Abraham Lincoln to Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut about automatic navy rifles - American History 1493-1945 - Adam Matthew Digital

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Field name	Value
Collection Reference Number	GLC00005
From Archive Folder	Unassociated Civil War Documents 1863
Title	Abraham Lincoln to Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut about automatic navy rifles
Date	4 August 1863
Author	Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865)
Recipient	Hurlbut, Stephen A.
Document Type	Government document; Military document; Correspondence
Content Description	Lincoln tested the firing mechanism of automatic navy rifles and found it faulty; he tells Hurlbut not to order the guns. (Hurlbut) Convicted of embezzling funds and money from the National Bank of Baltimore.
Subjects	Navy Military History President Union Forces Weaponry Science and Technology
People	Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) Hurlbut, Stephen Augustus (1815-1882)
Place written	Washington
Theme	The American Civil War; The Presidency; Science, Technology, Invention
Sub-collection	Papers and Images of the American Civil War
Additional Information	Research by John Lundstrom of the Milwaukee Public Museum, proves that this letter is the earliest known link between Lincoln and the Spencer rifle. This letter predates the famous (but mythical) meeting of the President and Mr. Spencer by two weeks. Conversation with John Lundstrom 26 Aug. 1996. These rifles appear to be the Spencer rifle, per John B. Lundstrom, curator of American history, Milwaukee Public Museum.
Copyright	The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Module	Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945
Transcript	Show/hide Executive Mansion, Washington, August 4. 1863 Major General Hurlbut My dear Sir I herewith return your letter to Col. Kelton, concerning the "Navy Rifles" indorsed [sic] [inserted above: by] order of Gen. Halleck, as you see. After it was so indorsed [sic], it was put into my hand by Col. Morgan, in connection with an earnest appeal by him to me to furnish the arms for the two regiments named. Since then, at my request, Capt. Wise, the Chief Ordnance Officer now here, of the Navy Department, brought one of the guns to my room, and, after briefly pointing out the machinery of it left it with me. Later in the day I undertook to examine [inserted above: it] more closely, and found that the tube including the spiral spring, was so tight in its place that I could not get it out. This, till corrected, rendered the gun useless. This morning I took the gun, still in the condition stated, to Capt. Wise who, with consideral [sic] effort, got the tube out; but after trying for some time, and unable to make it work with sufficient glibness & facility, he gave it up and sent for another one of the guns-- I have just now returned from a trial of the second gun. [2] The Secretary of War, and Capt. Wise were with me. With this gun we had no difficulty with the tube and spiral spring. But having put the seven cartridges in place, and fired two of them, and preparing for the third, the machinery somehow brought two cartridges forward in confusion, and so completely locked up the whole affair that we were unable to clear it out in less than a quarter of an hour-- Having got it clear, some dozen or fifteen shots were fired with great rapidity, and entire satisfaction. The result is that I have tried two of these guns; and each so got out of order as to have been entirely useless in a battle. This happened too, with specimens of the gun, which the Navy officers had inspected and bought for their own use, and, in fact, happened in the hands of their present Chief Ordnance Officer-- The Secretary of War, for this, and for other general reasons, is opposed to furnishing this gun; and when to this is added the opposition of the Gen. in Chief, and my own discouragement, at the trials, I am sorry to disappoint you by saying I can not now order these guns for you. Yours as ever A. Lincoln

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