Spencer in the Franco-Prussian war 1870-1871

[Fredlambert]

The Spencer in the Franco-Prussian war .Spencer carbine with French Lefaucheux and colt Navy 1851 on an original wall print of the National Defense dated October 1870 with French Mobile Guard képi ( National guard ) .Paris 's inhabitants , besieged by the Prussian army , wait help from the provincial armys walking to the capital ...


                                                               photo resized by T.F.

                                                               photo resized by T.F.

[Henry4440]

Bonjour Fred.
I found this article about a Spencer:
How did an American Civil War rifle end up in a German farmhouse?
......A few years ago, an elderly gentleman came into the visitors center and told someone at the desk he had a rifle he'd like to donate to the park. They called someone out to talk to him and he gave them this particular rifle. The man said he was a WWII veteran and he'd found the rifle in a bombed out farmhouse in Germany in 1945. He knew what it was and brought it home with him.

How did an American Civil War rifle end up in a German farmhouse? During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the government sold a LOT of surplus guns to the French (not that it did them any good). Some German soldier took it home as a trophy in 1870-1, where it was found by the American soldier in 1945.......

more of the complete story  (T.F.)...A few years ago, an elderly gentleman came into the visitors center and told someone at the desk he had a rifle he'd like to donate to the park. They called someone out to talk to him and he gave them this particular rifle. The man said he was a WWII veteran and he'd found the rifle in a bombed out farmhouse in Germany in 1945. He knew what it was and brought it home with him.

How did an American Civil War rifle end up in a German farmhouse? During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the government sold a LOT of surplus guns to the French (not that it did them any good). Some German soldier took it home as a trophy in 1870-1, where it was found by the American soldier in 1945.

I once owned a Spencer (sort of) that I sold in a fit of stupidity back in the eighties. When I say sort of, it was because it wasn't a real Spencer. It was a "period reproduction" if you will, maunfactured in Leige, Belgium in 1873 by a company named Falisse and Trappman. I never did figure out what calibre it was. The odd thing is, it had a centrefire breechblock.

Christopher Spencer couldn't even complain about copyright infringement.... Apparently, Spencer had money troubles in the late 1860's and was bought out by another company, who was in turn bought out by Winchester, who sold all the machinery at public auction.

[Fredlambert]

Bonjour Henry4440 , interresting article , this German soldier should be very surprised to see this weapon in the hands of French soldiers  ( certainly dead or maybe prisoner ) . A weapon he have certainly never seen before . The Spencer was not really appreciate by the French soldiers , they found this little carbine too short , without baionet , too much heavy , with a difficult reloading ( for a country man of the XIX century ) . The rifle Spencer was more appreciate , army and navy models were both use in this war and we can find pictures of French soldiers with this weapon .There is only one picture with a soldier and a Spencer carbine .An other problem we had when we receive the Spencer is the caliber , many soldiers get a Spencer with the wrong cartridges ...
Thank you very much , Fred .

I post a picture of a French Soldier with a Remington Rollling Block.


                                       Photo resized by T.F.