Quote from: Drydock on November 14, 2009, 05:53:14 PM
Winchester-Hotchkiss I believe.  Bolt action, 2 piece stock.  Experimental issue in the Southwest. The Scout up top has a Trapdoor, the other scout looks like a Winchester 73.

I knew I couldn't fool you, neat picture though.

Well, the "crossed axes surmounted by a bomb" badge does seem to have signified a Pioneer. 
Here is another image I located under the file name "SAPEURS" -  note they have the same device on their sleeves .......



(They are also armed with Chassepot rifles, by the way .....)

Found this image captioned "Khyber Rifles 1895".  Despite the late date, note that they are armed with .577 Snider-Enfield rifles .....
which is entirely in keeping with British policy, following the 1857 Bengal Mutiny, to equip native troops with obsolete firearms, at least
one design behind what was issued to British Regulars.  In this case, they are actually  two designs behind, since the British Army
had in 1888 adopted the Lee-Metford magazine rifle to supplant the Martini-Henry .....

Quote from: Drydock on November 14, 2009, 05:53:14 PM
Winchester-Hotchkiss I believe.  Bolt action, 2 piece stock.  Experimental issue in the Southwest. The Scout up top has a Trapdoor, the other scout looks like a Winchester 73.

The receiver on the Winchester looks pretty long. Might it be a '76 or is it's length just an optical illusion?

Quote from: Pitspitr on November 15, 2009, 01:06:23 PM
The receiver on the Winchester looks pretty long. Might it be a '76 or is it's length just an optical illusion?

Was my thought also.

Quote from: Delmonico on November 14, 2009, 10:37:08 AM
OK a few more from Butcher and the Nebraska National Guard in 1904-05, BTW these were taken at Ft. Kearny after the buildings were gone and before it was a historical site.

Posting a new guard:



Three officers outside a tent:

Could someone more knowledgeable than me about post turn of the century US army uniforms please coment on these uniforms, especially the center man of the three officers outside a tent? The blouse looks like the M-1899 enlisted blouse. I'm thinking I'd like to go with the Nebraska National Guard for my Expansion Era Match uniform.

Well, someone should know more, but like today they kinda got the bottom of the barrel from the supply system.  Although I have heard they were one of the first NG units to get Krags, but that has to do with the Lakota Reservations just over the border.

I've heard Minnisota used trapdoors till 1940.

They all appear enlsted, or wearing an enlisted uniform.  The one in the center definatily is wearing the M1899 enlisted Kahki Uniform, as do most all in the previous pictures.  The outer two appear to be wearing wool, and could be the later M1912 wool drab uniform.  However, they both have roll collars, which the 1912 did NOT have, so i'm a bit puzzled.  They look like M1899s made up in drab wool. (which was what the M1912 really was, but with a standing military collar instead of the rolled collar on the enlisted version.)  They're all wearing the 1904 russet belts, and the sabre handles date later as well.  I'd put them around 1912/13 perhaps.

Quote from: Drydock on November 15, 2009, 03:13:21 PM
They all appear enlsted, not Officer.  The one in the center definatily is wearing the M1899 enlisted Kahki Uniform, as do most in the previous pictures.  The outer two appear to be wearing wool, and could be the later M1912 wool drab uniform.

I was just going off the notes for it.

Quote from: Drydock on November 15, 2009, 03:13:21 PM
They all appear enlsted, or wearing an enlisted uniform.  The one in the center definatily is wearing the M1899 enlisted Kahki Uniform, as do most all in the previous pictures.  The outer two appear to be wearing wool, and could be the later M1912 wool drab uniform.  However, they both have roll collars, which the 1912 did NOT have, so i'm a bit puzzled.  They look like M1899s made up in drab wool. (which was what the M1912 really was, but with a standing military collar instead of the rolled collar on the enlisted version.)  They're all wearing the 1904 russet belts, and the sabre handles date later as well.  I'd put them around 1912/13 perhaps.

Span-Am and later is a bit outside of my expertise, but that's about what I thought.... Except for the fact that Solomon Butcher viewed his photography a document in history and was known for his meticulous notes. If he wrote that they were taken in 1905 and were officers, I'd take that as gospil. Could a National Guard unit have had uniform regulations that perscribed a US GI enlisted man's uniform for it's officers. I would think that would be extremely unpopular with the officers.

What is the disk ahead of the crossed rifles? Which brings up another question. If they are indeed enlisted infantry (Crossed rifles) why would they have sabres?

Jerry, I have found a couple pictures in the Butcher Collection that I might question a few things, but only a very few. 

I assumed they were enlisted cavalry.  But looking closer, those do not look like standard cavalry sabres.  The crossed appliance could be a crossed rifle and sabre, the device for Militia.  These could be Militia staff officers, at least 2 in custom uniforms.  That could explain the collars and the new issue belts.  Could the round device  be a Nebraska coat of arms?

Drydock, That sounds like a research job for Delmonico!

These two images were just listed on eBay -

Good work RJ!  Those are both excellant photos.

I hope to purchase bayonets for both my Trapdoor and Krag in the near future. Great pictures of the uniforms and rifles. Thanks, Rattlesnake Jack!

Quote from: Texas Lawdog on November 15, 2009, 06:46:48 PM
Drydock, That sounds like a research job for Delmonico!

I think Mustang Greg needs this assignment.

Mustang Gregg might have better access to that info.

Canadian Infantrymen during the 1885 North West Rebellion.  All rifles seen in these photos are .577 Snider-Enfields, with the exception of the Winchester held by the chap reclining, left front, in the second photograph.  That picture was taken at Medicine Hat (where I live) so the Infantryman would be members of the Company stationed here from the Halifax (Nova Scotia) Provisional Battalion, and the fellow with the Winchester is likely a Rocky Mountain Ranger ....

       
     

Quote from: Drydock on November 12, 2009, 08:33:27 PM
Makes ya wonder what happened to those old 3" ordnance rifles (last produced in 1865!)

A lot were converted to 3.2 inch breech loading cannons by re-boreing and re-rifling to 3.2 inch and installing a Krupp type sliding breech block.  Thyey were mounted on new steel cariages.

If you are artillery history buffs, 3.2 inchs is the bore size of our 81 mm mortars.