Wilder Brigade Serial # range

[lhawk1970]

I have been doing some research on my great, great grandfather's civil war regiment, 98thIllinois-mounted infantry (Wilder's Brigade).  I would like to know if anyone knows the serial # range for the initial Spencer rifles purchased by that regiment or Wilder's Brigade in general?  I was looking at Marcot's book and there is a photo of an indentified Spencer rifle to the 123rd Illinois with serial # 5794.  Since this regiment was a part of the Wilder Brigade, I guess this is a starting point.......but not much of one!

Second question?  Does anyone know if the Brigade was ever issued carbines?

[Two Flints]

Lhawk1970,

I just checked my Springfield Research Service Serial Numbers Vol. 4 of U.S. Martial Arms that contains a listing of "known" Spencer serial #s.  The closest serial # I find to the one you mentioned in your post (5794) is a Spencer Rifle serial #5791 and it was issued to a member of Co G of the 72nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry on or about May 15, 1863. For what its worth, nearly all of the Spencer serial numbers listed before and after #s 5791 & 5794 were issued to the same unit - the 72nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

Not sure if this is what you were looking for.  BTW, have you read "Lightning at Hoover's Gap" by Glenn W. Sunderland.  It's a great read on Wilder's Brigade during the Civil War. 

Since the Spencer Rifle was a group specific purchase by Wilder, I tend to think all the men received rifles; carbines may have been issued later, but to other units.

Two Flints

[lhawk1970]

Thanks Two Flints,

Yeah it does help!  The 72nd Indiana was apart of the famous Wilder Lightning Brigade

Yes I have read Sunderland's "Lightning at Hoover's Gap" and Baumgartner's "Blue Lightning: Wilder's Mounted Infantry Brigade in the Battle of Chickamauga"  Both were wonderful reads and gave alot of insight into the Brigade.  However, none really give a definitive range of the some 1,400 - 2,000 Spencer Rifles personally ordered by Colonel Wilder fom Christopher Spencer to outfit his newly mounted infantry.

Does your Springfield Research Service give a beginning and ending serial # range for the 98th Illinois, 123rd Illinois, 17th Indiana and 72nd Indiana?  These are the four main regiments of Wilder's Brigade along with the 18th Indiana (artillery).

[Two Flints]

lhawk1970,

Only the 72nd Indiana is mentioned??? and I don't know why.  The earliest serial # I find issued to this unit is #1958 then there are other units mixed in until the 72nd really dominates the Serial #s from 4502 to 6471.

As I wrote above, the other units are not mentioned at all, at least on the lists that I have.

Two Flints

[Bead Swinger]

Hmmm - My memory is pretty bad , but I was pretty sure that Marcot lists the Spencer Arms Co. listing of which SNs were shipped when, and I thought there was a group of Army rifles that corresponded closely to the 1863 private order .  Does someone have Marcot that they can check?

[lhawk1970]

On page 302 of Marcot is the Sales of Spencer Repeating Rifles and Cabines to the Army Ordinance Department: 1862 to 1866 which shows that between 12-31-1862 and 6-29-1863 there were 7,502 Model 1860 Army Rifles purchased.  There is no mention of the private contract and there is no mention of which rifles were were delivered to Wilder at Murfreesboro, TN during the Summer, 1863.

Any ideas?