This Civil War era single-shot muzzleloader is a .58 caliber Springfield Model 1855 percussion rifle-musket in good overall condition. Longarm has a 40” round barrel with broad three-groove rifling. Stock is secured to the stock with three-barrel bands and three band springs. All furniture is iron including the lockplate, hammer, butt plate, trigger guard, swivels and ramrod. All gunmetal is smooth with dark brown patina. Brass nose cap is missing.

Lockplate stampings are worn but the large spread-winged eagle on the kidney-shaped primer door, the date “1857” stamped behind the hammer, and the “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD” forward of the primer door are still visible. Barrel breech area has some pitting. No breech stampings remain to be seen.

Beveled lockplate is fitted with a C-shaped hammer and with the Maynard tape priming system. This system employed a waterproof roll of paper percussion caps.  Inserted into the primer magazine, a cap was fed onto the nipple when the hammer was pulled back. The tape priming system mechanics have been removed. Hammer has some chipping to the knife-edged bottom lip. The rear sight remains with the two longest leaves of the rear sight missing. Front blade sight / bayonet lug remains. Bore is clear with good rifling, but dirty. Hammer / trigger mechanics are slightly weak but functional.

The original, steel, swelled-shank, tulip-head ramrod is complete and in fine condition. All barrel bands are secured to the stock via iron springs. Butt plate is weakly stamped “US”.

Handsome black walnut stock is solid with only the usual dings and dents from use and age. There is one closed, hairline crack 1.5” long running out from area of front lockplate screw. No cartouches on the left flat; just a carved initial. Wood retains dark original color and finish. Stamped with the Confederate “captured & collected” inspection stamp just above the trigger guard tang. This rifle is stamped with a “T”.

Some 200,000 thousand firearms captured or collected by CS Ordnance teams and civilians, along with perhaps another 50,000 turned in by CS units, went through the cleaning and/or repair (“C&R”) system of the Confederate Ordnance Department for reissue to Confederate soldiers. The process took place mostly in the eastern theatre, where Lee’s victories left battlefields and arms in Confederate hands, and was concentrated at facilities at Danville, Staunton, Lynchburg, and Richmond.

Steve Knott’s book on Confederate reissue arms is the go-to source on the subject and there is more work being done. The cataloging of their repairs, their inspector marks, and the wide variety of arms that went through the system is ongoing and provides a real opportunity not only for those looking to acquire a real Confederate-used arm, but also those studying the south’s need for arms and the innovative and systematic ways they tried to compensate for the industrial superiority of the north.

A solid example of a Springfield Model 1855 rifle-musket that saw Confederate service. [jet] [ph:L]

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