Letters to the Editor
Originally published November-December 2024 · pp. 3–4
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Letters to the
To the editor,
I wanted to add some thoughts to the article by Shannon Pritchard on the Dickson, Nelson & Co. rifle in the Sept.-Oct. 2024 issue of the Military Antique Collector Magazine. I wrote an article on the subject for North South Trader’s Civil War, Vol. 25 No. 6 (1998). In my article, I also agreed that there was no Type 1 rifle. I gave several examples of weapons with the 1863 lockplate that are different in configuration. This would point to the probable repair of weapons but not a distinct line of production. I also point out, as does Mr. Pritchard, that the only confirmed delivery is the Alabama contract listing 645 rifles received between Oct. 1, 1863, to Nov. 1, 1864. Since the factory in Rome burned down in August 1862, it must have taken time for the new factory in Adairsville to get equipment and start production. The Adairsville factory was operational from Sept. 1862 to Sept. 1863. I do not know of any locks with a
Editor
date of 1862. Therefore, it is safe to assume that nothing was produced until 1863. It is my assumption that only weapons were repaired at Adairsville, but no line of production was produced until the move to Dawson after Sept. 1863. However, parts were probably produced at Adairsville. Another observation in my article is that the stamping on the 1863 locks differs from the stamping on the 1864 and 1865 locks. The word “DICKSON” is 12 mm long on 1863 and 14 mm long on 1864 and 1865 locks. I have included a photo of a clearly stamped 1863 lock with the 12 mm “DICKSON.” I believe a new die was used when the factory moved to Dawson. There are at least a couple of Type 2 rifles with 1863 locks. I think these rifles may have been assembled in Dawson from parts made in Adairsville. If anyone has any information contradictory to the above, please email me at jaffee@frontiernet.net. Robert Jaffee MD
Dickson, Nelson & Co. 1865 dated lockplate with 14 mm wide “DICKSON.” (Courtesy OldSouthAntiques.com)
Dickson, Nelson & Co. 1863 dated lockplate with 12 mm wide “DICKSON.” (Dr. Robert Jaffee Collection)
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