As tensions with both Britain and France rose in the 1790s Congress acted to purchase arms and equipment and set up two national armories in 1795, but their output was not sufficient to adequately arm the fledging nation's armed forces, so new arms contracts were issued to private firms beginning 1798. Over the course of two years, a total of 27 arms contracts would be award manufacturers to supply arms to the US government; the most prolific of these manufacturers would end up being Eli Whitney.
While most school children know Eli Whitney as "the inventor of the Cotton Gin", it was Whitney's innovations relating to arms manufacturing that would leave a far greater impact on history than the invention he's most famous for. After receiving a contract for muskets in 1798, Whitney immediately began preparing his manufacturing facility at New Haven Connecticut to produce a large volume of arms. He rebuilt the dam and installed water wheels to help power large equipment like forging dies and grinding wheels, and constructed a host of new buildings to house the operations of converting raw materials into functional weapons. But the most notable change Whitney made was the way he approached the business of building muskets. Rather than building the guns one at a time and largely by hand, Whitney took on the almost insurmountable task of mechanizing his armory (to the extant that an armory could be mechanized in the late 18th Century) with the intention of producing arms that were interchangeable.
While the idea of interchangeability was not new, the actual business of building a musket with interchangeable parts had not yet been accomplished by the time Whitney began on his first stand of arms for the government. Whitney invested heavily in machinery, hoping that automation would help to standardize the guns he produced. Not only would this provide the obvious benefit of allowing Whitney' guns to be easily repaired in the field, it would also cut down on his manufacturing costs; once the mechanized armory was fully up and running. Many of the machines that Whitney installed in his armory were his own inventions; including what many historians have claimed to be the first "Milling machine". This machine allowed for extremely precise cutting and shaping of parts. The milling machine proved to be absolutely invaluable in not only arms manufacturing but, but a host of machining applications and contributed heavily to the Industrial Revolution a few decades later.
Whitney delivered his first stand of arms in 1801. The guns were heavily based on the French Pattern 1766 musket, and featured a heavy "double throated" cock and a 44" barrel secured with three iron barrel bands.
The muskets were well received and considered to be of a quality that was similar to the guns produced at Springfield. However, the government wasn't thrilled with the Whitney's price tag, and complained that the price per musket was much higher than those produced by the Federal Armories. In response to this, Whitney tabulated a calculated breakdown all of his associated costs including fixed costs such as insurance and machinery and sent it to Springfield. In doing this, Whitney has been credited with early contributions to both the concepts of cost accounting, and economic efficiency in manufacturing.
While his guns were of a very high quality, Whitney's desire for true interchangeability was a bit beyond the technological capabilities of his time, and he was not able to achieve a fully interchangeable musket by the time he delivered the last of his contract for 10,000 arms to the government in 1809. However he continued to innovated arms design, and his design for a model 1812 musket for the state of New York would later be adopted by the Federal government as the Model 1816 - the first American musket that wasn't a direct copy of a French gun.
Whitney's Model 1798 muskets would go on to see heavy service in the American military, with the most notable being during the War of 1812.
This particular Whitney Model 1798 contract musket is an extremely rare "Type I" example, and features a flat faceted cock and iron pan. These "Type I" examples are extremely rare, with noted arms historian George Moller recording only about 1,000 Type I muskets delivered during 1801 and 1802 before the pattern was updated to include a round-faced cock and brass pan. This musket has survived in its original; unmodified flintlock configuration and was one of the few muskets that was never converted to percussion. The lock retains all of its original parts with the exception of the top jaw screw; which is a nicely aged reproduction. Interestingly, this lock has no markings whatsoever; similar to Springfield muskets made prior 1799. Considering there is no evidence of any faint markings whatsoever on the lock plate, we can only speculate that perhaps some of the very earliest muskets produced at Whitney's may have been delivered before adequate marking dies could be made to stamp the lock plates.
The stock is in great shape with no major damage. There is some evidence of lacquer applied to some areas of the stock; particularly around the lock mortise and wrist. This appears to have been an old "collector's trick" to stabilize the wood and prevent damage from oil or "dry rot". Apart from this, the stock is very sound with some minor cracks visible, but overall the stock is very sound and would make for an excellent display piece. Additionally, the stock bears a worn, but legible, large “MARYLAND” brand on the right forestock, indicating it was one of 3,050 muskets supplied to the state from 1809 to 1812 by the U.S. government and covered by the 1808 militia act. This Maryland brand is extremely worn, but most of the letters can be made out in the right lighting; particularly the "M", "A', "R", and "D". In addition to the Maryland band on the forestock, a large letter "M" can be seen stamped at the breech, which according to Maryland Martial Arms Specialist Frederick Gaede, is a supplemental proofmark applied to muskets that were purchased by the state of Maryland.
Mechanically, this musket is in excellent condition. The lock functions well on both full and half cock. The frizzen spring is crisp.
The barrel is full length and in great condition. The barrel shows a lot of use, and the touch hole is very large as a result of a lot of shooting. The bore shows quite a bit of use as well - the bore is very dark, and the muzzle has "thinned" from repeated ramming and cleaning.
The furniture is all original, with the exception of the ram rod; which is a nicely aged reproduction, which is of the correct style for a 1798 Whitney.
This musket is a great piece of early American history with ties to the War of 1812 - a military musket produced for a fledging nation preparing to defend its hard-won independence.
