I had questions about the 8th Missouri Cavalry US carrying Spencers, and if they had, I think it would have been at the end of the war. The 8th never left Arkansas like the 1st Iowa Cavalry and the 10 Illinois Cavalry that went to Louisanna and traded in their Sharps for Spencers near the end of the war. These three Cavalry units served much of their time together while in Arkansas. Where the 8th Missouri Cavalry US spend time in Arkansas the grounds have turned up many dropped Cosmopolitan Bullets, one hole near Brownsville contained several hundred dropped Cosmopolitan carbine bullets. Spencer bullets found in Arkansas are a very rare find.