Federal Arms of the Brice's Crossroads Campaign of June 1864

On June 1, 1864, General Samuel Sturgis led an expedition totaling about 10,000 men in northern Mississippi. His force consisted of twelve infantry regiments, ten cavalry regiments (or portions of regiments) and six batteries (or sections of batteries). The march lasted ten days before the resulting Battle of Brice’s Crossroads sent Sturgis’s column tumbling back towards Memphis in defeat.

A frequent question asked by students of the battle centers around the types of arms carried by the boys in Blue during this campaign. Early in the war, state governments, scrambling to gather whatever arms they could secure, sent their troops off to war carrying a mixture of domestic smoothbores, converted rifled muskets, and any European arms that state agents could procure ahead of their Federal (and Confederate) competitors. By the summer of 1864, those days were long gone and the Federal ordnance department had made great strides in standardizing small arms for the infantry.

The following list, compiled primarily from the first and second quarter ordnance reports held by the National Archives, lists out the small arms, sabers, and artillery pieces carried by the various Federal units at Brice’s Crossroads. A few broad general statements can be made. The infantry regiments primarily carried .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets; however, a few regiments (113th Illinois, 93rd Indiana, 72nd Ohio, 95th Ohio, and 59th U.S. Colored Troops) carried a mix of Springfields and P53 Enfield rifle muskets. All of these were considered first class arms by the War Department.

The arms carried by the ten cavalry regiments proved much more diverse and interesting. Like the artillery, several of the cavalry regiments were deployed in detachments as opposed to full regiments. For example, the 3rd Illinois Cavalry had four of its twelve companies present on the expedition (B, F, I, and M), the 9th Illinois Cavalry had eight of its twelve companies present, while the 7th Illinois Cavalry was present in its entirety. It appears that nearly every type of carbine in the Federal catalog was present at the battle, a veritable cornucopia of Sharps, Burnsides, Merrill’s, Cosmopolitans, Gallagher’s, Gibbs, and Starr carbines. As the war progressed, Federal cavalry units increasingly turned to repeating arms and the 9th Illinois Cavalry carried .54 caliber Colts’ revolving rifles, while the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry carried .52 caliber Spencer carbines.  

For close range combat, most (but not all) cavalrymen carried revolvers and sabers. The legendary .44 caliber Colt Army revolver was the most common at Brice’s Crossroads, but there were also large numbers of .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, .36 caliber Whitney revolvers, .36 caliber Colt Navies, and .44 caliber Remingtons. For truly close-range action, ten members of the 4th Iowa Cavalry even carried .54 caliber single-shot Derringers! The 2nd New Jersey, however, didn’t carry (or report) any revolvers at all. Interestingly, the old Model 1840 dragoon saber, derisively called the “wrist-breaker” due to its unwieldiness, was by far the most common saber carried by Federal cavalrymen at Brice’s Crossroads although several companies carried the handier Model 1860 light cavalry saber.

The organization of Federal artillery in this campaign can be a bit perplexing. The artillery contingent of Sturgis’s expedition consisted of 22 guns, but only Battery B of the 2nd Illinois Light Artillery was present at its full strength of four guns. Battery E of the 1st Illinois Light Artillery had four guns of its six guns on the field, amounting to two sections. The remaining batteries only had single sections of two guns each on the field: 6th Indiana Battery, 14th Indiana Battery, Battery F of the 2nd U.S. Colored Troops Light Artillery, and 7th Wisconsin Battery. This totals 16 guns; however, both the 4th Missouri Cavalry and 10th Missouri Cavalry had artillery pieces, too; the 4th Missouri carrying four mountain howitzers while the 10th Missouri had two pieces of unknown description, but most likely mountain howitzers, too.

Determining exactly what types of cannons were utilized at Brice’s Crossroads proved challenging; the expedition lost 16 of its 22 guns and the Q2 reports generally show what was left of the batteries after the expedition; reviewing prior reports was helpful in filling in the gaps but knowing which of the guns was lost proved difficult. For Battery F, 2nd U.S., ordnance records were incomplete so it is unknown what type of ordnance this battery used during the expedition.

Private George Kimbrue, Co. C, 93rd Indiana Infantry 

81st Illinois Infantry- .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets

95th Illinois Infantry- .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets

108th Illinois Infantry- .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets

113th Illinois Infantry- mixed: 444 .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets, 133 .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

114th Illinois Infantry- .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets

120th Illinois Infantry- .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets

Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery- 6-gun battery (4 guns at battle)

Three M1857 12-pdr Napoleons, one 3” 6-pdr James rifle

Battery B, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery- 4-gun battery

As of October 29, 1863, four 6-pdr James’ rifles

Model 1861 Springfield rifle musket

3rd Illinois Cavalry- 4 companies at Brice’s Crossroads

*Note: a few companies had a sprinkling of .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers

Co. B- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt army revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. F- .54 caliber Burnside carbines and .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt army revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers 

Co. I- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .44 caliber Colt army revolvers, .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers 

Co. M- .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt army revolvers, no sabers listed

7th Illinois Cavalry- .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, mix of .36 caliber Whitney’s Navy revolvers and .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, mostly M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers with several companies carrying M1860 light cavalry sabers  

9th Illinois Cavalry- 8 companies at Brice’s Crossroads

Co. B- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, a few .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers

Co. E- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers

Co. F- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. H- no report

Co. I- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers

Co. K- a few .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .52 Hall’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few. 36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. L- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few. 36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. M- .54 caliber Colt’s revolving rifles, a few .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few. 36 caliber Beals’ revolvers

93rd Indiana Infantry- mixed as follows: 233 .58 caliber Model 1861 Springfield rifle muskets, 118 .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

7th Indiana Cavalry- .54 caliber Merrill’s carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, mostly M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers with Co. H carrying M1860 light cavalry sabers  

6th Indiana Battery- 4-gun battery (2 guns at battle)

 Two M1841 6-pdr field guns 

14th Indiana Battery- 4-gun battery (2 guns at battle)

 Per May 17, 1864, three M1857 12-pdr Napoleons and one 3” Ordnance rifle

.54 caliber Burnside carbine

3rd Iowa Cavalry- Mixed as follows:

Co. A- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, a few .36 Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. D- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. E- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. G- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. H- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few .36 caliber Remington revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. I- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. K- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. L- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, a few .36 caliber Remington revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. M- .54 caliber Burnside carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

4th Iowa Cavalry: mixed including .52 caliber Spencer carbines (all listed as in storage), .52 caliber Cosmopolitan carbines, a few .51 caliber Gallagher carbines (Co. H only), a few .52 caliber Gibbs’ carbines (Co. M only), 339 .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, 166 .44 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .45 caliber Starr revolvers, 10 .54 caliber Derringer pistols, a few heavy and light cavalry sabers

9th Minnesota Infantry- .58 caliber M1861 Springfield rifle muskets

4th Missouri Cavalry- Mixed as follows:

4 M1841 12-pdr mountain howitzers

Co. B- .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, a few .44 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .36 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers, four Mountain Howitzers

Co. D- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, .44 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. F- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. G- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, .36 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .36 caliber Beals’ revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. H- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, a few .44 caliber Remington revolvers, M1860 light cavalry sabers

Co. I- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, .36 caliber Remington revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. K- .51 caliber Gallagher’s carbines, .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. L- .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt Army revolvers, .36 caliber Colt Navy revolvers, .44 caliber Remington revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

10th Missouri Cavalry- 

2 6-pdr James rifled artillery pieces

.52 caliber Gibbs’ carbines, .44 caliber Colt’s Army revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers, with two artillery pieces

2nd New Jersey Cavalry- .52 caliber Spencer carbines, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers with 22 M1860 light cavalry sabers

Private Casper Miller, Co. C, 72nd Ohio 

72nd Ohio Infantry- mixed as follows: 181 M1861 Springfield rifle muskets, 18 .58 caliber M1841 Mississippi rifles, 40 .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

95th Ohio Infantry- mixed as follows: 123 M1861 Springfield rifle muskets, 97 .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

19th Pennsylvania Cavalry- Mixed as follows:

Co. C- .54 caliber Starr carbines, a few .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. G- .54 caliber Starr carbines, .44 caliber Remington revolvers, a few .36 caliber Whitney revolvers, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. H- .54 caliber Starr carbines, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. K- .54 caliber Starr carbines, a few .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, M1840 dragoon (heavy cavalry) sabers

Co. L- .54 caliber Starr carbines, a few .52 caliber Sharps’ carbines, M1860 light cavalry sabers

55th U.S. Colored Troops- .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

59th U.S. Colored Troops- mixed as follows: 244 M1861 Springfield rifle muskets and 396 .577 caliber P53 Enfield rifle muskets

Battery F, 2nd U.S. Light Artillery Colored Troops- 2-gun battery

Two M1841 12-pdr howitzers 

7th Wisconsin Battery- 2-gun battery

Only right section of battery was at battle, armed with two M1841 6-pdr rifled guns which were lost

Two M1841 6-pdr field guns (smoothbores) was all that remained of battery on July 25, 1864, per Q2 ordnance report. 


Comments

  1. Victorian SentimentsJune 11, 2025 at 7:55 AM

    Great job-- The real question is-- being armed with Rifles and different styles of Carbines, did this fact make any difference in the outcome of the Battle. Did the soldier's comment on the capabilities or how they won or lost a Battle of Brice's Cross Roads? How were the Confederates armed? What were the tactics used in response to the fact one side had Rifles? Great Job and I applaud your efforts. I am working on Shiloh right now and the arms used there and the outcomes. Thank You Dan.

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