Morse, George W.

Name	Street	Town	State	From	To
Morse, George W.		Baton Rouge	Louisiana	1856

Patent	Date	Remarks
15,995	October 28, 1856	Breech-Loading Fire-Arm view patent
15,996	October 28, 1856	Cartridge-Case, improvement on Maynard's patent of June 17, 1856 view patent
20,727	June 29, 1858	Improvement in Cartridges view patent
20,503	June 8, 1858	Breech-Loading Fire-Arm view patent

Contract	for
September 13, 1858, with Secretary of War, Floyd	2,000 alterations of muzzle-loaders to breech-loaders (work was done at the Springfield Armory, but by lack of funds only 600 guns were altered)

Product
George Woodward Morse was born in New Hampshire in 1813. He migrated to Louisiana in 1838 or 1839. His first prototype breechloading arms were made in Baton Rouge in the mid-1850s. By October, 1855, Morse had fully developed his new design for a "reverse trapdoor" breechloader using an unique metallic cartridge to seal the breech. (Patented in 1856) To find a manufacturing company to produce his arms commercially, Morse worked with Nathan Muzzy, Worcester, Massachusetts, operating as Muzzy & Co., and contracted to produce 100 of his breechloaders. As of Isaac S. Morse, brother of George Woodward Morse, letter to George Wardner (Sharps Rifle Co. agent), November 26, 1858 only half of the contracted guns were made and were of poor quality. In December, 1858, the Muzzy Rifle Barrel and Gun Manufacturing Co. was formed, with Morse as a stockholder, and absorbed the assets of Muzzy & Co. Simultaneously, Morse tried to interest the Ordnance Department in his guns, which were positively tested at the Washington Arsenal on March 5, 1857. On March 5, 1858, John B. Floyd, Secretary of War directed the purchase of 100 carbines, to be manufactured by Muzzy & Co. which had never been delivered. In 1857, Morse begun developing a method to convert muzzle-loading muskets to breechloader. On February 20, and March 13, 1858, Secretary of War, Floyd ordered the Washington Arsenal to alter two .69 caliber muskets, one .54 caliber rifle, a Model 1842 Rifled Musket, a Model 1816 percussion smoothbore musket and a Model 1841 Rifle. Several other convertions of muzzle-loaders were made in the following. Floyd lobied for the Morse alterations at several times. However, Secretary of War, Floyd resigned from office on December 29, 1860, as his loyalty was with the southern states, not with the new president, Abraham Lincoln. In May, 1861, he was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Morse followed Secretary Floyd, leaving Washington on April 11, 1861, to return to Louisiana. The Morse alteration musket is most notable for being the first breechloading metallic cartridge arm manufactured by the Springfield Armory. The advent of the Civil War cut short it's potential adoption as a standard infantry arm of the U.S. Army.

Product

George Woodward Morse was born in New Hampshire in 1813. He migrated to Louisiana in 1838 or 1839. His first prototype breechloading arms were made in Baton Rouge in the mid-1850s. By October, 1855, Morse had fully developed his new design for a "reverse trapdoor" breechloader using an unique metallic cartridge to seal the breech. (Patented in 1856) To find a manufacturing company to produce his arms commercially, Morse worked with Nathan Muzzy, Worcester, Massachusetts, operating as Muzzy & Co., and contracted to produce 100 of his breechloaders. As of Isaac S. Morse, brother of George Woodward Morse, letter to George Wardner (Sharps Rifle Co. agent), November 26, 1858 only half of the contracted guns were made and were of poor quality. In December, 1858, the Muzzy Rifle Barrel and Gun Manufacturing Co. was formed, with Morse as a stockholder, and absorbed the assets of Muzzy & Co.

Simultaneously, Morse tried to interest the Ordnance Department in his guns, which were positively tested at the Washington Arsenal on March 5, 1857. On March 5, 1858, John B. Floyd, Secretary of War directed the purchase of 100 carbines, to be manufactured by Muzzy & Co. which had never been delivered.

In 1857, Morse begun developing a method to convert muzzle-loading muskets to breechloader. On February 20, and March 13, 1858, Secretary of War, Floyd ordered the Washington Arsenal to alter two .69 caliber muskets, one .54 caliber rifle, a Model 1842 Rifled Musket, a Model 1816 percussion smoothbore musket and a Model 1841 Rifle. Several other convertions of muzzle-loaders were made in the following. Floyd lobied for the Morse alterations at several times. However, Secretary of War, Floyd resigned from office on December 29, 1860, as his loyalty was with the southern states, not with the new president, Abraham Lincoln. In May, 1861, he was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Morse followed Secretary Floyd, leaving Washington on April 11, 1861, to return to Louisiana.

The Morse alteration musket is most notable for being the first breechloading metallic cartridge arm manufactured by the Springfield Armory. The advent of the Civil War cut short it's potential adoption as a standard infantry arm of the U.S. Army.