Christian Sharps produced his first single shot, .54 caliber breech loading rifle using paper cartridges in the late 1840’s. Later the cartridges were made of linen. The falling block, dropped by lowering the trigger guard, cut off the end of the cartridge when the trigger guard was raised to close the breech. Ignition was by percussion cap. During the prelude to the civil war, the Rev. Beecher, an abolitionist, shipped Sharps rifles to fellow abolitionists in Kansas in crates marked “Bibles.” This gave the Sharps rifle the nick-name “Beecher’s Bibles.” He was, by the way, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, authors of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” which was, in its way, just as effective as the rifles. Unlike the Sharps rifle, the carbine was very popular and almost 90,000 were produced. By 1863, it was the most common weapon carried by Union cavalry regiments, although in 1864 many were replaced by 7-shot Spencer carbines. (icollector.com)