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MODEL 1843 HALL CARBINE – ONE OF THE “FREMONT
AFFAIR” HALL CARBINES RIFLED AND RECHAMBERED TO .58
CALIBER – VERY NICE SPECIMEN OF A HISTORIC HALL CARBINE:
As documented in detail on
pages 145-150 of Peter Schmidt’s excellent
reference Hall Military Breechloaders, this is a
fairly scarce specimen of the Model 1843 Hall Carbines
that were the subject of the infamous “Fremont Affair”
in 1861 wherein then obsolete carbines were purchased
from the government, subjected to relatively minor
modifications, and sold back to the government at a
dramatically inflated price – all within a matter of a
few weeks.
Originally chambered for a .52 caliber cartridge, the
Model 1843 Hall Carbine was issued to the 1ST
and 2ND United States Dragoons during the
Mexican War, but by the beginning of the Civil War they
were considered obsolete, and were being held in storage
by the Ordnance Department. With the outbreak of
the war and the dramatic increase in enlistments,
military rifles and carbines of almost any type or description
were needed to arm the growing ranks.
In May of 1861, Arthur Eastman, an
arms broker, arranged with Lieutenant Colonel Ripley,
Chief of Ordnance, to purchase approximately 5,000 Model
1843 Hall Carbines for $3.50 a piece. This low price
reflected the “obsolete” status of the carbines, however
it is germane to this story that the government
originally paid $17.50 each for these same carbines.
Eastman was apparently short of funds and he arranged
financing through Simon Stevens, believed to be a
representative of J.P. Morgan, one of the original
“robber baron” financiers of the day.
In July of 1861 Major General John C. Fremont assumed
command of the Army of the West, and upon arriving in
St. Louis he found his troops had few serviceable arms.
He contacted the Ordnance Department only to learn that
in the aftermath of the Battle of Bull Run the army had
diverted all available arms to the Army of the Potomac,
including the 23,000 stands of arms Fremont was
expecting.
Learning of Fremont’s plight, on August 5th
Stevens telegraphed the general offering to sell him
5,000 Hall Carbines, chambered for the “government
standard .58” and rifled, priced at $22.50 each.
Fremont replied on August 6th, eagerly
committing to purchase all 5,000 carbines, directing
Stevens to expedite the shipment via Adams Express
Company and to include ammunition with the shipment.
In a well executed slight of hand, Eastman and Stevens
had arranged to purchase from the Ordnance Department,
and sell to a major general, the same 5,000 carbines -
with modifications no less - which still remained in the
possession of the government in arsenals at Frankford,
Pa., and Governor’s Island in New York City harbor.
And, they managed to execute these contracts without
expending a single penny to this point – a pretty good
“hat trick” in anybody’s book.
On August 7th,
just one day later, Eastman paid for the carbines and
immediately began making arrangements with gunsmiths to
have the chambers enlarged to accept the .58 caliber
minie ball cartridge and to rifle the barrels. On
August 10th, William Marston agreed to
perform the chamber and rifling work at a rate of $.75
per carbine, and eventually the services of other
gunsmiths were secured at prices ranging from $.75 to
$1.00 per carbine. By August 23rd, 2,000
carbines had been modified and were on their way to
Fremont, and by mid September, Fremont had begun issuing
payment.
On September
25th, while reviewing reports of funds
expended for arms, LTC Ripley noted the purchase of
5,000 Hall Carbines for $22.00 each. Suspecting these
were the very same carbines he had recently sold for
$3.50 each, he launched an investigation, and by the
time the newspapers hit the street the following day,
the headlines were reporting the scandal. That
following Friday the House of Representatives convened a
committee to investigate the sale and subsequent
purchase, and shortly thereafter placed a hold on any
further payment for the carbines.
As the scandal
grew in the public forum, Gen. Fremont became the object
of suspicion and ridicule, and in November of 1861 he
was relieved of his command, resulting in an unfortunate
end to an otherwise illustrious career. The
congressional investigation continued through mid 1862
when it was decided Stevens would be paid $12.50 per
carbine, and with the interest allowed on the
outstanding debt, the final cost per carbine came to
$13.31.
The bulk of
these modified Model 1843 Hall Carbines were issued in
the early years of the war in the Western Theater. With
some still in use as late as February of 1865, many
surviving examples exhibit considerable wear indicative
of the heavy and prolonged service. Ordnance records
reveal issues of these Hall Carbines to Union cavalry
regiments from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Missouri, New York, Wisconsin, and to the United
States 3rd and 4th Cavalry
Regiments. Unit histories indicate these carbines
performed well at the Battle of Pea Ridge, March 7th
and 8th, 1862.
These “Fremont Affair” Hall Carbines all share certain
unique characteristics well documented by Schmidt, and
present on this particular carbine. The chamber was
enlarged to .590” in order accept the standard .58
caliber minie ball cartridge and the barrel was rifled
with six narrow grooves. The breech blocks are dated
“1848” through “1852” and all have the standard Model
1843 side level breech block release.
This Model 1843 Hall Carbine is legibly marked “U.S.;
S.NORTH; MIDLTN CONN.; 1849” on the breech block, and
inspected “JCB” (Joseph C. Bragg) on the side of rear
flat of the barrel. The rear flat of the barrel is also
properly stamped “STEEL” indicating this was one of the
higher quality cast steel barrels developed by Samuel
Remington.
The bore is very good to excellent with clear distinct
rifling and only minor scattered dark freckling. The
breech block is smooth and is mechanically crisp,
responding well to the operating lever. The exterior of
the barrel and breech block are smooth with an even aged
color, with some evidence of the original case colors in
the protected areas of the breech and breech fittings.
The iron furniture has a smooth surface with no pitting
and the same patina as the barrel, including the
original ramrod with the threaded tip.
The condition of the stock is overall very good with no
more than the expected signs of issue and use. The
edges and profiles remain sharp, including the edges of
the barrel and cleaning rod channels. There is a set of
initials, “J.B.” carved on the right flat of the butt
stock, likely soldier applied to identify his carbine.
There is a brass inventory tag attached to the upper
rear corner of the right side of the butt stock bearing
the numeral “21”, probably applied by an early collector
or museum. The stock is free of any significant cracks
or damage and shows the normal scattering of handling
marks and dings.
These “Fremont Affair” Model 1843 Hall Carbines, well
known, and very well documented by Schmidt, are far from
common and when they are found, are often in poor
condition due to the service to which they were
subjected. This is a very respectable specimen of the
Model 1843 Hall Carbine with the added value of being
one of relatively few that were associated with this
famous scandal.
SOLD
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