Arming the Union

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Gunmakers in Windsor, Vermont

sm 1861 lockplate smSpecial Model 1861 rifle-musket gunlockDuring the Civil War, northern factories produced 1.5 million new rifles, along with tens of thousands of carbines and pistols. How did they do it? How was it possible, in the early 1860s, to rush that many weapons onto the battlefield?

milling milling machineIndex milling machineA large part of the answer is found at a factory building in Windsor, Vermont – the Robbins & Lawrence armory that now houses the American Precision Museum. Here, using state-of-the-art machinery, skilled workers labored in round-the-clock shifts, making rifles for the Union Army and producing machinery for the other major gunmakers, including the Springfield Armory, Colt, Remington, Sharps, and the Providence Tool Company.

be special model 1861 rifle-musket smSpecial Model 1861 rifle-musketThis exhibition includes rifling machines, lathes, iron planers, and milling machines that produced thousands of gun parts—all alike and interchangeable. Civil War rifles and pistols are displayed alongside the machinery used to make them, and alongside photos and biographies of the men who designed and operated the machines. Finally, the museum includes activities and demonstrations to help visitors understand how the machinery works, and how the new technology helped win the war.

Iron Planer, E.G. Lamson, Windsor, Vermont, 1864::During the war, Lamson sold planers to other gunmakers throughout the Union, including the Springfield Armory, the American Fire Arms Company, Stevens Brothers, and the Connecticut Arms Company.
Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver, Colt, Hartford, CT, circa 1860::Handguns were carried by officers and cavalrymen, and the most popular handgun was the Colt revolver. The U.S. government purchased more than 120,000, and many more were purchased and used by individual soldiers in both the North and the South.
Vernier Caliper::Capable of reading to thousandths of an inch, the vernier caliper was popularized in the United States by Joseph R. Brown in Providence, Rhode Island, beginning in the mid-1850s. The Brown & Sharpe Company would soon become famous for its precision measuring tools.
Tool Chest::This tool chest is alleged to have belonged to George F. Whitney, the son of one of the founders of the machine tool firm Gage, Warner, & Whitney. George probably began his apprenticeship during the Civil War. The tools in this chest span his career, which lasted into the twentieth century, but many appear to date from the 1860s and ’70s.
Palmer Carbine, E. G. Lamson & Co., Windsor, Vermont, 1865::William Palmer designed this light, breech-loading carbine for use by cavalrymen. Only about 1,000 Palmers were made, and they were finished in June 1865, just after the end of the war.
Ball Carbine, E. G. Lamson & Co., Windsor, Vermont, 1865::During the war Albert Ball invented this breech-loading repeating firearm. The gun was successfully tested by the army and approved for manufacture, with 1,000 ordered. After the war the Ball Carbine was used by cavalry during the Indian Wars in the West.
Slide Rest for Engine Lathe, Windsor Manufacturing Company, 1867::If a workpiece is long and skinny, it will bend slightly as it is worked on the lathe. To make sure that the piece is cut to the correct shape, it may be supported by either a stationary rest or a slide or travel rest (which moves along near the cutting tool).
Rifling Machine, Robbins & Lawrence, Windsor, Vermont, 1853::In the 1850s, machine designers, including those in Windsor, developed power machines for cutting the grooves at a pre-determined depth and angle. Powered by the overhead line shaft and driven by a waterwheel, the rifling machine works all day without tiring.
Duplicating Lathe for Pistol Grips, Unknown maker, mid-19th century Gift of Smith and Wesson::Using the same principle as the Blanchard-style gunstock lathe, this machine shapes wooden pistol grips by tracing a three-dimensional iron pattern. As one wheel moves over the shape of the iron pistol grip pattern, a second rotating wheel—containing hook-shaped cutters—duplicates the motion of the first wheel, creating the shape of the pistol grip. Our best guess is that this pistol grip lathe was made at Smith & Wesson.

All the images in this slider are by First Light Studios.

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