The "Trapdoor" Springfield - From the Little Bighorn to San Juan Hill

Intended to replace the proliferation of different small arms fielded by US forces during the American Civil War, the -Trapdoor Springfield- was designed in 1865-66 by Erskine S. Allin. Using metallic cartridges, it could be loaded in a single action, increasing the number of shots per minute as much as fivefold. The new weapon quickly proved its worth in two separate incidents in August 1867: small groups of US soldiers and civilians armed with the trapdoor repulsed numerically superior Native American contingents. A simple and cost-effective weapon, it was used, along with its variants in every US conflict in the three decades after the Civil War, especially on the American frontier.

Drawing upon first-hand accounts from US soldiers, their Native American opponents, and users such as buffalo hunters, this is the story of the -Trapdoor Springfield,- one of the defining weapons of the Indian Wars.