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In 1862, the soldiers that were garrisoned at this post were armed with black powder muzzle-loading .69 caliber Harpers Ferry muskets and shotguns.
In 1864, the Infantry was armed with the .58 caliber, single-shot, muzzle-loading Springfield rifle. Cavalry troops were armed with various types of carbines - usually sharps and smith carbines. The pistols carried by officers and cavalry troops were a .44 caliber colt pistol.
In 1866, after the Civil War, the army converted many of its .58 caliber single-shot, muzzle-loading Springfields into .50 caliber single-shot, breech-loading Springfields. This converted rifle fired metallic cartridges that were inserted into the breech or rear of the rifle. The metallic cartridges were usually made of copper, rather than brass.
In 1873, the army introduced three new regulation weapons: a single-shot, .45-70 Trapdoor Springfield rifle; a .45-70 Trapdoor Springfield carbine; and a .45 caliber Colt revolver. The rifle weighed 8.4 pounds and was 51.9 inches long, where as the carbine weighed only 6.87 pounds and was 41.3 inches long. A trained infantryman or cavalryman could load and fire these weapons sixteen times per minute.
Just to the north and ever so slightly to the west of the powder magazine is the "Old Stables." The stables were long and narrow made of slab wood. They had sharp pitched shingled roofs. They were ninety-six feet long by twenty feet wide. Inside the roof of the stables, there were hay storage facilities to accommodate the many horses that were necessary for a fort of this type.
In front of the "Old Stables" when you look west, is the second of the two enlisted men's barracks. This enlisted men's barracks was similar in style and construction to the first enlisted men's barracks which we discussed earlier. The main difference is that it is smaller, that is it is 48 feet long by twenty feet wide and housed only one company of men.
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