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62-400: Raiders claimed success from a military vantage, since they severely damaged several railroad bridges (though not the two most critical), as well as an oil field and other critical Union resources. Raiders also captured valuable supplies and gained recruits. From a political standpoint, however, the raid failed, for it had little effect on pro-statehood sentiment, and West Virginia was admitted as

124-515: A 28-wagon supply train pulled by 170 mules and also gathered more livestock. He met again with Jones there on May 14 and once again they went their separate ways. Imboden moved south to Lewisburg . Union troops that attempted to stop his return to the Shenandoah Valley were met by another Confederate force under Col. John McCausland , who defeated them at Fayetteville , 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Summersville. Gen. Imboden reached

186-518: A 3 feet (91 cm) bull's eye, with any man scoring 7 points with 20 rounds at that range being designated a marksman. With war breaking out between the Turks and the Russians, Britain realized that it was only a matter of time before they would be drawn into the conflict. The British Army was in the midst of a significant weapons transformation from smoothbore muskets to rifled muskets. While three of

248-637: A cattle business. In 1861, he formed and was named commander of a company in the Missouri State Guard, seeing action in Boonville , Carthage , Wilson's Creek , and Lexington . Although captured and imprisoned in St. Louis, he escaped on June 15, 1862, and made his way back to Virginia. In Richmond , he obtained permission to form an independent unit in the western counties of West Virginia and Virginia in order to disrupt Union activities in

310-522: A clay plug to the base to facilitate expansion, as the original Pritchett design, which relied only on the explosion of the charge, was found to cause excessive fouling from too slow an expansion, allowing unburnt powder to escape around the bullet. The Enfield's adjustable ladder rear sight had steps for 100 yards (91 m) – the first position  – 200 yards (180 m), 300 yards (270 m), and 400 yards (370 m). For distances beyond that, an adjustable flip-up blade sight

372-525: A decade later. The Enfield 1853 rifle-musket is highly sought after by US Civil War re-enactors, British military firearms enthusiasts and black powder shooters and hunters for its quality, accuracy, and reliability. The Italian firms of Davide Pedersoli & C. and Armi Chiappa (Armi Sport) manufacture a modern reproduction of the Enfield 1853 rifle-musket, which is readily available on the civilian market. Davide Pedersoli's reproductions are imported into

434-795: A detachment of the 8th Ohio Cavalry Regiment guarding a bridge at Meems Bottom near Mount Jackson, Virginia . Although his forces secured supplies, McNeill was severely wounded. Taken first to the Reverend Anders Rude home nearby, he died at Hill's Hotel in Harrisonburg, Virginia (where the Massanutten Regional Library now stands) on November 10, 1864. Initially buried in Harrisonburg with full Military and Masonic honors, his Rangers returned his body to Hardy County, West Virginia , for reinterment. He

496-427: A long rifle was necessary to enable the muzzles of the second rank of soldiers to project beyond the faces of the men in front. The weapon would also be sufficiently long when fitted with a bayonet to be effective against cavalry. Such weapons manufactured with rifled barrels, muzzle loading, single shot, and utilizing the same firing mechanism, also came to be called rifle-muskets. Royal Small Arms Factory developed

558-649: A parade through the town and some ladies presented then with a flag. Gen. Imboden took the opportunity to send his parents, who lived in Weston, to safety behind Confederate lines. Although they had contemplated attacking Clarksburg , the two generals decided that they did not have enough men, detachments having been sent east with the cattle and sick and injured troops remained in Beverly and Buckhannon. They decided to split forces once again, Jones's troops raiding northwest and Imboden's forces moving south to Summersville with

620-551: A piece of artillery, 1,000 head of cattle, and some 1,200 horses. Sixteen bridges had been destroyed, an oil field, many boats and rolling rail stock (Workman, 2006). However, raiders also failed to destroy a suspension bridge across the Monongahela River , and important politicians of the Restored Government of Virginia who were auxiliary targets escaped. Senator Waitman Willey took a fast buggy across

682-633: A pincer move against Rowlesburg. At two o'clock shots were heard in town from the direction of the River Road where Green's forces were driving the pickets back to the Union lines. Green advance until his troops were less than a mile from town, just beyond a point known as The Cliffs. There a log barricade thrown up by the Union forces stopped them. As the Confederate cavalry approached, Union Lt. McDonald ordered his riflemen to fire. Unable to charge past

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744-718: A single cartridge until their first engagement. After the end of the war, hundreds of formerly Confederate Enfield 1853 muskets were sold from the American arms market to the Tokugawa shogunate , as well as some prominent Japanese domains including Aizu and Satsuma . These units were later used in the Boshin War , and some remaining in Satsuma were also used by rebelling former samurai in the Satsuma Rebellion about

806-703: Is buried in Olivet Cemetery in Moorefield, West Virginia , next to the Monument to Confederate Dead, surrounded by the graves of other Confederate soldiers. Command of the Rangers passed to his son Jesse Cunningham McNeill after his father's death. Pattern 1853 Enfield The Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield , P53 Enfield , and Enfield rifle-musket )

868-444: The 22nd , 25th , and 31st Virginia Infantry regiments, the 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry , Dunn's Mounted Infantry , and the 18th and 19th Virginia Cavalry . His subordinate officers included Col. George S. Patton of the 22nd, and Col. William Lowther Jackson of the 19th Virginia Cavalry (later promoted to brigadier general). On April 20, 1863, Imboden moved westward from Shenandoah Mountain with 1,825 men, and reinforcements

930-485: The 6th , 7th , 11th , and 12th Virginia Cavalry , the 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion , the 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry , and McNeill's Rangers. He left Rockingham County with 3,500 men on April 21, 1863, and moved into (West) Virginia. His primary targets were two bridges in Preston County near Rowlesburg . Passing through Greenland Gap on April 25, 1863, he encountered a fortified troop detachment of

992-640: The Battle of Shiloh (April 1862) and the Siege of Vicksburg (May 1863), to the final battles of 1865. The gun was highly sought after in the Confederate ranks. According to a survey taken by British officials during the early stages of war on the arms of the Western Confederate Forces, nearly 70% were armed with smoothbore arms, such as the Model 1842 Springfield. Later in the war the same survey

1054-620: The Confederate Army during the American Civil War . He led McNeill's Rangers , an independent irregular Confederate military company commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act . McNeill was born near Moorefield, Virginia (now West Virginia ). He was the son of Strother and Amy Pugh McNeill. In 1848, he moved himself, his wife, three sons and one daughter to Boone County, Missouri , where he operated

1116-518: The Pritchett & Metford or a Burton-Minié , which would be driven out at approximately 1,250 feet (380 m) per second. The original Pritchett design was modified by Col. Boxer, who reduced the diameter to 0.55 after troops found the original 0.568 too hard to load during the Indian Mutiny, changing the mixed beeswax-tallow lubrication to pure beeswax for the same reason, and added

1178-406: The 23rd Illinois and was delayed four hours in capturing their position (Battle of Greenland Gap). Jones' Confederates continued west, riding to the summit of Backbone Mountain and on to Red House the same day (Red House is located at the intersection of US 219 and US 50). Here he encamped briefly. The next morning, April 26, 1863, Jones sent McNeill's Rangers and the 12th Virginia Cavalry to destroy

1240-805: The 35th state of the Union in June. The raid was first proposed by John Hanson McNeill of McNeill's Rangers . He planned to destroy at least one important bridge of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad , which was vital to the Union supply lines through western Virginia. McNeill's idea was expanded into a two-prong attack. While Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones attacked the B&;O between Grafton (West) Virginia and Oakland , Maryland , Gen. John D. Imboden would attack Union garrisons at Beverly , Philippi , and Buckhannon . Raiders wanted to secure supplies, disrupt

1302-511: The Army of Northern Virginia General Robert E. Lee considered Rowlesburg a principal target of the raid. Nonetheless, it had withstood the Confederate onslaught and was the only target of that raid to emerge unscathed. "Lincoln's Lifeline" was preserved. The Oakland raid had succeeded in destroying bridges, but the critical Cheat River bridge remained intact. Jones blamed his subordinates for weak execution of his orders. Gen. John Imboden commanded

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1364-716: The B&O Railroad, raise recruits and, if possible, cripple the Unionist government in Wheeling —which was a growing industrial city because of the B&O, and as a major Ohio River port where the Wheeling Suspension Bridge carried the National Road across the Ohio River . General William E. Jones, whose nickname "Grumble" reflected his irascible temper and profanity-laced tirades, commanded

1426-682: The B&O bridge at Oakland, Maryland , about 10 miles (16 km) to the north, while Jones's other forces set out to destroy the two main targets of the campaign: the wood and iron bridge crossing Cheat River and the iron bridge crossing Tray Run. Robert E. Lee would say that destroying the Cheat River Bridge would be "worth to me an army." Preserving "Lincoln's Lifeline" was of equal importance to Federal forces. The bridges crossing Cheat River and Tray Run in Rowlesburg were strategic because their destruction would halt rail traffic all

1488-514: The Cheat River railroad bridge "at all hazard." Weems' Company K formed on Palmer's Knob, across the river east of town, while church services were underway. Union soldiers and townsmen grabbed their weapons and rushed to take up defensive positions. The Confederates took up attack positions about two-thirds the way down the mountain on a "bench" where they formed a line and moved forward. According to an eyewitness account, at around two-thirty,

1550-472: The Cheat River, Jones chose another two-prong maneuver. The east side of the covered bridge was about five miles (8 km) south of Rowlesburg, so Jones sent a small dismounted force of fewer than 100 men up and over Palmer's Knob to descend into Rowlesburg. This maneuver shortened the route to Rowlesburg by half. Jones ordered his field officer, Captain Octavius T. Weems of the 11th Virginia Cavalry, to torch

1612-653: The Ohio River, and raiders could only burn the library of Gov. Francis Pierpont in Fairmont . The greater part of Gen. Imboden's troops and many of Gen. Jones's troops came from western Virginia. Just a few weeks after their raid, those homes would be formally recognized by the governments in Wheeling and Washington as being located in the newest state of the Union, West Virginia , which officially achieved statehood on June 20, 1863. Although West Virginia's admission to

1674-464: The Pattern 1853 Enfield in the 1850s. The 39 in (99 cm) barrel had three grooves, with a 1:78 rifling twist, and was fastened to the stock with three metal bands, so that the rifle was often called a "three band" model. The rifle's cartridges contained 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 drams, or 68 grains (4.4 g) of gunpowder , and the ball was typically a 530-grain (34 g) Boxer modification of

1736-563: The Shenandoah Valley in the last week of May. Gen. Jones led his men through Greenbrier County where they rested at White Sulphur Springs on May 17 at the "Old White". They moved on to Bath County and camped near Mount Crawford in Rockingham County on May 21. In his final tally of the raid, Jones estimated that about 30 of the enemy were killed and 700 prisoners taken. Some 400 new recruits were added, as well as

1798-767: The Snider-Enfield, many of the Enfield Muskets in the Armed Constabulary's armouries were sold off to members of the public, and they remained a popular sporting and hunting arm in New Zealand well into the late 19th century, long after the introduction of metallic cartridge-loading firearms. The Enfield 1853 rifle-musket was also used by both the North and the South in the American Civil War , and

1860-524: The Union would never be formally recognized by either the Confederate government or the secessionist state government located in Richmond, the Confederacy was never again able to seriously challenge the Union for effective control of the 35th state. John Hanson McNeill John Hanson "Hanse" McNeill (June 12, 1815 – November 10, 1864) was a Confederate soldier who served as a captain in

1922-597: The United States by the Italian Firearms Group located in Amarillo, Texas. The British company Parker Hale also made reproductions of the Enfield 1853 rifle-musket and of the Pattern 1861 Enfield musketoon in the 1970s. Those pieces were made to original patterns but are not particularly suitable for use by American Civil War reenactors because they were made to 4th model specs, including having

Jones–Imboden Raid - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-754: The adventurer and mercenary William Walker imposed a military dictatorship in Nicaragua, reimposing slavery and threatening to conquer all of Central America. The 1853 Enfield rifle was used in the Filibuster War exclusively by the Costa Rican army, beginning with the Battle of Santa Rosa and the Second Battle of Rivas in March and April 1856. The Enfield P53 was introduced to Indian troops under British rule in 1856. The Enfield rifle-musket

2046-468: The area. This was granted, and on September 5, 1862, McNeill became captain of Company E of the 18th Virginia Cavalry , more commonly known as McNeill's Rangers . Along with raids on railroads and wagon trains, he first proposed the operation that became the Jones-Imboden Raid . Opponents called him a Bushwhacker . On October 3, 1864, McNeill led his unit in a successful predawn attack on

2108-542: The battle for the bridge would explain why the Confederates retreated without reaching it. Meanwhile, with the remainder of his forces, Jones had moved two miles (3 km) west to Macomber where the River Road (now WV 72) connected Rowlesburg to the Northwestern Turnpike. He sent Col. John S. Green and his 6th Virginia Cavalry to drive in pickets and attack any perimeter defenses—creating in effect

2170-459: The bush but after their first expedition into the bush covered hills of the Hunua ranges, south of Auckland, most Enfields were returned and replaced with a mixture of much shorter and lighter, Calisher and Terry breech loading carbines , and Colt Navy .36 and Beaumont–Adams .44 revolvers. The special units kept a handful of 1853 Enfields for long range sniping. The Enfields continued to be used by

2232-495: The captured supplies and the wounded. Jones captured West Union and Cairo , burned five more bridges and disabled a railroad tunnel. In Burning Springs (aka "Oiltown"), his troops demolished the oil field and equipment, and burned 150,000 barrels (24,000 m) of oil. They then moved south to join up with Imboden. Bad weather returned for Imboden on his march south, the last three days before reaching Summersville covering only 14 miles (23 km). At Summersville, he captured

2294-500: The enemy as Jones had commanded, Green ordered his men to fall back, then sent for Jones. This decision would infuriate Gen. Jones and eventually led to Green's court-martial in September. Col. Green next ordered troops armed with carbines to dismount and move forward along the road and engage McDonald's force. They came under heavy fire from the mountaineers in the rifle-pits and fell back. Green sent another dismounted group higher up

2356-569: The first Enfield rifles being issued to troops from February 1855. The instability in Central America after the collapse of the Federal Republic of Central America forced Costa Rica to reform and modernize its army, especially after a threat of invasion from Nicaragua in 1848. With the arrival of Juan Rafael Mora Porras as president in 1849, Costa Rica acquired between 500 and 2000 1853 Enfield rifles in 1855. Later that year,

2418-632: The four divisions of the field army in the Crimea had been supplied with the pattern 1851 Minie rifle-musket, the other regiments of the army around the Empire still carried the 1842 pattern smoothbore musket. By the end of 1853, the Enfield rifle-musket was approved by the War Department for the army and was put into production. The Enfield saw extensive action in the Crimean War , 1854–1856, with

2480-435: The hillside around Palmer's Knob and below where the Confederates grouped for their charge toward the bridge. Cannonballs have been found for years on Cannon Hill and in town. Oxen had pulled the cannons to the top of the hill, presumably to defend the bridge. Howitzers mentioned in contemporary records were likely used at close range along the barricade of crossties that defenders had established. The deployment of cannons during

2542-580: The many British line regiments in the more open fern and tussock covered country of the Waikato interior. Numbers of Enfield muskets were also acquired by the Maori later on in the proceedings, either from the British themselves (who traded them to friendly tribes) or from European traders who were less discriminating about which customers they supplied with firearms, powder, and shot. After the introduction of

Jones–Imboden Raid - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-831: The next day increased his strength to 3,365. Imboden marched through heavy rain and then snow toward Beverly. There, he defeated Union defenders under Col. George Latham, who retreated northward, abandoning much-needed supplies. Imboden proceeded towards Buckhannon, but reports of Union reinforcements at Philippi and no news of Jones's position caused him to return to Beverly. Union Brig. Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts , at Buckhannon, decided to withdraw his forces from there as well as from Philippi in order to reinforce Clarksburg. That same day, April 28, Imboden learned of Roberts' retreat from Buckhannon and immediately moved his forces there. Roberts had ordered remaining supplies burned, but Imboden's men were able to salvage some, and well as collect cattle and horses. In Washington, Gen. Henry Wager Halleck

2666-482: The now thinner walls, the barrel would bulge, and bursting was not an unknown problem. Furthermore, with the bayonet fitted excessive flexing became an issue. To remedy this, an urgent order was placed in England for around 12,000 new barrels made specifying with a thicker barrel wall. This became the very scarce Enfield Pattern 1859 which in good to very good condition attracts a premium. The Enfield 1853 rifle-musket

2728-484: The powder." As a consequence of British fears, the Indian infantry's long arms were modified to be less accurate by reaming out the rifling of the Pattern 1853 making it a smooth bore and the spherical / ball shot does not require greasing, just a patch. This greatly reduced the gun's potency and effectiveness, as did replacing the variable distance rear sight to a fixed sight. This became the Pattern 1858. However, due to

2790-462: The question, with the difficulties of the ground against us" (Workman, 2006). The dreaded Confederate Cavalry had proven useless because of the narrow passage and steep hillside. Analogous to the Persians at Thermopylae, Jones was defeated by geography and a stubborn enemy willing to sacrifice all in his first major battle of the campaign. Both Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Commander of

2852-466: The roads there are impassable to you, when, by your own account, they are passable enough to the enemy." On April 29 Imboden decided to march to Philippi. En route he met Gen. Jones and part of his command. Jones had so far burned nine railroad bridges, captured two trains, an artillery piece, 1,200 to 1,500 horses, and 1,000 head of cattle. On May 3 they moved their forces to Weston , just 23 miles (37 km) south of Clarksburg. Two days later they led

2914-460: The steep mountainside to circle above McDonald's men. Strengthened by Lieutenant Hathaway's Company K, the Union line held once again. According to one source, Hathaway's force consisted mainly of "about 20 citizens" (Workman, 2006). As the day progressed, the fighting on the river road became a desperate test of wills. According to one source, the battle raged "at intervals from 3 p.m. until dark...." (Workman, 2006). Green could do nothing to dislodge

2976-399: The stubborn Rowlesburg troops and townsmen from their positions. Finally, an enraged Jones personally commanded the last assault. After seeing his troops still stalemated, he ordered Green to hold his position until dusk, and then pull back to the turnpike. Jones accepted defeat and moved west to camp for the night. According to Jones, "To renew the attack without the hope of surprise was out of

3038-408: The time required soldiers to tear open by biting open the prepared cartridge, pour the gunpowder contained within down the barrel, snap off the greased end of the cartridge containing the bullet at the muzzle, ram it home, bring up the rifle to the hip, replace the percussion cap, ready the rifle by setting the sights and moving it to full cock, then to present the rifle, marking the target and squeezing

3100-408: The trigger. The musketry books also recommended that, "Whenever the grease around the bullet appears to be melted away, or otherwise removed from the cartridge, the sides of the bullet should be made wet in the mouth before putting it into the barrel; the saliva will serve the purpose of grease for the time being". The idea of having anything which might be tainted with pig or beef fat in their mouths

3162-600: The troopers "came bounding and bellowing down the mountain, yelling like fiends just up from the pit" (Workman, 2006). Concealed behind the railroad embankment and armed with Enfield rifles (Workman, 2006). Union forces tended to use Springfield rifles and muskets, soldiers and townspeople allowed the Raiders to come within "easy rifle range," then opened with devastating fire. According to other accounts, Weems' men also received fire from "sharpshooters" and "townsfolk," and cannons from Cannon Hill about 600 feet (180 m) above

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3224-419: The valley, which has clear views of the battle site. The rebels replied with a volley of their own. Then, a "constant and well-directed fire was opened up on them from the town, and in half an hour not a rebel was to be seen" (Workman, 2006). The Confederate force was in full retreat. Weems' attack on the railroad bridge crossing the Cheat River had failed utterly. Fragments of artillery shells have been found on

3286-421: The way to the Ohio River. After the initial threat posed by General Garnett's unsuccessful move toward Rowlesburg in 1861, the Rowlesburg garrison had been gradually reduced to about 250 men under the command of Major John Showalter. Early on the morning of April 26, 1863, Jones and his cavalry rode from Red House, Maryland to the foot of Cheat Mountain on the old Northwestern Turnpike, now US 50. Upon reaching

3348-478: Was a .577 calibre Minié-type muzzle-loading rifled musket , used by the British Empire from 1853 to 1867; after which many were replaced in service by the cartridge-loaded Snider–Enfield rifle. The term "rifle-musket" originally referred to muskets with the smooth-bored barrels replaced with rifled barrels. The length of the barrels were unchanged, allowing the weapons to be fired in ranks , since

3410-651: Was a contributing cause of the Indian rebellion of 1857 . Sepoys in the British East India Company 's armies in India were issued with the new rifle in 1857, and rumours were spread that the cartridges (referring here to paper-wrapped powder and projectile, not to metallic cartridges) were greased with beef tallow, pig fat, or a combination of the two – a situation abhorrent to Hindu and Muslim soldiers based on religious beliefs. British military drills of

3472-463: Was frustrated by his subordinate officers' inability to stop the raid. He telegraphed to Gen. Robert C. Schenck : "The enemy's raid is variously estimated at from 1,500 to 4,000. You have 45,000 under your command. If you cannot concentrate enough to meet the enemy, it does not argue well for your military dispositions." To Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts in Buckhannon he wrote: "I do not understand how

3534-416: Was graduated (depending on the model and date of manufacture) from 900 yards (820 m) to 1,250 yards (1,140 m). British soldiers were trained to hit a target 6 feet (180 cm) by 2 feet (61 cm) – with a 2 feet (61 cm) diameter bull's eye, counting 2 points – out to 600 yards (550 m). The target used from 650 yards (590 m) to 900 yards (820 m) had

3596-714: Was issued to the British Army regiments, colonial Militia and Volunteer units and later to the New Zealand Armed Constabulary, and saw extensive use in the mid and later stages of the New Zealand Wars . The first Enfield rifles were issued to the 58th and 65th Regiments, stationed in the country, in 1858. The Enfield was not the ideal weapon for use in the dense bush covered hills of New Zealand because of its length and weight. Special units called Forest Rangers were formed to fight rebels in

3658-407: Was rejected as impractical – many of the Sepoys had been undertaking musket drill daily for years, and the practice of biting the cartridge open was second nature to them. Incidentally, after the Mutiny, manuals amended the method of opening the cartridge to, "Bring the cartridge to the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, and with the arm close to the body, carefully tear off the end without spilling

3720-500: Was taken, they found that more than 75% had acquired a rifle, mainly the Pattern 1853 Enfield. The P53 Enfields capabilities were largely lost by the lack of marksmanship training by both the Union and Confederacy. Most soldiers were not trained to estimate ranges or to properly adjust their sights to account for the "rainbow-like" trajectory of the large calibre conical projectile. Unlike their British counterparts who attended extensive musketry training, new Civil War soldiers seldom fired

3782-460: Was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war, surpassed only by the Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket. The Confederates imported more Enfields during the course of the war than any other small arm, buying from private contractors and gun runners and smuggling them into Southern ports through blockade running . It has been estimated that over 900,000 P53 Enfields were imported into America and saw service in every major engagement from

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3844-442: Was unacceptable to the Indian soldiers, and when they objected it was suggested that they were more than welcome to make up their own batches of cartridges, using a religiously acceptable greasing agent such as ghee or vegetable oil. This seemed to prove that the issued cartridges were, in fact, greased with pig and/or beef fat. A further suggestion that the Sepoys tear the cartridges open with their hands (instead of biting them open)

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