North Carolina Marked Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket
Item #: WR234
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This is a Pattern 1853 Enfield type III rifle musket from the American Civil War. In late 1861 Colonel John Peyton, a purchasing agent for the state of North Carolina, traveled to England to purchase arms and munitions for that state. He carried with him a letter signed by the Acting Confederate Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, directing Captain Caleb Huse and Major Edward Anderson to assist the Colonel in any way possible. Colonel Peyton was successful in his efforts, and wrote the Governor of North Carolina that he has purchased 2000 Enfield rifles for North Carolina, with the barrels being stamped NC. The NC marked Enfields arrived in Wilmington, North Carolina on 24 April, 1862, aboard the steamer Nashville. Of those 2000 Enfields, less than 10 are known to exist today. It turns out that the NC letters of all known guns are engraved on the flat of the breech, rather than being stamped. All known examples were manufactured by Barnett & Sons of London, England. The comb of the stocks all bear the viewer's mark of Curtis and Hughes, a CH/1 within a circle. The overall length of this weapon is 55", with a barrel length of 39". This particular gun was manufactured by Barnett of London, England. J. E. Barnett & Sons supplied arms to the Confederate Ordnance Department, as well as several Confederate states in the early months of the war. The barrel exhibits a steel gray patina, with some bright finish showing through here and there. The exterior of the barrel has a smooth surface, with no rust or pitting. The bore of the barrel is bright and shows visible rifling, gaging at .59 caliber. The London barrel proofs are crisp and very legible. Neatly engraved on the flat of the breech are the letters NC, also very legible. The front sight has not been altered and still doubles as a bayonet lug. The rear sight, missing from so many Enfields, is still reporting for duty. It is graduated out to 900 yards, with the right side of the base being stamped 1 - 4. The intials IB are stamped onto the left rear of the sight base. The lockplate is stamped with BARNETT/LONDON forward of the hammer. The mechanics of the lock are as crisp and strong as the day it was assembled. The patina of the lock matches the barrel and bands. Both sling swivels are missing, the only real flaw with the weapon. The original ramrod is still present, being stamped T&CG, representing Thomas and Charles Gilbert of Birmingham. They made ramrods and small gun parts for both the Birmingham and London markets from the 1850's until the end of 1862. The nose cap, trigger guard and butt plate are brass and have a mellow golden patina. The stock is in fair condition, considering it suffered the effects of a low velocity impact from either a bullet or piece of shrapnel. The bullet plate shows evidence that it was struck just above and to the right of the lower butt plate screw, by what appears to be a spent bullet. The force was sufficient to leave a very distinct impression in the butt plate, and it also broke the stock comb about two thirds of the way down. The stock shows a field field repair to the comb, having been put back together using one small square nail and two larger square nails. The repair actually makes the stock as solid as it was before being struck. The barrel channel and ramrod channel edges are still pretty crisp and show no wood loss. There are no stress cracks in the wood anywhere. The right side of the stock comb does have some areas of wood loss. The stock flat opposite the lock is stamped with the name C. Rose and the letters SC scratched underneath it. Just opposite the stamp the name C. ROSE is again scratched into the wood, with the letters SC underneath. The wood is a medium brown tone, except where it was heavily handled at the wrist area. This area is practically black. This very rare North Carolina marked Enfield is in good condition, and marks what may be the sixth one known to exist.
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