May 8, 1861: Catesby Ap R. Jones gets "reinforcements"

Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle musket

Catesby Ap R. Jones had been on Jamestown Island for several days trying to build a battery and fort to protect the James RIver from marauding Union navy vessels. Jones had been calling for reinforcements, specifically troops to protect the big guns he was emplacing at Jamestown Island, for days, but he must have slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead when he read this description of the reinforcements that were finally on their way.

JAMESTOWN, May 8, 1861.

[SIR:] The Greenville Guards in my command is composed of 1 captain, 3 lieutenants, 4 sergeants, 4 corporals, and 73 privates. We have 50 Enfield rifles, 18 flint-lock muskets, with no flints, and entirely out of order.

We have about 2 rounds only of cartridges for Enfield rifles, and about 10 rounds balls. Ammunition is absolutely required.

We have no knapsacks, no cartridge boxes, no tents, no stationery; in fact, no camp equipage, except a few camp kettles.

The old muskets being entirely useless, we would respectfully ask for 30 good guns to correspond as nearly as possible to our rifles.

Very respectfully,

WM. H. BRIGGS,

Captain.

Captain CATESBY AP R. JONES.

P.S. There are 13 without any guns at all. We need also 2 good swords. Two of the muskets have no rammers.

W.H.B.

As badly equipped as they were, the Greenville Guards were better off than many Confederate units early in the war in that it was armed primarily with Enfield rifled muskets. During this first year of the war, many Confederate units had to make do with old-fashioned smooth bore muskets. The Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle musket would remain a mainstay of the Confederate Army throughout the war.