Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very scarce 1861 Whitneyville Contract .58 Caliber Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket. This is one of 8,000 made by Eli Whitney’s manufactory, Whitneyville, in 1864. A good condition classic Civil War firearm, as used by both the Union and Confederacy during the American Civil War. This arm is likely just as functional today, as it was over 150 years ago in the hands of a Civil War soldier!

After the war ended, many model 1861 and 1863 rifled muskets were modified to a breech loading actions with new metallic cartridges. With these modifications, the basic 1861 evolved into the Springfield Model 1873 which served the US until being replaced in the 1890s by modern breech loading rifles chambered for new smokeless powder rounds that were far superior to the Model 1873.

This example however was not converted, and is still in the original configuration. It is dated 1864 on the lock plate tail, and has the correct Federal Eagle over U.S. under the hammer. Under the bolster is a clear WHITNEY-VILLE stamping, indicating Whitney production. The barrel markings are unfortunately worn away due to powder burn and corrosion. The U marks are still present on all three barrel bands, and the butt plate tang has a U.S. marking on it. The hammer is the correct "C" shape, and the cap bolster is intact, with what looks to be a replaced nipple cone.

The rifle is in very good condition for being 150 years old. All metal shows signs of wear and age, and has developed a rich patina over the years. The stock exhibits the usual dings, scrapes, and so on, all the while presenting itself with a pleasing reddish walnut hue. Traces of an inspector’s cartouche are faintly visible on the left side of the stock, opposite the lock plate. The ramrod is the correct and original model 1861 tulip type with the straight shank.

Barrel bands are secured with their original band retaining springs. Sling swivels are original to the gun, and still move freely, as intended. Original sight is still fitted in place, with both leaves present. The lock functions correctly, holding at full cock and dry firing correctly. We checked the bore, and it still clearly shows the three groove rifling, which is crisp. There is just a bit of fouling and oxidation, mostly towards the muzzle.

This is a great chance to pick up a nice Civil War Whitney-ville Contract Rifled musket with a great patina of age. Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1864
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minie Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

More on Eli Whitney and the Whitney-ville Armory:

The musket was a product of Eli Whitney’s firm which he called the “Whitneyville-Armory”. A production facility founded in Connecticut circa 1850-70. From a modest factory complex straddling the Mill River just North of New Haven, Connecticut, the Whitney Armory produced more long-arms prior to and during the Civil War than any other private domestic manufacturer. From available records, it appears that the Whitney Armory turned out approximately 141,620 shoulder arms between 1826 and 1865. Furthermore, the variety of arms made was unsurpassed, even when compared to the National Armories. Most if not all of the Whitney long arms of this period found their way into the hands of Union and Confederate soldiers.

From the first government contract in 1798 through the Civil War, Whitney Armory had a steady flow of government work. Between 1826 and 1839, they made 39,000 M1816/22 flintlock muskets, most of which were subsequently converted to percussion. In addition, at least 2,000 more were made directly under state contracts. When the 1841 US Rifle was adopted, Whitney, then under the leadership of Eli Whitney, Jr., received orders totaling 26,500, between 1843 and 1855. They made another 600 with M1855 long-range sights and 420 more for Ohio using parts left over from the US contracts.

Ever creative and practical, Whitney was a master at taking parts discarded by others and incorporating them into serviceable weapons. With the advent of the Civil War, and during the months leading up to the conflict, several unusual models of long arms were made using parts from other sources, such as the US Armory at Springfield and the defunct Robbins and Lawrence operation in Windsor, Vermont. One model closely resembled the US M1855 Rifle-musket, using M1855 lock-plates from Springfield. Only 350 were made and all appear to have been sold to the State of Connecticut around 1861. Around this time, Whitney also made a completely different model which strongly resembled the P53 British Enfield Rifle-musket. This unique arm was made largely from surplus P53 Enfield parts left over from Robbins and Lawrence’s failed Crimean War contract with British government. It is estimated that 3,500 were made and sold to State governments, with 2,000 going to Maryland, 1,225 going to Georgia and 75 to Mississippi in the months just prior to the war. Other arms made in small quantities during this time included 750 Enfield style two-band rifles and 100 M1855 US style two-band rifles. Despite his New England blue-blood roots, Eli Whitney, Jr. apparently had no qualms about selling arms to Southern states on the eve of the Civil War. Of course, in fairness, the Southern states were still part of the Union at the time, so there was no legal reason to deny them arms.

Once the war commenced in earnest, Whitney dedicated almost all of its arms production to the manufacture of arms for the Federal Government and the State of Connecticut. Although Whitney was awarded a contract to make 40,000 US M1861 Rifle-muskets in 1861, he instead chose to proceed with his Connecticut contracts and the M1861 US Navy Plymouth Rifle. In late 1861, the State of Connecticut, taking advantage of its resident gun-maker, bought 6,000 rifle-muskets closely following the M1861 pattern, but not quite to Government specs. In 1862, Connecticut purchased an additional 8,000 rifle-muskets. In addition about 200 rifle-muskets with “humpback” locks, but conforming in all other ways to the Connecticut contracts, and probably bought by Connecticut, were made around this time. Around 1863, Whitney also made approximately 1,200 to 2,000 M1861 Rifle-muskets with extra parts from the Connecticut contract guns and marked them with the name “Manton,” an English gunmaker. Like the Connecticut guns, these Manton rifle-muskets did not meet government specifications, but were serviceable arms.

Whitney’s major federal efforts early in the war were directed at the manufacture of the new Plymouth Rifle. After a slow start, Whitney was able to fill the entire contract of 10,000 stands between 1861 and 1864. With the Plymouth contract nearing completion, Whitney agreed to manufacture M1861 US Rifle-muskets for the Federal government. With machinery and gauges in place, this was done quickly and all were delivered in 1863 and 1864. Unlike the Connecticut contract guns, these all met the strict Federal specifications.

More on the Springfield Model 1861 Rifle-Musket:
The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts), it was the most widely used U.S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability.

The barrel was 40 inches long, firing a .58 caliber Minié ball, and the total weight was approximately 9 pounds. The Springfield had an effective range of 200 to 300 yards, and used percussion caps to fire (rather than the flintlocks of the 18th century, the last U.S. flintlock musket was the Model 1840). Trained troops were able to fire at a rate of three aimed shots per minute while maintaining accuracy up to 500 yards, though firing distances in the war were often much shorter. The most notable difference between the Model 1861 and the earlier Model 1855 was the elimination of the Maynard tape primer for the Model 1861 (the Maynard primer, a self-feeding primer system, was unreliable in damp weather, and the priming mechanism was expensive and time-consuming to produce). Further, unlike the Model 1855, the Model 1861 was never produced in a two-banded "short rifle" configuration.

The Springfield was aimed using flip-up leaf sights. The sight had two leaves, one for 300 yards and the other for 500 yards, and with both leaves down, the sight was set for a range of 100 yards. By contrast, the British Pattern 1853 Enfield, favored by the Confederates, utilized a ladder-sight system with 100 yard increments, using steps from 100 to 400 yards and a flip up ladder for ranges beyond 500 yards. While the Enfield's sights did allow finer range settings, the Springfield's simple leaves were more rugged and were less expensive to produce. The Enfield's sights extended to 900 yards (and further, on later models), compared to the 500 yard maximum range of the Springfield's sights. Realistically, though, hitting anything beyond 600 yards with either weapon was mostly a matter of luck. While the sight designs were very different, the two weapons were otherwise very similar, and had very similar effective ranges.

The Springfield Rifle cost $20 each at the Springfield Armory, where they were officially made. Overwhelmed by the demand, the armory opened its weapons patterns up to twenty private contractors, including Eli Whitney’s manufactory, Whitneyville Armory, located near Hamden, Connecticut. They were mostly known for their manufacture of the "Plymouth Rifle" for the U.S. Navy during the war. However later in the war they did have a contract for 15,001 Springfield Rifle-Muskets, issued 10/17/1863. These were delivered up to the end of the war, and they did not change to the model 1863 specifications, so there are examples of Model 1861 rifled muskets dated 1864 and 1865.

The most notable producer of contract Model 1861 Springfield however was Colt, who made several minor design changes in their version, the "Colt Special" rifled musket. These changes included redesigned barrel bands, a new hammer, and a redesigned bolster. Several of these changes were eventually adopted by the Ordnance Department and incorporated into the Model 1863 rifled musket.

The Model 1861 was relatively scarce in the early years of the Civil War (many troops were still using Model 1842 smoothbored muskets and Model 1816/1822 muskets converted to percussion cap primers, both in .69 caliber). It is unlikely that any of these were available for use in the First Battle of Bull Run. However, over time, more and more regiments began receiving Model 1861 rifled muskets, though this upgrade appeared somewhat quicker in the Eastern Theater of Operations. Over 1,000,000 Model 1861 rifles were produced, with the Springfield Armory increasing its production during the war by contracting out to twenty other firms in the Union. The number of Model 1861 muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1, 1861 and December 31, 1863. According to United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines by Arcadi Gluckman Colonel Infantry, United States Army, published 1949.

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