1862 Dated CIVIL WAR Antique WHITNEYVILLE U.S. M1861 CONTRACT Rifle-MUSKET UNION “EVERYMAN’S RIFLE” Primary Infantry Weapon

Description:
1862 Dated CIVIL WAR Antique WHITNEYVILLE U.S. M1861 CONTRACT Rifle-MUSKET

UNION “EVERYMAN’S RIFLE” Primary Infantry Weapon

Here we present an antique Whitney Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket made in New Haven, Connecticut, circa 1862. The Model 1861 was the primary musket at the start of the American Civil War. The musket was designed to fire the .58 caliber Minié ball. The M1861 is representative of the “everyman’s” rifle during the war. About 1.5 million rifle-muskets were made in the U.S., over 800,000 of which were made by the Springfield Armory. This was the last hurrah of the rifle-musket as arms development and tactics rapidly advanced during the short period of the American Civil War. Nevertheless, the 1861 represented new technology as it was made for use with the Minié ball, a hollow based, conical projectile that was small enough to quickly push down the muzzle of a rifled barrel and expanded to create a good gas seal unlike a solid, round ball. Almost immediately after the war, the U.S. military switched from the old muzzle loading type weapons to the newer breech loading rifles, bringing an end to the musket as a standard frontline firearm in American history.

The emergency that confronted the nation with the onset of civil war overwhelmed the productive capability of Springfield Armory. The federal armories simply could not manufacture enough weapons to outfit the thousands of soldiers quickly filling the ranks of Union armies. This situation was worsened with the loss of the armory at Harpers Ferry. Outside help was needed, and the government procured the assistance of over 20 private manufacturers producing over 643,000 muskets. Springfield Armory provided technical assistance and supervised the manufacturing and distribution of the Model 1861 muskets so that these contract weapons essentially conformed to the “government model” of the .58 caliber rifle musket. These weapons, as opposed to the numerous pistols and carbines that were purchased on contract, differ basically only in the markings on their lockplates.

Eli Whitney Jr. and his family legacy, Whitneyville Armory, played a large role in providing small arms to the Union during the American Civil War. This example is one of the Rifle-Muskets provided by Whitney to the U.S. Government by contract. Most of his muskets he provided were part of his “Good and Serviceable Arms” line, which was focused on providing arms to state militias, though as mentioned, this example was part of a U.S. marked government contract. The Good and Serviceable Arms were made of large lots of parts which he purchased from the federal armories and other contractors to assemble into rifle-muskets good enough for service with the states who, unlike the federal government, had lesser standards and did not use gauges during their inspections. He wasn’t shy about this either. These arms were good enough, better to be sure than many of the muskets being bought and shipped back from Europe, and they were less expensive than had they been built from the ground up with all the gauging that went into federal contracts.

The overall condition is good. Mottled patinas throughout. The stock shows much handling wear but remains in good shape. Faint cartouches on the left stock flat. The markings are legible. Strong action. The bore is dark and good.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 39 inches.

Caliber: .62 Percussion

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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$2150

#256049
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,150.00
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