Who was dr. edward maynard?
by Chris De Francisci
Many of us shoot Maynard’s in individual and Carbine competition. The invention of Dr. Edward Maynard. But who was Maynard? What is the story behind this brilliant inventor? Dr. Edward Maynard was a renowned dentist having made several contributions to the profession. In fact, he was offered the position of dentist to the Russian royal family of Emperor Nicholas I during his travels abroad. He introduced the use of gold foil for filling teeth and pioneered advances in dental surgery. He advocated for a Corps of Dental Surgeons to be included in the Army and Navy of the time to provide care for both the officers and rank and file. For much of his professional life Dr. Maynard held a Chair position at Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. The first dental college in the world. Patients included several US Presidents, Cabinet members, Senators, members of the military, and foreign ministers. In 1878 the Virginia State Dental Association conferred upon him the title of “Prince of Dentists”. Dr. Maynard lived in several different places, in Washington, DC, Cooperstown, NY, and Tarrytown, NY. His residences were quite well appointed and lavish for the time. In fact, the Tarrytown residence was originally called Ericstan Castle and was a beautiful place located on the east bank of the Hudson River. Upon the death of his wife, Ellen, Dr. Maynard sold his Cooperstown homes and moved to Washington, DC. In 1869, Dr. Maynard remarried to Nellie Long of Savannah Georgia. She survived her husband, Dr. Maynard passed away in 1891. One constant in military warfare has always been the need to load and fire as quickly as possible. The early arms which used flintlock or percussion locks took a while to load, prime, and fire. In 1845 Dr. Maynard invented, and patented, a system of priming which replaced the percussion cap. We know it as the Maynard Tape Primer Lock System. It used a roll of waterproof paper tape contained in a compartment and was advanced using a spring system by cocking the hammer. The tape was in two pieces with a priming compound sandwiched between them and varnished. The design could be used in any firearm. Those of us who remember cap pistols using a roll of “caps” are familiar with the design and operation.
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Pictured Above Dr. Edaward Maynard
In 1845 both the Army and Navy paid Dr. Maynard for the right to use the priming device in small arms, for up to a total of 5,000 (4,000 for the Army and 1,000 for the Navy). He would be paid the sum of $0.25 for all arms equipped beyond that number. After the sale to the US government, Dr. Maynard thought he could sell his invention to other countries and traveled through Europe demonstrating his invention and seeking additional sales. Traveling through Europe and Russia, sales, and patents, were made in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, and Great Britain. In addition, he also practiced his dentistry to wide acclaim to heads of state in those countries. Britain later ordered several arms equipped with the tape primer mechanism for use in the Crimea. Dr. Maynard also invented the first metallic cartridge and the first breech loading rifle for use in the Civil War. His tape primer system can be found on arms manufactured by Merrill, the Model 1855 Percussion Musket and the 1855 Percussion Pistol Carbine. The first Maynard Carbine, also called by us the “first model Maynard” was designed in 1853. And it used the new metallic cartridge he designed. Patents were awarded for the firearm and the cartridge. Skirmish Line Summer 2021 22
8/16/2021 12:11:18 PM
