Diary of John Hay: August 19, 1863

. . . . This evening and yesterday evening an hour was spent by the President in shooting with Spencer’s new repeating rifle. A wonderful gun, loading with absolutely contemptible simplicity and ease, with seven balls, and firing the whole, readily and deliberately, in less than half a minute. The President made some pretty good shots. Spencer, the inventor, a quiet little Yankee who sold himself in relentless slavery to his idea for six weary years before it was perfect, did some splendid shooting. . . . An irrepressible patriot came up and talked about his son John who, when lying on his belly on a hill-top at Gettysburg, feeling the shot fly over him, like to lost his breath — felt himself puffing up like a toad — thought he would bust. Another, seeing the gun recoil slightly, said it wouldn't do; too much powder; a good piece of audience shouldn't rekyle; if it did at all, it should rekyle a little forrid.

SOURCES: Clara B. Hay, Letters of John Hay and Extracts from Diary, Volume 1, p. 93-4; For the whole diary entry see Tyler Dennett, Editor, Lincoln and the Civil War in the Diaries and letters of John Hay, p. 81-2.

Colonel Charles Russell Lowell to John M. Forbes, March 5, 1864

Giesboro', March 5, '64.

I have not had time to do much myself about the Spencers, — but meeting Lieutenant Pinkham, I sent him to the Ordnance office to make the necessary inquiries, — they say they have none to spare us, but that any arrangement we can make with the State of Massachusetts will be favourably endorsed at the Bureau.¹ I shall be very glad if the Governor can see his way to let us have a supply; enough for the whole Regiment if possible — if not, at least enough for two squadrons. Perhaps it might be a good thing in other ways to have Massachusetts furnish the California Battalion with these arms; it would convince the men that there were some advantages in belonging to a Massachusetts regiment — however revolting it might be to their pride.

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¹ These were the newly invented repeating breech-loading Spencer carbines, firing seven shots. They were the first repeating carbines in use, and greatly increased the effectiveness of cavalry for dismounted service. This was proved soon after for Colonel Lowell's command, as is later told, at the fight at Rockville.

SOURCE: Edward Waldo Emerson, Life and Letters of Charles Russell Lowell, p. 316-7, 455

The rebels in Johnson’s army...

...are beginning to appreciate the Spencer rifle with which some of our regiments are armed, and when fully loaded, contains sixteen balls. Some of the “rebs” taken prisoners inquired what kind of guns the Yanks had, which they loaded on Sunday, and fired all the week. The motion in priming the rifle is peculiar, and led one prisoner into the belief that the Yankees were the politest soldiers in the world, “for,” said he, “when ever they kill one of our men they present arms.”

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, July 9, 1864