Hey everyone, I'm currently writing a research paper regarding the advancements in technology specifically weaponry in the Civil War. I've been diving into the Spencer Repeating Rifle and other weapons similar to the Spencer, like the Henry.
I'm looking for some more personal accounts of the weapon specifically from soldiers who carried the weapon or from Generals, such as Custer who acquired them for their men. I'm looking for either some published war diaries that potentially have mentionings of the Spencer or some digitized collections with these that I'd have access to.
Anything from records of the number of rifles the government purchased, personal writings of officers/soldiers, or anything else that would be of relevance.
Secondary literature is ripe and I've found an abundance of these sorts of things mentioned; however, I can't seem to find a good place that actually has the primary sources. If anyone could point me in the right direction that would be very helpful. Thank you all!
Best book for the government side of it would be Claude Fuller's The Breechloader in the Service, which features a lot of War Department reports, as well as patent drawings.
It's quite possible some enthusiastic collector has scoured the written sources for any and all mentions of the Spencer rifle and published them under one cover, and you might search dealers like Dixie Gun Works for such a thing. However, Anson Mills' My Story is here for free over on Project Gutenberg. Mills not only would carry the Spencer in the first years after the Civil War out west, but would invent the Mills cartridge belt. He had become annoyed by the rattling of the new metallic cartridges in the standard issue cartridge box, and came up with something quieter. He also had an interesting life.