The Question:
Had the United States Army adopted the weapon for service in 1859, as it's standard infantry rifle, and the muzzle loaders cycled out of regular service entirely by the end of 1860, never to be produced again, from that point on, all U.S. contracts would be for the 1859 Sharps until something better came along (a repeater of some sort for example) how would this impact the ACW?
The Sharps had a lot going for it:
It's a breach loader with a simple falling block mechanism with a percussion cap ignition [that could also use a pellet primer feed; the feed held a stack of pellets, flipping one over, onto the nipple each time the trigger was pulled and the hammer fell. Edit: may not have been possible for the period due to complexity of the mechanism]
RoF: [8-10 shots per minute, compared to the 2-3 shots per minute of the muzzle loaders. Edit: 5-6 shots per minute possible with the paper cartridges of the time.]
Muzzle velocity: 1,200 ft/s (370 m/s), compared to the 1,000 ft/s of the average muzzle loader
Effective range: 500 yd (460 m) compared to the 200-300 yd effective range of the muzzle loaders
Maximum range: 1,000 yd (910 m). Only place the muzzle loaders produced prior to it ever matched up...sometimes.
So, what happens if the two armies that faced off at First Bull Run had been entirely equipped with these on the fateful day in spring of 1861?
Do we see a battle similar to what happened OTL or is it a far, far bloodier affair, the kind that makes both sides reconsider just what they're getting into?
What impact does it have on infantry tactics going forward?
Opinions?