BRISTOL FIRE ARM CO LETTER written by AMBROSE BURNSIDE

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This historicaly important letter was written by Ambrose E. Burnside of Bristol, Rhode Island in 1856 who was to become a famous Civil War General. Before the war, Burnside was the owner of the Bristol Fire Arm Company which designed the famous Burnside Carbine. The carbine was designed in 1856 and this letter was written at the time the rifles were about to go into production.The carbine was designed and patented by Ambrose Burnside , who resigned his commission in the U.S. Army to devote himself full time to working on the weapon. The carbine used a special brass cartridge , also invented by Burnside. Pressing the weapon's two trigger guards opened the breech block and allowed the user to insert a cartridge. When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck a percussion cap and caused a spark; a hole in the base of the cartridge exposed the black powder to this spark. The unique, cone-shaped cartridge sealed the joint between the barrel and the breech. Most other breech-loading weapons of the day tended to leak hot gas when fired, but Burnside's design eliminated this problem. [1 ]This antique letter written by Ambrose E. Burnside on Bristol Fire Arm Co. stationary is addressed to J.B.Anothony of the Providence Tool Company. The letter reads "Yours of 19th may concerning bill for rifle britches is at hand but the amount is altogether read more

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