Gun Confiscations As Part Of The Lincoln Administration
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 8 months ago
“You will see that I have been authorized to collect all military arms of Pennsylvania at my own expense for the purpose of remodeling, and then to be returned again to regular organized companies,” a June 12, 1861 letter from Maj. O.H. Wheeler to Maj. [unintelligible] Carothers ordered. You are deputized by me to demand and collect from whose hands the same may be found, all military arms both good and bad in the county of [Beaver]… and give receipts.”
A major had the authority to do that? What law or executive or martial law order was passed to allow for the military to compel civilians to surrender their arms? And noting the space where “Beaver” was filled in was a blank on a form letter, was the entire state subject to the order? What about other states in the Union? And people were OK with that?
The way I take David’s article, Lincoln used firearms confiscations from civilians to arm his troops, or at least, he intended to.
To me, there isn’t much difference between that and the mandate to quarter troops. I believe the war of independence was fought over just such reasons as those.
On March 31, 2020 at 10:06 am, scott s. said:
In the context of 1861 I don’t think Lincoln would have anything to do with this, at least not directly. The feds were entirely dependent on the governors to raise and equip the volunteer army. Gov Curtain of PA was certainly one of the more energetic in creating the Pennsylvania Reserves, a force in excess of of the state’s quota in the initial call-up of 90 day volunteers. (The Reserves would be the training ground for notable generals John Reynolds and George Meade.) Sec War Cameron, a Pennsy Railroad man, probably was involved as well (contrary to DK Goodwin, the cabinet officers were hardly a “team” of rivals).
In 1861 the Ordnance Bureau had little in the way of small arms outside of Springfield, and whatever stocks were held in states via the Militia Act. The loss of Harpers Ferry hurt. So it isn’t surprising that states would attempt to scrounge what small arms they could via requisition. States, both north and south, sent agents to Europe to obtain what they could from there.