1842 SPRINGFIELD MUSKET Harpers Ferry

The M1842 was the first regulation smoothbore percussion musket to be adopted by the US.
Over 270,000 of these muskets were manufactured by both Harpers Ferry and Springfield from 1844-55 with
another 6000 made from 1856-58 that were rifled.
The hardware on these models were all iron.
The Palmetto Armory in South Carolina also made a version of this model, (6020 in total), with brass
furniture from 1852-53.
These were a sturdy workhorse of the US infantry from the 1840's right into the Civil War period
and were carried by both the Federal and Confederate forces.

Harpers Ferry model, dated 1844 .Iron mounted.
The Union army slowly replaced this model as more rifles of .58 cal. became available and
turned them over to the state militias. The Confederate army did the same.
It is said that Gen. Thomas,(Stonewall), Jackson was mortally wounded by at least one of these muskets,
during an evening scouting mission, which was fired by his own forces on picket duty.
He was shot several times that fateful evening along with several others in his scouting party.