Original item: Only One Available. The U.S. Model 1835 Musket was a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock, with a 42-inch barrel and an overall length of 58 inches. Also referred to as a Model 1816 Type III, it replaced the previous Model 1822 musket, which was also called the Model 1816 Type II. Most of the early 19th century musket designs were viewed as further developments of the Model 1816 design. With the Model 1835, these were really only an incremental changes from the Model 1822, and many differences involved how the musket was produced, rather than the actual design. The emphasis was on making some interchangeable parts, and to use more accurate manufacturing methods. This paved the way for the later model of 1842, the first U.S. musket to have fully interchangeable parts.

The Model 1835 was produced by the Springfield Armory, Harpers Ferry Armory, and numerous other contractors. It was eventually superseded by the model 1840 and 1842 muskets, the former of which was originally made in Flintlock, but most were converted to percussion before they made it to the field. The 1842 was only made in percussion.

In the 1850s, many of the Flintlock Muskets in Arsenal were converted to Percussion, which was a much more reliable and water-resistant ignition system. This involved all variants of the Model of the 1816. This helped to standardize the types of ammunition carried by the soldiers in the field. The easiest conversion type, often referred to as the “Belgian” style conversion, was to simply tap a threaded hole in the top of the breach of the barrel to permit the fitting of a percussion cone (aka “nipple”).

The outbreak of the Civil War in the United States created a large need for percussion muskets, as the number of modern firearms currently on hand was far short of what was needed. To fill this need, many muskets converted to percussion in the 1840s-1850s were pressed back into service.

This is almost certainly what happened with this musket, which was converted to percussion some time before the Civil War. The mounting points for the frizzen and frizzen spring can still be seen, though they are plugged. The breech end of the barrel was replaced with fabricated bolster and clean out, so this was definitely an arsenal level conversion, far beyond the early "cone in barrel" modifications. At this time the barrel was also cut with three groove rifling, another sign that it was definitely an arsenal level conversion. The brass flash pan was completely removed to make room for the bolster. The hammer is a Model 1842 type, possibly slightly modified.

The lock plate has the correct Federal EAGLE / U.S. in front of the hammer, and was produced at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry itself, as indicated on the lock plate tail:

HARPERS
FERRY
1837

The side plate is bulged and not thin, typical of the Model 1835 Musket. Later iterations would move to a side plate without any bulge in the middle. There are no markings on the barrel breech, as that area of the barrel was removed during the conversion.

The musket overall shows that it saw long service, very possibly during the Civil War, most likely on the Confederate side. Many muskets were captured during battles near Harpers Ferry Armory, and were used throughout the war due to arms shortages in the South. The metalwork shows an aged patina overall, showing years of cleaning after long service. The lock functions, holding correctly at half cock, and firing at full. The rifled bore still shows the three grooves clearly, however it was definitely not cleaned after the last use, so there is powder fouling and oxidation overall. The cap nipple cone looks to original, and show a significant oxidation from powder burn.

The stock is in nice condition, though it definitely has seen its share of service and damage, with a repaired crack through the top of the wrist around the barrel tang, and another through the fore stock area near the lower barrel band. These are very old cracks which were repaired, and it looks like it probably saw additional service after this damage. If this was used on the Confederate side, they definitely were much more tolerant of damage to their weapons, as they had no way to procure replacements. The cleaning rod is still present, as are both sling swivels, however the trigger guard swivel is frozen.

A very nice service used example of an older musket converted for service in the 1850s, and almost certainly used during the Civil War. Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1837 - converted later
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 41 1/2Inches
Overall Length: 57 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

History of the Model 1835 Musket:

The War of 1812 had revealed many weaknesses in American muskets. The Model 1812 Musket was created in an attempt to improve both the design and manufacture of the musket. The Model 1816 made further improvements, and replaced the Model 1812. The Model 1812 had borrowed heavily from the design of the French Charleville model 1777 musket, and this design was retained for the Model 1816. The Model 1816 had a 42 inch long .69 caliber smoothbore barrel, similar to the Model 1812, but had a longer lock plate, a shorter trigger guard, and a longer bayonet than the Model 1812. The Model 1816 also had a more straight lined stock. The overall length of the weapon was 58 inches.

The Model 1816 musket was originally produced at the Harpers Ferry and Springfield Arsenals between 1816 and 1844. Around 675,000 were made, more than any other flintlock in U.S. history.

The Model 1816 was originally produced as a flintlock musket. Like many flintlock muskets, many of these were later converted to percussion cap, as the percussion cap system was much more reliable and weather resistant.

This model of Springfield musket was used by Texans during the Texas Revolution and by the US Army and militia during the Mexican-American War. During this conflict, the flintlock version of the Model 1816 was preferred by U.S. regular forces, due to percussion cap supply concerns.

It was also used during the early years of the American Civil War until around 1862.

Many improvements to the Model 1816 were made, producing the Model 1822, Model 1835, Model 1840, and Model 1842. U.S. Ordnance Department referred to these as different models, but in other U.S. government documents they are referred to as a continuation of the Model 1816. Modern histories are similarly inconsistent in the nomenclature of these weapons.

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