By Brad Ireland, 4th Virginia, Co. A
During the war it was necessary for officers to inspect the weapons of the troops under their command to insure that they are clean and in proper functional order. It is even more important for the inspection of arms at reenactments to ensure that the weapons are functioning, safe, and free of live ammunition (unloaded). Fortunately for us, Gilhams manual contains detailed instructions for this process. Here is what the manual has to say. I have included in red text some notes to translate “Gilhamese” into English.