The 1858 Cadet is a slightly down-sized version of the M1855 rifle musket carrying a 38-inch long barrel and shorter stock, but the same Maynard tape priming system, three-groove rifling, etc. Just 800 of these “Type-II” were produced in April and May 1860 to supplement a batch of 1,501 (Type-I) produced in 1858. This one is dated 1859 on the lock and barrel, indicating it is one of the earlier ones in that group, and correctly uses the iron stock tip rather than the brass of the 1858 Type-I production. The mechanics are perfect and the rifling is nice in the semi-bright bore. There is no cartouche, but the gun is original inside and out, with the metal cleaned to arsenal bright, but preserving good markings and the wood having good color and edges and a good fit to the metal.

The metal is smooth and shows as a bright, muted silver. The barrel shows just one shallow ding just forward of the barrel date, and one smaller one just beyond the lower band with a tiny spot of dark gray just beyond. The markings are sharp, with only a little softening to the shield on the eagle’s chest on the priming system door and the “9” of the barrel The US on the buttplate tang is sharp, as is the 1859 date and “U.S. / Springfield” on the lock plate. The matching 1859 barrel date shows just a little softening to the last digit. The V/P/eaglehead barrel proofs at left breech are very good. The stock tip is correctly iron. Front and rear sights are in place. The rear sight is the 1858 pattern, showing nice blue, as does the nipple. All bands, springs, swivels and rod are correct and in place. The screw slots are sharp.

The wood is excellent, with sharp edges to the lock platform, counterpane, shoulders of the forestock, and the ramrod channel. There are no cartouches. The stock is of the correct configuration, slightly smaller from the comb of the butt to the rear and from the lower band forward, with appropriate changes in spacing of the bands. We see only a very short hairline from the upper rear lock screw to the breech on the left, and another very short one on the rear of the lock apron.

The 1855 series of arms is an interesting collecting category with its revolutionary attempt to standardize infantry longarms as rifled, .58 caliber, and using the expanding Minie ball to speed the loading and increase range. The Maynard tape primer was not as successful other innovations, but still notable as an attempt to make priming faster and more efficient than percussion caps which might be lost readily and were certainly slower than the tape primer, which fed out an individual priming charge automatically as the hammer was cocked and the trigger pulled.

Thirty 1858 cadets went to West Point in late 1858, and were thus the Type-I. Other issues, either Type-I or Type-II or both, were made to the Navy: 100 in 1861, with 92 issued to the US Naval Academy in 1862; and another 154 obtained from different arsenals in 1864. Before the war started at least 1,624 went to Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, and possibly Missouri and Tennessee. Those in southern facilities stood a good chance of being issued to Confederate forces during early arms shortages.  [sr] [ph:L]

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