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Title:	MUSKET -  U.S. MUSKET MODEL 1816 TYPE II SPRINGFIELD ARMORY FLINTLOCK .69
Maker/Manufacturer:	SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
Date of Manufacture:	1826
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 5390
Measurements:	OL:146CM 57 1/2" BL:106.6CM 42" 9.75 lbs.

Object Description:

U.S. MUSKET MODEL 1816 TYPE II SPRINGFIELD ARMORY FLINTLOCK .69
Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Ma. in 1826 - Standard Model 1816 Type II single-shot muzzleloading flintlock musket with very much of the original National Armory Brown finish remaining. Sample model. Three bands, spring fastened with upper band double-strapped. Brass blade front sight attached to lower strap; no rear sight. Steel ramrod with button shaped head. Bayonet lug at top of barrel. Detachable brass flashpan without fence. Rear sling swivel riveted directly to the front of the triggerguard bow. Weapon has an overall length of 57 1/2" and a barrel length of 42". Bayonet lug on top of barrel, 1 1/4" from the muzzle. Single cartouche on stock. Weapon was probably just test fired and never issued. Forward side screw crystallized and snapped off. Weapon weighs approximately 9.75 lbs. Springfield Armory manufactured 15,500 muskets in 1826 at a cost of $10.47 each. Weapon is also referred to as the Model 1822.

Markings:
Lock: SPRING/FIELD/1826 behind cock. Eagle/US forward of cock.
Barrel: P in sunken oval/Eaglehead/V proofs.
Barrel tang: 1826.
Side plate: I QRT S 1826 = 1st Quarter Sample, 1826.
Buttplate: US. 20 (possibly old Museum rack number.)
Stock: There is also a faint 20 in white paint on comb of stock. Cartouche in oval barely legible.

1909 Catalog #2041 - "Musket. Sp'f'd Smooth Bore Flint Lock Musket. Cal. 69. M'f'd 1826."

Notes: Although referred to in official correspondence as the M1822, this weapon was patterned after the M1816. While there were some subtle changes, the most noticeable change was the "National Armory Brown."
The "browning" process was not done for strategic reasons, but rather simply an attempt to eliminate or reduce the rust problem encountered with weapons in storage or those issued to coastal areas. As early as 1818, there was talk of "browning" to deal with this problem, and by 1821 testing had begun. This idea had not come from the French, but rather the British.
From 1822 to 1831 the Springfield Armory manufactured the M1816 Type II in "National Armory Brown." In 1833, they returned to "National Armory Bright."
It is not known why the "browning" process ended or how successful it was. It is suspected that the cost, estimated at .12 to .14 cents per rifle, may have had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, seldom will you find a M1816 Type II in such pristine condition as this one.
The M1816, with few minor changes, served as the standard arm for almost twenty-five years. The M1816 was in use everywhere on the western military frontier after 1823, and also saw service in the Mexican War, as well as with both sides in the Civil War.

How long was a musket such as this to last? French Army regulations required that a musket, with proper repairs, should last fifty years. The American Ordnance Department in 1818 specified that a musket last at least 14 years. But by 1833, it was determined that muskets in the hands of Army regulars lasted 12 years, and in the hands of the militia lasted around 10 years. According to Roswell Lee, the fault was with the individual solider, and not with the manufacturer.

On October 26, 1826 Gen. John Wool, Inspector of the Army writes Col. Lee to give him an estimate of the buildings and other extensions necessary to increase the production of the Manufacture of Arms to about 5000 stands per Annum.

LOAN HISTORY:
Army #0024 - Loaned to George Kennedy, C.B.S. Television, 485 Madison Ave., N.Y., N.Y. from 8 May 1958 to 16 May 1958.

See, "THE MODEL 1822 REVISITED," by James B. Whisker. The Gun Report, March 2002.

References:
Ball, Robert W.D. SPRINGFIELD ARMORY: SHOULDER WEAPONS 1795-1968. Antique Trader Book. Norfolk, Va. 1997.
Clark, David C. Ed. ARMS FOR THE NATION. Scott A. Duff. Export, Pa. 1992.
Flayderman, Norm. FLAYDERMAN'S GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AMERICAN FIREARMS...AND THEIR VALUES. DBI Books Inc. Northbrook, Il. 1994.
Hartzler, Daniel D. & James B. Whisker. THE NORTHERN ARMORY: THE UNITED STATES ARMORY AT SPRINGFIEHicks, Major James E. NOTES ON UNITED STATES ORDNANCE. VOL. I. James E. Hicks. Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 1940.
Madaus, H. Michael. THE WARNER COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO AMERICAN LONGARMS. Warner Books. N.Y., N.Y. 1981.
Moeller, George D. AMERICAN MILITARY SHOULDER ARMS. Vol. 2. University Press of Colorado. Niwot, Co. 1993.
Reilly, Robert. UNITED STATES MILITARY SMALL ARMS 1816-1865. The Eagle Press. Baton Rouge, La. 1970.
Reilly, Robert. UNITED STATES MARTIAL FLINTLOCKS. Andrew Mowbray Inc. Lincoln, R.I. 1986.
Whisker, James Biser. THE UNITED STATES ARMORY AT SPRINGFIELD, 1795-1865. The Edwin Mellen Press, LTD. Lewiston, N.Y. 1997.