Rifles and Rifle Practice – C.M. Wilcox – 1859 | Civil War Provenance, Medal of Honor Ownership

1859 Rifles and Rifle Practice is a significant pre-Civil War American firearms treatise, authored by U.S. Army officer Cadmus M. Wilcox. This rare first edition, printed by D. Van Nostrand in New York, bears an extraordinary provenance: it belonged to Alexander Shaler, Medal of Honor recipient and Union general, who earned his citation for valor at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. His ownership dramatically elevates the book’s historical and collector value, aligning it with pivotal Civil War military history.

Wilcox’s text outlines the theoretical and mathematical basis for rifle firing, incorporating geometry, projectile physics, and sighting theory. It includes comparative notes on U.S. and European infantry weapons, with technical focus across Austrian, Prussian, British, and French arms. Printed in a period of escalating military innovation, the book responds to the growing prominence of rifled muskets in infantry doctrine. The inclusion of five large folding plates illustrates concepts such as trajectories, aim calibration, and ballistic curves with precision.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rifles and Rifle Practice: An Elementary Treatise Upon the Theory of Rifle Firing, Explaining the Causes of Inaccuracy of Fire, and the Manner of Correcting It. With Descriptions of the Infantry Rifles of Europe and the United States, Their Balls and Cartridges
• Author(s): Cadmus M. Wilcox
• Illustrator(s): uncredited
• Publisher: New York: D. Van Nostrand
• Edition: First Edition, 1859.
• Format: Octavo, single volume
• Binding: Original brown cloth | gilt Zouave figure, blind-stamped borders
• Size: 7.75 in × 5 in (19.5 cm × 12.5 cm)
• Collation: viii, 276
• Illustrations: 5 folding plates; numerous in-text figures
• Contents Include:
  • Elementary geometry and arithmetic applied to ballistics
  • Projectile flight in vacuum and air
  • Sight lines, angles, and firing distances
  • Comparative specifications of international military rifles
  • Trajectory construction and impact calculation
• Provenance: Handwritten signature of Alexander Shaler (1827-1911), a Union Brigadier General and Medal of Honor recipient for actions at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. Postwar, he served at various times as the head of the New York City Fire Department, president of the National Rifle Association, and Mayor of Ridgefield, NJ.
• Reference(s): not in Sabin, Eicher, or Nevins

Condition:

Bound in original textured brown cloth, the cover features a gilt figure of a Zouave rifleman surrounded by blind-stamped framing. Gilt spine titling is present though largely dulled. Corners and spine ends show expected wear, and the cloth at the joints is rubbed and cracked. The binding remains stable and intact. Internal pages are clean, with only light scattered foxing. All five folding engraved plates are present. The endpapers are original, and a period inscription confirms Alexander Shaler’s ownership.

Why Collect This?

• Owned by Medal of Honor recipient Alexander Shaler
• First edition of a foundational U.S. Army rifle manual
• Five large intact folding plates with ballistic schematics
• Original publisher’s binding with gilt military motif
• Relevant to Civil War historians, arms collectors, and military scholars

Item Number: #28679