Ebook Small Arms and Ammunition in the United States Service

Thousands of volumes have been written concerning the tactics, engagements, campaigns, and personnel of our American armies. In determining the outcome of our many battles of the past, the weapons we used played a part second in importance only to morale. Yet the student of military history has available but meager information on the military characteristics and performance of these tools. A number of excellent works have been prepared in recent years cataloging the small arms employed in the United States service in the early days as to models, fabricators, and dimensional details. However, when questions arose as to effective range, accuracy, am munition, rate of fire, and allied subjects, little could be determined without extensive research. Such fragmentary data as were readily available were likely to be found inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading.