The First Repeaters of the Old West

The Henry Repeating Rifle, one of the earliest of the models brought out by the Winchester Rifle Company, did a great deal to give the white man superiority in the West.

Up until 1865, the wars between the Indians and the whites matched to basically equal forces, as far as arms were concerned. Both armies used single action guns and both had to take the problem of reloading into account when battle strategy was drawn, assuming it was.

Model 1860 Henry rifle, Receiver

The Indians main strategy, up until 1865, was to maneuver within charging distance of the opponent and tempt him to fire by offering one of their number as a target. The Braves used as the target (unless he was disabled) and his companions would then rush in and overwhelm their adversaries before he could reload.

In 1865, the Blackfoot Indians of Montana tried this tactic on prospectors who happened to be armed with Henry Repeating Rifles that they had received while members of the Union Army during the Civil War. As Paul B Jenkins, who was told years later by one of the participants of the first meeting between the Indians and the prospectors, retold later:

One morning the two young ex-soldiers had hardly begun the day’s operations when they saw the Indians approaching in force, and knew they were in for it. Some 40 warriors dismounted at a distance, approached to nearly gun range, laid down in the grass and began deliberately to creep in, spreading out to surround the supposedly doomed victims. Once in range, some began to expose themselves for an instant, bobbing up in the hope of drawing a desperate bullet, but always doing so to a time in the hope of getting the guns of both whites empty simultaneously.

Winchester Repeating Arms Company advertisement from 1898.

A SCHEME ATTACHED

One of the youths got the idea from the fact that Indians always show themselves at the same instant, and said to his companions; “as soon as they get near enough, we’ll fire together. They rushed us the moment we both fired, and then will be the time for you in me to do some shooting.”

It happened precisely as he foresaw. With full magazines, they agreed to bring on the decisive charge. At the word of one, both fired as warriors show themselves above the grass for an instant. The moment that the two flashes and puffs of smoke were seen simultaneously, the whole band of Blackfeet sprung to their feet – yelling and running at their supposed temporarily unarmed and helpless victims.

1860 Civil War Henry Rifle No. 4771.

INDESCRIBABLE HORROR

But those two guns kept on firing! Shot after shot pouring from the guns over the low log breastwork, the indescribable horror of the warriors who consider themselves already victorious, man after man of their number fell shrieking, or silent in the prairie grass as the deadly and unheard of continuous firing blazed steadily at them; and that at a range so short, chosen for the final dash to close quarters, that few if any of the young rifleman’s bullets missed.

They halted, wheeled, and madly dashed away in any direction to escape the ceaseless fire. Only a few escaped. Reloading their magazines, the youths sprang from the rude barbette and ended the desperate work by leaving alive no wounded victims.

FATAL RESULTS

Indeed, for the effect of the slaying, they riddled every corpse with innumerable bullets and drug the whole number of bodies to a heap at a distance beyond rifle range of their fort that the survivors might return and contemplate the fatal results of their terrible encounter with weapons that obviously appeared never to need to be reloaded at all.

From that day forward, no other attack was ever made upon that pair. The one I knew, later told me that passing Indian bands would go around their cabin; or, on meeting one of the miners, would rush off to a safe distance for fear, of coming into any proximity with the awful magic of death that they had so terribly exhibited.

Once, he told me, meeting an Indian whom he had reason to believe, to have been one of the survivors of the fight. The Braves, with a face of horror, exclaimed,” spirit guns! spirit guns!” and was off as fast as his pony could gallop.”