Spencer Repeating Rifle Sergeant Joel Weaver Company K, 123Rd Illinois
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Spencer Repeating Rifle Sergeant Joel Weaver Company K, 123rd Illinois The Spencer rifle was a 47 1/8 inch long weapon that fired .52 caliber metallic rim-fire cartridges from a seven-shot tubular magazine located in the buttstock. The action relied on the manual down and back movement of a trigger guard or lever which brought a fresh cartridge into the chamber and cleared any spent shell casings. A hammer was then manually locked into place bringing the weapon into firing condition. With practice, a soldier could fire an average of 14 to 20 rounds per minute. This Spencer rifle belonged to Corporal Joel Weaver of the 123rd Illinois. Weaver, from Charleston, Illinois, enlisted with the rank of corporal in Company K of the 123rd Illinois for a period of three years on August 4, 1862. He and the rest of his company were officially mustered into the army on September 6, 1862, at Matoon, Illinois. At the time he joined the army, Corporal Weaver was 26 years old, 5' 8" tall with light hair, blue eyes, and a sandy complexion. He was married and made his living as a carpenter. In the fall of 1862, Weaver was admitted as a patient at a Union hospital at Woodsonville, Kentucky, due to an illness. He rejoined his company in January 1863 and served with it until his discharge from the service on June 28, 1865. He was promoted to sergeant on June 1, 1864. The 123rd Illinois, along with the 92nd and 98th Illinois and the 17th and 72nd Indiana, became part of Colonel John Wilder's famous Lightning Brigade. As a commander, Wilder always looked for ways to increase his troops' advantage over the enemy. Frustrated with trying to fight the Confederate cavalry with infantry troops, he asked for and received permission to mount his infantrymen on horseback. Unlike cavalrymen, who normally stayed mounted at all times, Wilder’s men used their horses to help them move quickly to find the enemy. Once engaged, the Lightning Bridage dismounted from their animals and fought on foot. Wilder also armed many in his brigade with one of the most technically advanced weapon of the war--the seven shot repeating Spencer rifle. To pay for the Spencer's, Wilder secured a loan from a bank in Greensburg, Indiana. The bankers agreed to advance the money after each solider signed, and Wilder co- signed, a note for each weapon. The majority of the Lightning Brigade received the weapons in May of 1863 and used them to great effect throughout the remainder of the war. At the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863: Wilder’s brigade was an island of firepower throughout the entire three day battle. On September 18, 1863, the Lightning Brigade defended a key crossing over Chickamauga Creek and prevented the advancing Confederates from flanking the rest of the Union line. Two days later, the Lightning Brigade attacked and stalled a rebel breakthrough on the Union right flank long enough for General George Thomas to set up a defense that, arguably, saved the Army of the Cumberland from destruction. Through innovation and superior use of firepower, these men from Indiana and Illinois established themselves as a military force to be reckoned with in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Credit: On loan from Dr. Jack Dukes through the Institute for Civil War Studies, Carroll College.