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NICE M1841 HARPERS FERRY MISSISSIPPI RIFLE

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Over 75,000 Model 1841 Rifles were manufactured at both the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and under private contract. Mississippi troops serving under future Confederate President Jefferson Davis used this rifle quite successfully during the war with Mexico, hence the nickname "Mississippi Rifle." Many of these two-band rifles saw service through the Civil War, and some, including this example, were re-bored from the original .54 caliber to accept the then-standard .58 caliber Minie ball.

The rifle itself is in a nice condition with remnants of the original finish on the barrel and lock plate. All brass has a mellow, aged finish but no major tarnishing.  The upper sling swivel is broken on the right side from stress, while the other is fully intact.  The wood is a nice, rich brown with the original finish, but has dents and dings throughout, primarily the foregrip down to the butt of the rifle. Overall length is 48.25”.  The interior wood of the patch box is stamped “JLP” and contains a spare nipple/cone. Sights are in great condition and the barrel measures 35”.

The presence of the armory in Harpers Ferry, as well as its location on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and the presence of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, made the town strategically important. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Harpers Ferry became known as the site of John Brown's failed slave insurrection in 1859. After Virginia voters passed an ordinance of secession in 1861, the town was occupied by Confederate soldiers under the command of Colonel Turner Ashby. Retreating U.S. troops had tried to burn the armory complex, but local residents, fearing that the entire town would be engulfed, quickly extinguished most of the fires. The Confederates removed armory machinery, tools, rifles, and parts to Richmond, Virginia and Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the Confederate government began to manufacture longarms based on the U.S. Model 1855 rifle design.

Before the war ended in 1865, the town had changed hands no less than eleven times. Many buildings had been looted or burned, and the B&O railroad bridge had also been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Townspeople were forced to flee both the advancing armies and the lack of economic opportunity that resulted after the armory had ceased operations.

The Civil War brought an abrupt and premature end to arms production at Harpers Ferry. This armory was never as progressive as its sister arsenal at Springfield, where enterprising Yankees more readily seized new technologies, while their southern brothers were more likely to stick to tried-and-true but often more labor-intensive production techniques. Springfield workers also outproduced those of Harpers Ferry to a significant degree, but part of Springfield's advantage might lay in its less diversified product line. In addition, production costs were higher at Harpers Ferry than at Springfield, and the town was subject to repeated disruption due to frequent flooding of its surrounding rivers.

Despite these shortcomings, Harpers Ferry Armory achieved notoriety as the birthplace of what became known as the "American System of Manufacture," in which full interchangeability of precision-made parts between mechanical devices manufactured in more than one location was achieved for the first time. This feature would later play an important role in the Industrial Revolution and in the rise of the United States to the position of "workshop of the world."

A nice piece of American manufacturing, Harpers Ferry, Mexican War, and Civil War history that is primed and ready for the collector.    [cm] [ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire.

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