The model 1805 U.S. Marshal "Harper's Ferry" flintlock pistol, manufactured at the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

), was the first pistol manufactured by an American national armory. It was the standard handgun of the US

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Specifications

The Model 1805

horse pistol A pistoleer is a mounted soldier trained to use a pistol, or more generally anyone armed with such a weapon. It is derived from pistolier, a French word for an expert marksman. History The earliest kind of pistoleer was the mounted German Reite ...

was copied from the French

Pistolet Modele An. IX A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

of 1798. Harper's Ferry models 1805, 1806, 1807 and 1808 flintlock pistols were all identical and there were no changes in design during this model year sequence. The M1805 pistol was a .54 caliber, single-shot, smoothbore,

flintlock pistol Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also known ...

intended for field duty. Pistols made for officers resembled the standard horse pistol but featured more elaborate decoration, and sometimes a rifled barrel. Harper's Ferry model 1805–1808 flintlock pistols were known then as “horsemen’s pistols” and were produced in pairs; both pistols having identical serial numbers. With just one shot readily available without reloading, a pair or "brace" was the standard issue. Horse accouterments also included a standard pair of saddle holsters. No serial number higher than 2048 has ever been discovered—and that is exactly half of the number recorded as produced at the Harper's Ferry Armory. There are between 200–300 of these pistols known to exist today.

War of 1812

During the

, the M1805 pistol was issued to American cavalry. Due to the high demand for weapons, derivative pistols were manufactured in other states, especially Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Some featured improvements such as iron instead of wood

ramrod A ramrod (or scouring stick) is a metal or wooden device used with muzzleloading firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly blackpowder). The ramrod was used with weapons such as muskets and cannons and was usually held i ...

President Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

favored the M1805 throughout his military career, and used a pair of these pistols in his famous

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

with Charles Dickinson in 1806.

Later developments

Improved models of the

Harpers Ferry pistol The model 1805 U.S. Marshal "Harper's Ferry" flintlock pistol, manufactured at the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia (now West Virginia), was the first pistol manufactured by an American national armory. It was the standard handgun of the US dragoo ...

were produced in 1812, 1818, and 1835. These were the first standardised pistols issued to the

US Marshals The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

after the

, and to the Texas Rangers before the Texan War of Independence. A

caplock The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise t ...

conversion of the M1835 pistol was issued to the US Cavalry during the Seminole War and US-Mexican War until the

Colt Dragoon The Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver is a .44 caliber revolver designed by Samuel Colt for the U.S. Army's Regiment of Mounted Rifles. The revolver was also issued to the Army's " Dragoon" Regiments. This revolver was designed as a solutio ...

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

was introduced in 1847. The last Harpers Ferry pistol was the Model 1855, a .58 caliber handgun with a detachable shoulder stock designed for use by US

dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat ...

during the Indian Wars. Harpers Ferry pistols were widely used by gunfighters and

mountain men A mountain man is an explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up ...

in the early days of the Old West, including Kit Carson. Many were also issued to the

Confederate army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Lawrence O'Bryan Branch Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (November 28, 1820 – September 17, 1862) was a North Carolina representative in the U.S. Congress and a Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Antietam. Early life and car ...

was carrying a pair of M1835 pistols when he was killed by a

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

in 1862.Museum of the Confederacy
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Modern use

Currently manufactured reproductions of the original pistols are made with a larger caliber than the original, as well as a rifled bore for more accurate shooting. There is one reproduction available modeled after the percussion converted Harper's Ferry pistols that is built with the correct .54 caliber smooth bore as well. USAMPC-Branch-Insignia

The model 1805–1808

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

"Harper's Ferry" flintlock pistol is used today on the insignia of the U.S. Army Military Police Corps.

References

{{reflist

External links

M1805 pistol at the National Rifle Association's National Firearms Museum
Single-shot pistols Black-powder pistols Pistols of the United States Guns of the American West Virginia in the War of 1812 War of 1812 American Civil War weapons Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1805