[Illustration: The Springfield musket, not including its 18-inch bayonet, was 58½ inches in length. Contrary to popular belief, Civil War soldiers rarely used bayonets in battle.] Very popular among soldiers on both sides was the English Enfield Rifle Musket, Model 1853. About 820,000 of these rifles were purchased by North and South. The Enfield weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces, had a caliber of .577, and was deadly up to 800 yards. It fired a bullet similar to the Minie projectile. Great strides were made at this time in breechloaders. These weapons fired ready-made bullets, a series of which were inserted at one time in the rear of the barrel. Breechloaders could fire faster and more accurately than the single-shot, muzzle-loading Springfield or Enfield. The Spencer Repeating Carbine, first patented in 1860, was a seven-shot repeater that weighed 8¼ pounds and had an effective range of 2,000 yards. The Spencer was capable of 15 shots per minute—three times the firepower of the Springfield. Another popular carbine among Federal soldiers was the 15-shot Henry repeater, which was a .42-caliber, rimfire carbine of extraordinary accuracy. About 10,000 of these weapons saw service in the Civil War. This gun was the forerunner of the modern Winchester carbine. Unfortunately for the North, red tape and political conservatism by its leaders prohibited the wide and prompt adoption of the repeating rifle. The principal hand gun for cavalry and infantry officers was the Colt Army Revolver, Model 1860. Over 100,000 of these six-shot, .44-caliber revolvers were manufactured during the war. This same gun, in .36 caliber, was also made for the U. S. Navy. In addition, some twenty other types of pistols were used by soldiers of blue and gray. [Illustration: In 1836 twenty-two-year-old Samuel Colt patented and produced the first of his famous handguns. The .44 caliber 1860 model, shown above, was known officially as the New Model Army Pistol.] SUGGESTED READINGS Bruce, Robert V., _Lincoln and the Tools of War_ (1956). Fuller, Claud, _The Rifled Musket_ (1958). ____, and Stewart, R. D., _Firearms of the Confederacy_ (1944). Gluckman, Arcadi, _United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines_ (1948). Lewis, Berkeley R., _Small Arms and Ammunition in the United States Service_ (1956). Mauncy, Albert, _Artillery through the Ages_ (1949). Naisawald, L. Van Loan, _Grape and Canister_ (1960). Peterson, Harold L., _Notes on Ordnance of the American Civil War, 1861-1865_ (1959). Wainwright, Charles S., _A Diary of Battle_, ed. Allan Nevins (1962). Wise, Jennings C., _The Long Arm of Lee_ (1915, 1959). [Illustration: This damaged wetplate, made in June, 1863, shows the 17th New York Battery drawn up in line near Washington, D. C.] IX. LEADERS