spencers to widespread use by Union armies on the battlefields. 52 caliber rifle with its copper rimfire cartridges would lead to a waste of ammunition. Brigadier General James Ripley, the army’s Chief of Ordinance wanted to standardize the myriad array of guns and calibers being used in the Civil War and thought that the rapid firing. Charles Spencer had trouble convincing the Army of the merits of his revolutionary seven shot repeating rifle.

Spencer repeating rifle serial numbers