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Henry rifle
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The Henry rifle was the immediate forerunner of
the famous Winchester rifles. About 14,000 Henry’s
were made between 1860 and 1866 by the New Haven
Arms Company. The Henry rifle was developed from
the Volcanic firearms system and was built around
the .44 rimfire cartridge. Both the new rifle and
the cartridge were designed by B. Tyler Henry. A
basic feature of the .44 rimfire cartridge was the
use of a metallic casing, rather than the undependable,
self-contained powder, ball, and primer of the Volcanic
bullet. Loading continued to be from the muzzle
end of the magazine. Although a revolutionary weapon
in Civil War service, it was made in relative limited
quantities. Quite a few company-size Union organizations,
especially those from Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana,
and Missouri, carried Henry rifles, purchased at
their own expense.
This gold mounted, engraved Henry rifle was presented
to President Abraham Lincoln. This presentation
was probably made in an effort to convince the President
of the rifle’s worthiness and obtain his influence
in the purchase of these weapons for the war effort.
Nevertheless, only about 1,731 Henry rifles were
purchased by the Ordnance Department between 1862
and 1865. Two organizations, the 1st Maine and 1st
District of Columbia cavalry regiments, were known
to have been issued Henry rifles. |
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Division of the History of Technology, Armed Forces
History
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution
Behring Center
Gift of Robert Beckwith
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