Related video on derringers

[Wesley Harris]

Lincoln saw a demonstration by the Navy and fired the Spencer rifle, the larger version of the carbine. I believe there were actually two demonstrations. The first time, two different rifles jammed. Later on, Spencer personally went to the White House to provide a second demonstration. The rifle fired flawlessly, impressing the President. There's no indication that he did much to speed up acquisition of the new technology--by that time, thousands of Spencers were already on order by the Army and the Navy. There's been some misinformation printed over the years that no Spencers were purchased until Lincoln's intervention.

On a couple of occasions, the use of Spencers by Union troops turned the tide of battle.

There was concern about soldiers shooting up too much ammunition...one of the reasons George Custer's troops in 1876 had single-shot carbines and the Indians had repeaters. Not only outnumbered but outgunned.

The pine board Lincoln shot still exists....on display at the State Military Museum in Springfield, Illinois.