The Armory

The Armory holds many interesting weapons used in the Civil War. The Weapons Case contains an excellent display of rifles, muskets, carbines, and pistols from the period. Also on display is a rare conversion of a musket to breech loader and a fine example of the Henry rifle.

In the middle of the room stands a Gatling Gun. Dr. Richard Gatling patented the design for this rapid firing weapon in 1861. The gun on display is a model 1875 Naval Gatling. These guns were the first machine guns and could fire up to 350 rounds a minute with a good gun crew. Across from the Gatling Gun is a display of Spencer carbines and rifles. These rifles are examples of the first repeating weapons bought by the U.S. Army.

Three branches of the military are represented in this room. The Infantry Case displays items used by the soldiers in the infantry, also known as the "backbone" of the army. These were the men fighting at close range, sometimes caught in hand to hand combat. The infantry units suffered comparatively higher casualty rates than other segments of the army

The Cavalry Case contains artifacts used by the cavalry soldiers, also known as "dragoons' or mounted infantry men as they rode into battle on horseback, but dismounted to fight. Cavalry units were used as the "eyes" of the army as they rode reconnaissance missions and brought back vital information to the officers on both sides during the Civil War.

The Artillery Case displays items used by the soldiers assigned to the artillery units of the Civil War. All firearms larger than small arms were known as artillery or cannon. All Civil War cannon fell into one of two categories: smoothbore or rifled cannon. The most often used field ammunition were grape shot and canister, both of which were scattershot projectiles consisting of several iron balls contained within an iron casement. When fired the casement disintegrated, releasing the shot in a spray, having the same effect as a large sawed off shotgun.