Burnside Carbine 1864 Model CF 18

First lieutenant Ambrose E. Burnside (yes the same Burnside who was General in charge of the Army of the Potomac during Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg) of Bristol, Rhode Island was wounded on the neck by an Apache arrow on August 23, 1849. According to the legend this event, and the experience of Hall carbines blowing out gases at the joint of the breech and barrel inspired him to work on a firearms concept that offered a better arm to the horse soldier than the sabre and revolver. In 1852 he was ordered to Fort Adams, Rhode Island, where he perfected his breech loading design. The following year, he left the army to focus on developmenting the new firearm. Burnside applied for a patent for his new Carbine on November 16, 1855, and received a letter of patent on March 25, 1856, number 14,491.

The Burnside Carbine 1864 Model CF 18 we have on display, Serial Number 12925, weight 7 lb (3.2 kg), a total length of 39.5 inches (1 m), and barrel length 20 in (.508 m), was a later model of the Carbine. Between 1858-1870 about 100,000 of the carbines were produced, and the carbine entered widespread service with the U.S. Caverly Units at the start of the Civil War started in 1861, even some Confederates units used the Rifle as well. The carbine used a .54 special brass cartridge which was also invented by Burnside (right picture) that contained a bullet and powder, but no primer; as Burnside considered primed cartridges a safety risk. When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck a separate percussion cap and caused a spark; a hole in the base of the cartridge exposed the black powder to this spark. The unique, conical cartridge sealed the joint between the barrel and the breech. Most other breech-loading weapons of the day tended to leak hot gas when fired, but Burnside's design eliminated this problem. Overall. the Burnside carbine was a moderately effective, but the special cartridge proved to be obsolete by the wars’ end.