P. S. Justice

George D. Moller, American Military Shoulder Arms – Volume III, p.376, states that there is only a small amount of information regarding the pre-Civil War activities of Phillip S. Justice of Philadelphia.  Records show that the firm of Justice & Steinmann, a partnership between Phillip S. Justice and John Steinman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became customers of the Henry firm in 1842.  It appears that the partnership continued until Stienmann’s death in 1845.  The firm’s name remained the same until 1861, when it was changed to PS Justice.  PS Justice entered into the military arms trade almost immediately after the outbreak of the Civil War.   

With the start of the US Civil War, PS Justice supplied rifle muskets and rifles to the federal government and attempted to sell additional arms to other potential customers.  Apparently many of the earlier arms delivered were assembled from a combination of condemned or obsolete component parts, as well as some new parts.  Their quality improved with later production but not on a par with those fabricated at the national armories.  In 1862, reports of inferiority and serviceability of the Justice rifle muskets caused an investigation which resulted in a reduction of the amount paid to Justice for their rifle muskets. 

Ordnance Department records show that Justice delivered 2,469 rifles with brass hilted sword bayonets to the federal government in 1861 and 1862.  It is believed that 1,121 of these rifles were purchased by Justice from the gun maker of J. Henry & Son of which 366 included saber bayonets made by Collins & Co.  It is also believed that some of the arms delivered were Enfield pattern rifles manufactured by PS Justice using machinery purchased from the bankruptcy of Robbins & Lawrence.  Other sub contractors may have been involved on a smaller scale. 

Justice undoubtedly sold additional rifles and rifle muskets to states and private militia units during the war but the documentation for such sales has not been recorded.

A lack of general interest in PS Justice saber bayonets, probably due to the scarcity of Justice made military rifles and their poor quality reputation, has dampened the available knowledge on the subject.  George Moller claims fewer than 10 examples of Justice made military rifles are known to exist.  

We do know a fairly large number of saber bayonets still exist today and that two different inside muzzle ring diameters, ~20.8 millimeters and ~22.4 millimeters, can be found.  Most examples are numbered on the muzzle ring in a small font, sometimes including an alpha character.  There are two different recorded blade configurations and two different recorded press stud springs configurations.  

Did PS Justice actually manufacture these bayonets or were they produced by a third party contractor?  It is a bit unusual that some of the bayonets are stamped "P.S. JUSTICE / PHILA." on the blade ricasso while others are unmarked.  In my opinion, the similarities in the hilt construction between the Justice marked and unmarked examples are to close to not have been manufactured by the same hand.  For now, I will continue to identify these bayonets as made by PS Justice until more information is obtained.

Records show that a large number of the rifles that Justice purchased from J. Henry & Son did not include the saber bayonet when purchased.  It is assumed that Justice provided these missing bayonets when the arms were later sold to the federal government and/or state militias.  The bayonets for these rifles would most likely have required the 22.2 millimeter muzzle ring.  

Records also show that Justice was at least attempting to sell a sizable number of short Enfield pattern rifles with saber bayonets that were possibly produced on the Robbins & Lawrence machinery that was sold in bankruptcy.  The bayonets for these rifles would most likely have required the 20.8 millimeter muzzle ring.  

It is also possible that Justice manufactured other military rifles and/or purchased military rifles from other manufacturers such as Leman and Krider.     

The identification of a PS Justice bayonet is fairly easy, but what rifle it actually was made for is much more questionable.  A knowledgeable source claims that a Justice bayonet fits perfectly on his J Henry rifle and suggested that serial numbered PS Justice bayonets that begin with an alpha letter were for Justice rifles and those without letters were for the J Henry rifles.

A PS Justice bayonet with its original scabbard is a rare fine and only a few examples have been examined.  Clearly there is a lot to learn about PS Justice and the bayonets they used.