Beecher's Bibles

Not to be confused with Breeches Bible.
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church

"Beecher's Bibles" was the name given to the breech-loading Sharps rifle that were supplied to and used by the anti-slavery settlers and combatants in Kansas, during the Bleeding Kansas period (1854–1860).[1] The breech loading model 1853 Sharps Carbines were shipped in crates marked "Books and Bibles". After an 1856 article in the New-York Tribune carried a quote by Henry Ward Beecher, the Sharps Carbines became known as Beecher's Bibles.[2]

  1. ^ Isley, W. H. (April 1907). "The Sharps Rifle Episode in Kansas History" (PDF). The American Historical Review. 12 (3): 546–566. doi:10.2307/1832405. hdl:10057/12535. JSTOR 1832405.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sellers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).