With the War Department's refusal to have anything to do with his invention, Joseph G. Chambers turned to the Navy and by mid-April 1813 also had produced an eight-barreled, swivel-mounted weapon that could discharge more than 200 rounds on one trigger-pull.
Several successful demonstrations of a repeating swivel, musket and pistol were conducted at the Washington Navy Yard. This favorably impressed Secretary of the Navy William Jones who on 7 May ordered Philadelphia Navy Agent George Harrison to contract with Chambers for ten of his swivels and to have 100 conventional muskets modified into repeaters.
For his efforts, Chambers received $200 for his expenses and services.
Not That Much. --Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
Showing posts with label inventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inventions. Show all posts
Friday, August 5, 2016
Machine Guns in the War of 1812?-- Part 1
Frm the October 2014 Naval History Magazine "Armaments & Innovations: The U.S. Navy's Early Machine Guns" by Comdr. Tyrone G. Martin, USN (retired).
Joseph G. Chambers abandoned his studies at Princeton as the British approached in the fall of 1776 and escaped, joining his father's New Jersey militia regiment. He took part in the battles at Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine and Germantown.
His wartime service made him very interested in weapons and he became an inventor with some very innovative and unusual guns.
In late 1812, he arrived at Washington with repeating rifles and pistols which he offered to the War Department. He referred to his inventions, which he had worked on for two decades as "machine guns." They worked on the "Roman Candle" principle in which when the trigger was pulled, the weapon fired a number of rounds until all were exp[ended.
Secretary of War John Armstrong wasn't interested.
Multi-Shooting Back Then. --Brock-Perry
Joseph G. Chambers abandoned his studies at Princeton as the British approached in the fall of 1776 and escaped, joining his father's New Jersey militia regiment. He took part in the battles at Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine and Germantown.
His wartime service made him very interested in weapons and he became an inventor with some very innovative and unusual guns.
In late 1812, he arrived at Washington with repeating rifles and pistols which he offered to the War Department. He referred to his inventions, which he had worked on for two decades as "machine guns." They worked on the "Roman Candle" principle in which when the trigger was pulled, the weapon fired a number of rounds until all were exp[ended.
Secretary of War John Armstrong wasn't interested.
Multi-Shooting Back Then. --Brock-Perry
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