The .50-45 Handcannon, as requested by Mr. Sherman
Thought by some War Nerds to be the most gifted U.S. general of the Civil War, William Tecumseh Sherman, had an idea for the ultimate hand cannon. This gun, firing a 350-grain half-inch wide bullet capable of felling a buffalo with a single shot, went down in history as the Model 1869 Springfield pistol.
Sherman, best known for his Georgia Campaign and concept of total war that included the controversial burning of Atlanta, was no fan of conflict. Once that war was over, he wrote a letter that expressed, “tis only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated … that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation.”
Still, the country would not turn this grizzled veteran loose who first put on a uniform in 1840 and instead, gave him another command, that of the Department of the Missouri in 1866. This area was spread from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and was being crowded by settlers heading West to start a new life in a country seeking to rebuild itself. To protect this huge swath of land that now encompasses over a dozen states; Sherman had a pitiful few soldiers spread over scores of isolated outposts. What they needed was firepower, and he suggested as much to the fine gents at the Ordnance Department.
Sherman wrote, “…I wish you also cause to be prepared as soon as convenient prior to March 1, 1870, a carbine and single barreled pistol with the same of similar breech block as is now used in the Springfield musket, and capable of using the same identical cartridge. I do not suppose one can literally use a musket cartridge in the carbine and pistol, but each could use the same caliber, the same copper case, the powder alone varying in quantity, but the strength of parts should be adjusted so that in emergencies the carbine and pistol could use the musket cartridge.”
As the old warlord was officially made Commanding General of the United States Army on March 8, 1869, pistolsmith Erskine S. Allin went chop chop on the prototype of Sherman’s requested hog leg…
The giant Model 1869 compared to the Springfield U.S. Model 1842/51 Percussion Pistol, itself the size of a modern Colt M1911A1 Longslide
Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk