Musket
Object number94.51.533
Manufacturer
United States Armory
(founded 1795)
Date1862
MediumMetal; Wood
Credit LineTransfer from Carnegie Museum of Natural History, gift of George Gillespie
DescriptionU.S. Model 1861 rifle musket, heavy walnut stock, three barrel bands held by spring catches. Steel ramrod with tulip-shape end and swelled shank.Dimensions2.5 x 5.25 x 56.9999 in. (6.4 x 13.3 x 144.8 cm)MarksStamped on lockplate: "U.S. Springfield" with "1862"
Historical NotesTransferred from CMNH; donated to CMNH by George Gillespie. The donor catalog sheet indicates that this gun was picked up by a Gettysburg resident, after being discarded by a retreating Confederate. This explanation should probably be viewed in light of the fact that it was illegal to remove government property from the battlefield; This model was made at the Springfield Armory, 1862.Label TextThe U.S. Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, produced more than 270,000 of these .58 caliber rifle-muskets. The 1861–63 Springfields became the standard U.S. infantry weapon during the Civil War.
On View
On viewCollections
1861
