This would be about the only circumstance that would explain a Burnside contract Spencer in that unit, especially one with such a high number.Īlso, keep in mind that serial numbers in your range overlap between three models. The 5th could have been rearmed just before they got mustered out, in anticipation of service in Texas. At the time, there was a lot of consternation about France’s doin’s in Mexico, so the better units were held in preparation for invasion from south of the border.
The 5th NY stayed in the army until mid-July of ’65. A 21K numbered Burnside would have been made after the war was over. I hate to rain on your parade, but the first Burnside contract deliveries were made in March of 1865.
