A good read

[RMulhern]

THE BEGINNINGS OF INTERNATIONAL RIFLE MATCH SHOOTING
By General George W. Wingate
Captain of the First International Team

NOTWITHSTANDING the experience of the Civil War had demonstrated that soldiers who could not shoot straight were of little value, and notwithstanding also that instruction in rifle shooting was regularly given in European armies, no such instruction existed in this country until the organization of the National Rifle Association in 1871. Theoretically, there was an army text book on the subject, a, translation from the French, but it was of no value and was not used.

The National Guardsman served his entire term of enlistment without firing a shot, and the regular did the same, except when he shot at Indians or game. A system introduced by the writer in 1867 in instructing Company A of the 22d N. G. N. Y., was adopted by that regiment as a whole and was printed by it for the use of its officers. This was elaborated in articles written for the Army and Navy Journal and led to the formation of the National Rifle Association on November 24, 1871. Its officers were: President, General A. E. Burnside; Vice-President, Colonel William C. Church; Treasurer, General John B. Woodward, and I was its secretary. General Burnside’s connection with the organization was nominal and on July 22, 1872, he resigned, and Colonel Church was elected in his place and General Alex. Shaler vice-president.

Creedmoor was purchased in 1872, the State contributing $25,000 and New York and Brooklyn each $5,000. I made a personal examination of the ranges at Wimbledon, and together with John A. Church, the engineer, inspected the ranges in Canada. Creedmoor was laid out from the results of this investigation. At the request of the N. R. A. I wrote a “Manual for Rifle Practice” which was for many years the only work on the subject. The first meeting at this range took place June 21, 1873, and was participated in by representatives from most of the New York National Guard organizations and the United States Engineers, and by a squad from the regulars of Governor’s Island, the latter being at the foot of the list.

The object of the National Rifle Association was to promote military shooting with military rifles. Several clubs were formed inside it to practice off-hand shooting, and the Amateur Rifle Club was organized for the promotion of long range firing. This was a small club, which included, however, nearly all the riflemen who subsequently became famous in the international matches and I was honored by being elected as its president.


One of the chief features of the Wimbledon meetings of the British N. R. A. was a match for a shield presented by Lord Elcho in 1862 which was annually competed for by teams of eight from England, Ireland and Scotland respectively, at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards with match rifles, 15 shots at each distance in any position without artificial rest. In 1873, the Irish team under Major Arthur B. Leach won this match by a previously unparalleled score. Fired by their success Major Leach published in the New York Herald a challenge, on behalf of the Irish Rifle Association, to the riflemen of America to shoot a match in the autumn of 1874, under the following conditions: Targets and scoring same as adopted by the National Association of Great Britain (which was the same as those at Creedmoor); ranges, 800, 900, 1,000 and 1,100 yards; rifles any not exceeding ten pounds in weight, but without telescope sights or hair triggers. Position, any, but without artificial rest. Team to be from eight to six men, at the option of the Irish. The American team to be composed exclusively of riflemen born in the United States and to shoot with rifles of American manufacture, the Irish team to shoot with rifles made by Rigby of Dublin. As the challenge was to decide the rifle championship of the world, a sufficient stake was to be put up, not for the sake of pecuniary gain, but as a guaranty that the Irish team would meet the representative shots of America.

This challenge was brought before the directors of the National Rifle Association, but that board was too dignified a body to recognize “a mere newspaper publication,” or a communication which was not addressed to it. It was ascertained later that the challenge was not sent to the N. R. A., because it was not known to exist. The Amateur Rifle Club, however, was less particular than its parent association. At a meeting held on February 4, 1874, its executive committee was instructed to correspond with Major Leach and endeavor to arrange a match.

The action of the club in doing this cannot be described otherwise than as audacious. It had been organized only a short time, and its total membership was but 62. During the year 1873 it had had but five matches, all of which were at 500 yards. In these matches it was the habit of such of the members of the club as participated (who never exceeded nineteen in any one match) to lie in a long row in front of the targets in the prone position, each man in a squad firing alternately at the target to which he was assigned. Not a single member of the club had ever shot beyond 600 yards. As is well known, the atmospheric difficulties to be encountered at firing at long range are very much greater than at midrange and require greater skill and experience.

The rifles which were then in use in this country were without Vernier scales on the rear sights and were used without wind gauges. Hepburn, who was a skilled mechanic, used to supply the want of a wind gauge on his rifle by tapping his foresight to one side or the other with a hammer, an act which excited considerable jealousy among his fellow members who were not skillful enough themselves to imitate him. Our rifles did not even have a flat or “shotgun” butt. That used by the writer was an abomination in the shape of a crescent, which, while good enough in firing from the shoulder, when used in the prone position struck the collarbone in such a way as to create a practically permanent lump the size of a hen’s egg and of all the colors of the rainbow.


The targets used at this time had square sub-divisions, but without what is known as the “center.” At mid-range the target was six feet square, the bullseye two feet and center four feet square. At long ranges the target was six feet high and twelve feet wide, bullseye three feet square, center six feet square. The count was 4, 3, 2.

The scores in the 500 yards matches of the Amateur Club during 1873 indicate to any rifleman the skill, or rather want of skill, of its members, the winning scores being 25, 27, 26, 25, 27. Not only were the members of the club without experience and without proper sights upon their rifles but there were then no American rifles in existence which could be depended upon to do accurate firing at the ranges selected for the match. Above all, the club, though prosperous enough, was without the means which would be required to meet the heavy expenses connected with organizing and training a rifle team and with the running of such an important match.

For a club of this description to undertake to shoot against men like the Irish team, who were provided with the finest match rifles, having Vernier and wind gauge sights, who had been practicing for years at extreme ranges and who had just defeated the selected long range riflemen of both England and Scotland by an unparalleled score, seemed preposterous. Perhaps if the club had fully realized the contract undertaken it would have hesitated. Acting, however, upon the principle, “Nothing venture, nothing win,” the Amateur Rifle Club proceeded to arrange for the terms of the match and to qualify themselves if not to win, to at least make a creditable endeavor to sustain the honor of the country.


As it was impossible to shoot at 1,100 yards at Creedmoor, that distance was eliminated. The stake was agreed on as being £100 or $500. The club had been a good deal troubled as to where it should get this money, but was relieved from the difficulty by the Remington Arms Company and the Sharps Rifle Company, each of which agreed to contribute one-half. These firms also guaranteed that they each would turn out, in time for practice for the match, an American rifle which in point of accuracy would be equal, if not superior, to the celebrated Rigby rifles which were used by the Irish team. Unlike the Rigby rifle, the new guns were to be breech loaders so the contest was to be one of old style muzzle loaders against the modern breech loaders.

These arrangements having been made, the Amateur Club formally accepted the challenge on behalf of the riflemen of America and issued an appeal to such riflemen to participate in the matches. In view of the small membership of the club it was hoped that there would be a general response to this invitation. Long range shooting, however, was at that time a thing entirely unknown. Neither ranges, rifles nor riflemen existed and no candidates for places upon the team, outside of the members of the club, presented themselves.

Early in the spring the promised rifles were made and they proved to be marvels in the way of accuracy. They were 45-caliber breech loaders (what is known as the Creedmoor pattern). They shot a 550-grain bullet, slightly hardened, of the same general description as the bullet used by the Irish, with a usual charge of 90 grains of black powder.

It had been generally supposed that a breech loader would be inferior in accuracy to a muzzle loader. To a certain extent this is the case where the rifle is shot without cleaning, as the pushing of the wad down on top of the powder practically cleans the barrel after each shot. In this match, however, cleaning between shots was permitted, and the man using the breech loader had the advantage that in looking through it he could know that it was perfectly clean. There was also danger that he would forget to put a bullet upon his charge, an accident which occurred to Sir Henry Halford during the Centennial match, although he had a servant who was specially instructed to watch him to see that he did not commit such a fault.


The first match of the Club at the ranges which had been selected for the International competition took place on May 30, 1874, and had a decided tendency to produce a chill in the hearts of those who were anxious for American success: There were five shots at each distance, highest possible score 20, making a total of 60. The shooter also had the advantage of two sighting shots. The following are the seven highest scores: 46, 44, 39, 38, 36, 35, 31. These matches were continued, the winning scores showing a steady improvement, namely: June 20, Conlin, 45; June 27, Bodine, 45; July 11, Dakin, 48; July 25, Canfield, 45; Aug. 8, Hepburn, 54; Aug. 22, Hepburn, 54.

It soon appeared that the number of those who could spare the time for the necessary practice, who would come within the restrictions of the match and who possessed sufficient skill to make it worth while for them to shoot for places, would be just sufficient to make up a team of eight with one or two reserves. Having been elected as the captain of the team I soon found that all my time and energies would be occupied in looking after the team, and that while I ought to shoot occasionally during the practice, in order to keep myself in touch with the team, it was out of the question to think of shooting in the match itself.

In the practice of the men, as well as in the subsequent matches, the difference between the Americans and their opponents, whether from Ireland, England or Scotland, was marked. Each American was constantly studying to devise some new idea. When one was presented every member of the team gave it a fair trial. If it proved to be as good as the method which he had been previously using he adopted it with the idea that he might make it better. In this way by constant experiments and after frequent failures many valuable improvements were developed.

One of these was the system of team shooting which is now universal. Each of the rifles, of course, required a more or less different elevation and wind allowance. From the records used in the different matches I tabulated these elevations so as to determine the relative difference between each rifle. The men shot in a certain defined order. When one was shooting the man who was to follow him set his rifle to the same allowance for elevation and wind as the one firing. When the bullet struck, the second man could tell by its position if his rifle was correctly sighted, and if the conditions remained unchanged would shoot as soon as possible. If the shot, however, was outside the bullseye, he made whatever alteration in his sights its position showed was required. In this way each member of the team profited by the experiences of the other so as to make the practice as nearly as possible to resemble that of one man firing continually.

Our opponents on the other hand were firmly impressed with the idea that what existed was right. They would not adopt an innovation unless it was absolutely demonstrated that it was a great deal better than the system which they were using. Even then their prejudices against innovations were so great that the tests which they gave a new idea often were not fair. They shot as individuals, each man judging of the wind and elevation himself and paying but little attention to what those preceding them were doing. As individual shots they were superior to the American team particularly at 1,000 yards, but they had no idea of team work.

One of the ideas which experience in handling the team led me to adopt and to which the victory was largely owing, was in making up the firing squads to put two of the best judges of wind and elevation to open the firing at each range and to select the steadiest and most reliable men to fire the final shots. The steady practice under the new team system soon made a marked improvement in the scores. These gradually improved day by day and we soon found ourselves doing better than we had any right to reasonably anticipate. The fear of disastrous defeat passed and the hopes of victory began to be entertained.

The Irish team arrived on the Scotia on September 15, 1874. In addition to Major Arthur B. Leach, the captain of the Irish Rifle Association, and the team itself, the party included the Viscount and Viscountess Massareene and Ferral, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and his daughter, Alderman Manning, and a number of other ladies and gentlemen. The Irish were immensely pleased with the appearance of Creedmoor and stated they considered it the best range they had ever seen. They were much impressed with the difference in the atmosphere from what they were accustomed to in Ireland and England and said they could hardly believe that the 1,000 yard firing point was really that distance from the targets as the latter seemed so much nearer than what they usually shot at.

The 26th of September, 1874, was fixed for the date of the match and it was arranged that the two teams should practice together upon the 22d and 24th days of September. The practice on the 22d, although somewhat informal, gave to the Americans considerable encouragement, although they came away from the range with the feeling that the Irish team were more than their equal at the 1,000 yard distance. The practice on the 24th was in fact a rehearsal of the International match itself, the only difference being that the reserves as well as the team were engaged.

The following is a description of the members of the teams:

American: Henry Fulton, civil engineer and lieutenant in the 12th Regiment, N. Y. N. G. He was a veteran of the Civil War having been confined as a prisoner at Andersonville. He invented the Fulton position, lying on his back, drawing his knees up V-shaped, putting the barrel of the rifle between his crossed legs, putting his left arm behind his neck, holding the butt of the gun in his left hand, the elbow of the right arm resting on the ground. G. W. Yale, superintendent of the Sharps Mfg. Co., lay on his right side, resting the gun over the left leg with the stock under the armpit. Col. John Bodine, former colonel of the 19th N. Y., shot in the prone position, as did Henry A. Gildersleeve, an attorney, lieutenant colonel of the 12th and a veteran of the Civil War. Thomas F. Dakin, a brigadier general N. Y. N. G. L. L. Hepburn was a practical gun maker employed by Remington. He had made with his own hands the guns which he and Fulton used. He shot in substantially the same position as Yale. The reserves were J. T. B. Collins and Col. E. S. Sanford.



The Irish team consisted of Major Arthur B. Leach, Captain; John Rigby, an old Wimbledon champion, and the head of the old gun works of John Rigby & Co. James Wilson, a young Belfast merchant. Dr. John R. Hamilton, a surgeon in the British Army and champion of India in 1870. Josiah K. Milner, a Dublin merchant. He lay upon his back and rested the muzzle of his rifle between his toes; the rear sights being on the butt. Edmund Johnson, a Dublin jeweler, who shot in the same position as Milner, and Captain Philip Walker, a British officer. All the team shot in the prone position with the exception of Milner and Johnson.

The match took place on September 26, 1874. The day was hot and dry with considerable mirage; the visitors finding the heat rather excessive. The attendance was large and rapidly increased during the day as the newspaper telegrams led the public for the first time to realize that there were prospects of an American victory.

I do not think that I ever can recall a busier or more exciting day. The targets were arranged in groups of two, numbers 19 and 20 for one team, 16 and 17 for another, 18 being removed. Major Leach won the choice, and took 16 and 17, toward the inside of the range. The wisdom of this choice was manifested at the 1,000 yards, where the shade of a large tree made it very refreshing to his men. The captains of the teams each named a man to sit by the marker at each target, to see that he performed his duty faithfully. Each also named a man who sat with a telescope by the scorer and saw that the scoring was correct. Several times during the match a, doubt occurred in regard to a shot. In such a case the firing ceased, and the markers with their watchers came out and inspected the target.
John Rigby opened the match, making a “center,” scoring three. Lieut. Fulton followed with a "bullseye,” scoring four; Captain Walker followed in the British team and made a miss. The Americans shot steadily and well, and at the end of the firing at 800 yards their score was 326 out of a possible 360, the Irish score being 317. Fulton, of the American, and Hamilton, of the Irish, each made 58 out of a possible 60, that is, 13 bullseyes in 15 shots.

As the firing continued, the crowd, which numbered 5,000, extended itself in a solid mass along the rear of the teams and at an angle to the front on each side for a distance of nearly 500 yards. Behind the teams large bulletin boards were erected upon which the score made by each shot was posted. Everybody, however, had a score book and kept his or her own score. When a shot was fired there was silence until the smart spat of the bullet upon the target would come back at an interval of about three seconds. Then there would be a murmur in the crowd like the sound of a gentle wind “He’s on.” If the white disc was shown, everybody would say “bullseye,” with the effect of a sort of a roar. If it was a center or a miss, the sound was much milder. At the finish at 800 yards a recess was taken during which lunch was had in a large tent.

After lunch the riflemen returned to work at 900 yards. Here both teams set themselves to work in dead earnest, the Irishmen to wipe out the nine points which stood against them, and the Americans to raise their advantage as high as their skill would permit. The Irish gained at this distance, and at the end of the fifteen shots they had made 312 points while the Americans had scored but 310, leaving the latter but seven ahead. Fulton and Yale shot remarkably well at this distance. Dakin, on the other hand, did not shoot up to his average, having one miss and two outers, making a score of only 45.




The teams then moved to 1,000 yards. Here the tension became extreme. It was known that the Irish were better at this distance than the Americans, and it was felt that only by extraordinary efforts could the Americans maintain the lead they had. The friends of each team gathered behind them and cheered to such an extent that both Major Leach and myself were obliged to go together and to beg the crowd to desist for fear of affecting the men they were cheering.

As shot after shot was fired, the anticipation became more and more intense. Hepburn and Dakin of the American team both began with misses, and Dakin made two more in his fifteen shots, making his score only 41, the lowest score in the match on either side. Fulton, however, came up most nobly under the pressure. He made 56, making a total record of 171, which was something at that time unparalleled, and which really saved the match. Milner made a miss, which was really a bullseye on the wrong target, a mistake which brought down upon him the opprobrium of his friends and nearly broke his heart.




The Irishmen shot with greater rapidity than the Americans. This was not because the muzzle loaders could be shot faster than the breech loaders, for the contrary was the case. The Americans, however, shot strictly under their team system, and when two men were lying down to shoot one held his fire until the shot of the other man was recorded so as to have the benefit of the experience which it gave. They also frequently consulted as to what was the cause of a bad shot, particularly at 1,000 yards. The Irish, on the other hand, frequently fired simultaneously at their two targets and consulted much less than did the Americans, each man relying upon his individual judgment. When the Irish had finished their score it was found that they were ahead. One by one the last of the Americans shot, and the lead which the Irish had obtained was obliterated.

When Dakin fired his last shot and made a miss a hollow groan went through the American ranks. Col. Bodine was the last to shoot. He had been selected with special reference to his steadiness under excitement and nobly did he justify the confidence that had been placed in him. The Irish score was 931, the American 930. If he struck his target his team would win by one point. If he missed the match was lost. The crowd had pressed inside the ropes, and formed a long V extending for several hundred yards on each side of the firing point and leaving scarcely room enough to make it safe to shoot. All held their breath and fastened their eyes on Col. Bodine. He had been kept in ignorance of the exact condition of the scores, but he knew perfectly well that everything depended upon his shot.




Calm and imperturbable, as if engaged in ordinary practice, with blood dripping from a handkerchief in which he had tied up a cut on his hand received from a broken ginger-ale bottle a few minutes before, Col. Bodine stretched his long form out into his familiar position and taking a long, steady aim fired. Every one of the thousand pairs of eyes present were shifted from the man to the target, a little point half a mile off. Breathless silence prevailed. Then came the spat of the bullet accompanied by a roar from the crowd, “He’s on,” and then came slowly into sight a large white disc which showed that a bullseye had been made and the match had been won. The disc lingered apparently lovingly upon the center of the bullseye, the most charming and welcome sight I think I ever witnessed.

America had won by three points!




When the result appeared pandemonium broke loose. The sky was darkened with the hats which were thrown into the air. Men danced and thumped each other on the back and whooped and yelled and acted like crazy people. I remember I found myself standing on a chair behind Bodine waving my hat (which, however, I had sense enough to hold on to) and leading the cheering. But to this day I have not the remotest idea of how I got there from the place where I had been standing behind him watching the wind flag to give him warning in case there should be any change.


A forest of hands were stretched forth from every side towards. the Colonel, who was plainly very much embarrassed as well as astonished by these great demonstrations. Everybody looked upon him as the savior of the national honor, and he really well earned the title, the “Old Reliable,” by which he has since been known. After the excitement had ended and the throng scattered over the ground looking for their hats had to some extent dispersed, the winning team was called together and Lady Massareene, in a few appropriate words, pinned upon the breast of each man the badge intended for the winning riflemen. As each was addressed, he said a few words of thanks. The most characteristic of these was probably the remark of Hepburn “that what gave, him most pride and satisfaction was to think that he had made with his own hands the rifle which that day had made the highest score ever made in a match.”

While the score made by the Americans was beyond their anticipations, the same was the case with their opponents, who averaged 155 and 1/6 per man. It is gratifying to know that not the slightest question arose among any one connected with either team in regard to the perfect fairness with which the match was conducted. The marking, scoring, and management were unexceptional, and everything was managed on both sides in the most sportsmanlike and honorable manner. Though sadly disappointed by the result, the Irish team accepted their defeat with the utmost manliness, and while conceding that it was unexpected to them, frankly acknowledged it was fairly and honorably won.

It would be difficult to adequately estimate the great impetus to rifle shooting in the country which came from this first international match. Before the match took place Creedmoor was almost unknown, and but little interest in rifle shooting existed in the National Guard or in the army and none among the public. The result was an enormous advertisement. Rifle ranges and rifle clubs were started all over the country.

The next year, 1875, the Irish team challenged the American team for a return, to be shot in Ireland. The contest took place at Dollymount, near Dublin, and, although the Irishmen made a higher score than had ever been made in Great Britain, they were defeated by thirty-eight points, 967 to 929. In 1876, the Centennial year of America, another international contest was held at Creedmoor, wherein the American team won the Palma trophy over an Irish team by 22, a Scotch team by 63, an Australian team by 64, and a Canadian team by 203, mainly, I believe, owing to the manner, in which their splendid team organization enabled them to follow the fluctuating wind.

In 1877 a British team again appeared at Creedmoor. In that contest the Americans made a grand total of 3,334 to their competitors’ 3,242, with the result that in 1878 no contestant for the Palma appeared, and the American team shot a “walk-over.” In 1880 an American team again shot at Dollymount, in Ireland, making 1,292 points against the Irish 1,280. The shooting in this match was superior to anything which had previously been known; making in 270 shots, 221 bullseyes, 41 centers, 7 inners, one outer, and no misses.

[Woody]

The grounds of the original Creedmoor range was eventually morphed into the New York State Mental Hospital. In the 1970's it was still active until the state, (New York), closed it and turned all of the "socially" acceptable lose on the streets. I was stationed in Suffolk County at the time. It was not pretty. In the late eighties, I was stationed in Boston and shooting at the Middletown Rifle Club, in Middletown, R.I. At the time, it was the oldest continuous NRA club in the nation. We had a 50 foot indoor range and a 100 yard outdoor range. Qualified for my DCM M1 there and had it shipped to the local post office in Quincy, MA. Times have changed.

Woody

[art ruggiero]

just great rick best to you art ruggiero

[alfajim]

Great story. It seems like that long range match style has morphed into the Quigley??

Jim O

[bobw]

Rick, thank you for the time and effort to post that. True history and a remarkable story. In this present day dog eat dog world it is a timely reminder of what sportsmanship is and team work can be. Thanks again Sharpy. Bob Watts

[GrumpyBear]

A very good read, as it gives a good sense of the history of our sport.Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed reading it.

[ShermanCoShooter]

Thank you Rick for the great story, just what I needed while sitting in a wheat truck waiting for a load

[Perentie]

Thank you, Another good description I had not read before. He wrote it well.

[bruce m]

rick, good to see you are still kicking.
i was only thinking about you the other day.
bruce.

[krgriggs]

I was lucky enough to get winning bid on Gen George Wingate’s set of 1st edition books , and a sharps brochardt that was purchase by Wingate for creedmoor matches in 1878. Rifle is documented by the Sharps Rifle Company in 1998. This rifle was also shot by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to open the Camp Perry Competitions one year.