First Maine Cavalry with Spencers (???) at The Battle of Middleburg, Virginia

[Two Flints]

Alfred Waud painting showing men of the 1st Maine Cavalry with Spencer carbines during the battle of Middleburg (Virginia) June 19, 1863.

The kneeling man fires at the enemy, as the man standing behind him feeds a new cartridge into the chamber.

[Preston County Rider]

Two Flints - are you sure those aren't Sharps carbines depicted in that drawing?

PCR

[Two Flints]

Preston County Rider,

You're most probably correct about the Sharps being depicted in the drawing   The drawing is entitled, First Maine Skirmishing and mention is made that the soldiers are using Spencers.  But the text description implies (maybe) a Sharps, i.e., "feeds a new cartridge into the chamber". Indeed, probably not a Spencer

Two Flints

[Sean Thornton]

I was thinking probably they were Sharps too.  I think that the first Spencer Carbines were not issued until later in 1863.

[cavsgt]

  I would have to vote sharps.  It looks like a patch box on the standing trooper's carbine.

[matt45]

could they be using the knock-off Sharps (Meril, I think?)- the forearms look funny, and to my untrained eye, the actions aren't deep enough.  So what were they actually equiped with?

[JimBob]

So what were they actually equiped with?

Initially they were equiped with Burnside carbines,in the spring of 1863 they started receiving Sharps,then again in the spring of 1864 Spencers.Here's a Quarterly Ordnance Stores report from one company showing it received no Spencers as late as September 1864-

http://mainecav.org/articles/ordnance.html

This unit was initially equiped with pistols and sabers with only 6 Burnsides carbines per Company.The remnants of the 1st DC Cavalry were folded into this unit in 1864 and they were equiped with Henry rifles.According to QOS reports and other information Spencers started replacing other arms in the spring of 1864 but as reports show not all companies at the same time.In June of 1863 they would have had Burnsides and/or Sharps carbines.

[Two Flints]

Hello SSS,

When I came across the paining by Alfred Waud on the Internet there was a description at the bottom of the painting that read:

"Men of the 1st Maine Cavalry with Spencer carbines during the battle of Middleburg (Virginia) June 19, 1863."

Here is the link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_repeating_rifle    So, just scroll down the page and you will see the Waud painting on the right side of the page

So I thought I'd post the painting here.  If I don't see the "drop" of the receiver clearly then it's not a Spencer.  The weapons in the drawing are not Spencers

Two Flints

[Arizona Trooper]

I vote for Sharps. The first Spencer carbines didn't arrive until 4 months later, and the only units in the east with Spencer rifles at that time were sitting safely in DC. There is just one monument I know of. It is to the 1st Mass. Cav. at the Furr House on Snickersville Rd., the site of their charge.

If you ever get to visit the Aldie-Middleburg-Upperville battlefields, they are among the very few that still look largely like they did in 1863, except some of the roads are now paved.   

[matt45]

So the battle was a meeting engagement between cavalry outfits?  I am not as famaliar w/ order of battles as I should be- I am assuming that this was a screening fight between Army of Potomac and ANV- am I correct?
     What would be a good book to get my knowlege level up to snuff?

[Two Flints]

Matt45,

This is a brief summary of the Battle of Middleburg:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Middleburg

Two Flints

[Arizona Trooper]

I know this is an old post, but I got up to the battlefields at Aldie-Middleburg-Upperville while visiting my brother over Christmas and thought I'd post a few of the pictures we took last week, even though Spencers weren't involved.

The 4Va shot was taken from the position of the 4th Va. Cav. on the Snickers Gap road at Aldie on June 17th. It is looking east into the charge of the 1st Mass. Cav. 2/3 of the 1st Mass. were killed, wounded or captured here. Later the 1st Maine Cav. charged across the same ground, which finally loosened the Confederate hold. There is a very substantial stone wall along the road in this position.   

Goose Creek Bridge is west of Middleburg. Action here was on the 21st. The picture is from the position of Hampton's cavalry looking east into the position of the 4th & 2nd NY Cav, backed up by the 16th Mich. Inf. The creek is surrounded by steep hills and a wide soft bottom land, so the only way across was on the bridge.

The Upperville shot is from Vineyard Hill, east of town, looking north-east into the battle between Stuart's Confederates and Pleasanton's Federals on the 21st. By the end of the day, Lee's infantry had crossed through Ashby's gap undiscovered by Federal scouts. While Stuart's cavalry was pushed back about ten miles over 5 days, they had accomplished their mission.