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Taste of ISM presents Fire in the Saddle: Civil War Cavalry Carbines from Workhorses to Oddities: The Firearm Collection of Frank R. and Mortimer C. Grove

Research & Collections Center
Cartoon image of a brown lunch bag with a smiley face and the words Taste of I S M For a Union cavalryman, a carbine wasn’t a collectible—it was a lifeline. Historic site interpreter Adam J. Krall brings original cavalry carbines from The Firearm Collection of Frank R. and Mortimer C. Grover to life, sharing the stories of the soldiers who carried them, the craftsmen who built them, and the inventors who designed them. From widely issued Sharps and Spencer carbines to rare and short-lived models like the Burnside and Maynard, participants will learn how these weapons were invented, manufactured, and used in battle, revealing the human and technological stories behind the tools that shaped the Civil War.
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
12:00 PM to 01:00 PM CST
Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center
  • 1011 East Ash Street
  • Springfield, Illinois

For more information please reach out to DNR.ISM.Events@illinois.gov

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