1859 sharps navy carbine

Cbob

Cadet
Joined
Sep 27, 2021
Some time ago I posted about about a Sharps 1859 navy carbine I acquired at auction. My post was for information to see if it in fact was one of the 300 carbines ordered in 1861 by the US navy for use on the Mississippi River by the brown water navy. Their were mixed opinions on here as to whether it was original or a cut down rifle. I took the carbine to the Wannamacher gun show in tulsa OK. There was an expert there and he had an original navy carbine to compare it to. Good news! He said it is the real deal as I was thinking he would. As a side note, there is a navy carbine on gunbroker right now. (Much better condition than mine and 12,000 clams) It is serial # 44405 and mine is serial #44407. I think its certain it is one of the 300 ordered by the navy.
16375229311362409495463750525170.jpg


16375229732525716431325211716804.jpg
 
What features did the expert say made it a navy Sharps? Did he have any documentation on his or yours that made it one of the 300 gun order?
 
s/n #44403 a carbine went to Co. C, 1 st. Maryland Cavalry.
The serial numbers were not packed in sequence.
mine 60645 shows a close match to the Co I of the 1st Maryland Cavalry too, or so I'm told. You would think Navy orders would have brass furniture, less corrosive.
 
The distinguishing features on the Navy ordered Model 1859 Sharps carbines are:
  • rear stock not cut for sling bar
  • serial number in the correct range
  • rear sling swivel inserted into the bottom of the butt stock
All Sharps parts will interchange.
The M1859 Sharps rifle butt stock is identical to the Navy ordered M1859 carbine stock
 
The distinguishing features he noted was correct serial number range. No saddle ring ever mounted on receiver or buttstock. Proper and original sling swivel mounted to buttstock. Proper length barrel for carbine with original front sight not moved on barrel. And lastly the wood forearm was correct for a carbine.
 
I didn't see the $12,000 Sharps carbine on Gunbroker mentioned, but I bid on and lost a very beat up one, serial 43242, on Gunbroker today, and someone wanted it more than I did. Horse Soldier has one for sale for less than $2,500.
They are rare, but you have to be serious Sharp collector, or a strong Navy collector to pay a serious premium, I think.
 
Mine is not in good enough shape to be as valuable as those. It is pitted and the bore is not good. I was just happy to have one that is the real deal. I mean as far as I know there were only 300 made.
 
Hi @Cbob, was neat to see photos of your 1859 navy. I have serial 41,694. I thought I'd share some published information about these in case you didn't already have these books.

From Civil War Carbines, Volume II by John McAulay (1991):
"In the early days of the war, the U.S. Navy purchased a number of Sharps carbines on the open market. While the number and from whom they were obtained is not clear, they may have come from the Philadelphia firm of Joseph C. Grubb and Company. On June 18, 1861, a number of Sharps were purchased by James S. Chambers - Navy Agent in Philadelphia - from Joseph C. Grubb and Company. While this is a possible source of the Navy Sharps, the number purchased is hinted at through some post war correspondence. On January 17, 1871, the commanding officer at Fort Union Arsenal stated that he had one hundred ninety of the Navy style Sharps carbines - made without a saddle ring and bar on the left side of the frame. These one hundred ninety Sharps had found their way into the Ordnance Department and were part of those carbines converted to 50/70 centerfire. Since few of the percussion carbines are encountered, and it appears that most were converted to centerfire, the Navy's original purchase for the New Model 1859 Sharps probably did not exceed three hundred carbines. As previously stated, the major characteristic of the Navy New Model 1859 Sharps carbine is that it was not equipped for a saddle ring and bar and that many are found with a large lanyard ring located at the toe of the butt stock. Serial numbers on most of the Navy Sharps found are between 40,000 and 44,000."
From Flayderman's Guide, 9th Ed.:
"New Model 1859 Carbine; iron furniture with patchbox. Approximate quantity manufactured 30,000. Early 1861 the Navy purchased small lot (quantity and source unknown) not fitted with saddle ring and ring bar; serials in 40,000 to 44,000 range. Worth premium if authentic. 5F-019."
From Second Edition Blue Book of Antique American Firearms and Values (2019):
[This edition does not call out the Navy models, maybe someone with a later edition could update if warranted. These pull quotes are related to the 1859 carbine generally, but still seem helpful.]
"Manufactured in Hartford, CT by Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co. circa 1859-1866. Visibly different from earlier models because of straight breech and pellet priming feature built into lockplate. Approx. 115,000 were built, all in .52 cal. breech loading paper cartridge. Carbines had 22 in. barrels...In 1867, the U.S. government decided to convert their percussion Sharpes carbines and rifles to the new .50-70 metallic cartridge. Approx. 31,000 caribnes and 1,000 rifles were converted by the Sharps Co. Any original six groove barrels that were worn beyond specification had a groove liner installed. Those barrels meeting specs remained unaltered. All buttstocks were stamped on the left side with "D.F.C." in a ribbon cartouche, the initials for the principal sub-inspector, David F. Clark. Damaged buttstocks were all replaced with the plain (no patchbox) Model 1865 buttstock, regardless of the model of carbine; however many of the old style buttplates with notches for patchboxes were retained...Model 1859 .50-70 carbine conversions - .50-70 cal., most had relined three groove barrels, some had original six groove barrels...Those found with original six groove barrels will command a slight premium, as will those Model 1859s & Model 1863s with original patchbox buttstock.
From Sharps Firearms by Frank Sellers:
"In addition to the carbines sold directly to the government by Sharps, there was a considerable number sold to them by private arms dealers and organizations, mostly during 1861 and 1862. The government purchases on the open market were allowed to pay up to $35 for Sharps carbines and $47 for Sharps rifles. [Picture shown] New Model 1859 Carbine, serial No. 47,148, with iron furniture; note single sling swivel on the butt. These carbines with only single sling swivel and no sling ring bar, were made for the Navy and took a sling which was tied around the barrel on the front end."

I have not read anything directly about the "brown water navy" and the service on the Mississippi River that Jeff in Ohio mentioned in the first thread you started, but would really like to learn more if there's a source for that.

Mine is a six-groove barrel with a replaced buttstock with the DFC cartouche. If you ever want photos of features for comparison, just let me know.
 
I would like to learn more about Mississippi squadron use also. I have an 1859 percussion Sharps (serial 43223 ) that fits this description.. No bar and ring and has sling swivel on underside of stock just ahead of butt plate. No inspectors marks but has original front sight and all patina is consistent. I will try to post pics but having problem getting them to load.
sling swivel is not rounded but oblong which is confusing.
 
Just a follow-on to the Mississippi question - I did see a RIA description for an auction piece in 2010 (lot 3140) with the following statement:

"[post description] See page 43 of "Civil War Sharps Carbines & Rifles" by Coates & McAulay. This is believed to be one of those carbines, which were eventually sent to Marine squads in Mississippi."

I don't think page 43 in Coates & McAulay has anything more than the quote in my earlier post from McAulay's CWC book (because here somebody quotes the relevant passage from CWSC&R and conspicuously nothing more). Sadly, I don't have a copy of CWSC&R so can't verify directly. Perhaps somebody with a copy could tell us (@Jeff in Ohio?).

All respect to RIA, but I don't take their write-ups (or identifications, necessarily) as gospel. I worry that with "Mississippi", there's a lot of room for error considering that it can refer to a U.S. state, a river, and a contemporaneous boat (USS Mississippi). Combined with the fact that the 1859 Sharps rifle was deployed on the USS Mississippi, I can imagine that some mix-up in factoids would be a risk. Would like to emphasize that I'm not denying the connection, just would love to see a primary source. The RIA text notably refers to Marine squads so that's a (new to me) piece of info.

It is also fascinating to me that these carbines, that were (presumably) purchased in PA, (perhaps) deployed in/on MS, (for certain) found their way to the Fort Union Arsenal in Arizona(!). Well-travelled guns! 🧐 Shoemaker's dealings with older arms at Fort Union is its own interesting rabbit hole.
 
In the book you mention, after describing how Shoemaker at the Fort Union Arsenal had reported that he had on hand 190 Sharps Carbines converted after the War to .50/70 cartridge caliber which DID NOT HAVE THE SIDE BAR AND SWIVEL RING, page 43 of the book "CWSC&R" goes on to state that Major Benton at Springfield Armory wrote the Ordnance Department to tell them that when these arms had arrived without side bars at the Sharps factory for conversion, and because Benton had no instructions to modify the receivers (to add the screw hole to accept the front end of the sling bar), these were converted to cartridge without change to the receivers and so without adding sling bars. The book continues:

"Benton closes the letter by saying that these arms were originally made for the Navy and he [Benton at Springfield] had no idea how they came to be in the possessions of the Army. The answer to this question can be found in a letter written by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles dated June 19, 1865, to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. In the letter, Welles requests permission to allow the storage of naval guns, ammunition, and stores at Jefferson Barracks near Saint Louis. This naval ordnance was being turned in from vessels of the Mississippi Squadron. The request was made because the Navy did not have any convenient place for storing these items....Three years later when the St. Louis Arsenal was directed to send the Sharps carbines and rifles to the Sharps factory for alteration, the Navy Sharps were also sent for conversion."

There's no mention of US Marines.

My other reading on Navy small arms which does mention Marines suggests that at the time of the Civil War, the Marines were used often as a police force to keep the unruly sailors under control on ships at sea. I would be interested in learning how often Marines were used in the Mississippi Squadron - I look forward to learning what others know.
 
Last edited:
This is awesome, @Jeff in Ohio, thanks for that. Someday I'll have my own copy. :D Kinda want to track down those letters now, dammit.

So the path seems to be from in-service weapons starting in '61 to to St. Louis Arsenal for storage around '65. Then to Sharps factory (perhaps by way of Springfield Armory) and then finally to Ft. Union Arsenal. Captain Shoemaker complains in 1869 about becoming a dumping ground for obsolete weapons, but not before the Third Calvary (then of New Mexico) had traded in their Spencer repeaters for converted Sharps carbines at Ft. Union (not necessary - certainly not - these ringless carbines). Shoemaker still has 190 in inventory in '71. By this time, Third Calvary has gone north to the Black Hills.

Not to gloss over the time in service. The "Mississippi Squadron" must refer to the Mississippi River Squadron, which was constituted on May 16, 1861 (notably just a few weeks before the suspected purchase date of these Sharps carbines). It was originally an Army operation even though it was commanded by Naval officers. It wasn't a Navy operation until September 30, 1862, when it was combined with the U.S. Ram Fleet to form the Mississippi Marine Brigade, an amphibious raiding unit. I'm getting this info from Wikipedia, by the way, so it must be right :unsure::

John Rodgers was the first commander of the squadron and was responsible for the construction and organization of the fleet. Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote relieved Rodgers and encouraged the army commander in the west, Major General Henry W. Halleck, to authorize an expedition down the Tennessee River against Fort Henry. Operating in conjunction with Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the District of Cairo, Foote subdued Fort Henry before Grant's troops could take their positions.

Foote led the squadron in the attack on Fort Donelson and then joined with Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of the Mississippi for a joint attack on Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River. Charles H. Davis relieved Foote and proceeded to take Fort Pillow on the Mississippi. The U. S. Ram Fleet, commanded by Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr., accompanied the squadron during the Battle of Memphis. After the capture of Memphis the squadron was transferred to the control of the U.S. Navy. The transfer included the Ram Fleet, by then reconstituted as the Mississippi Marine Brigade. Davis aided Grant's unsuccessful first campaign against Vicksburg. Rear Admiral David D. Porter relieved Davis in command and led the squadron at Arkansas Post and during the successful Vicksburg Campaign and siege of the city.

Some more detailed information says that the MMB was disbanded in August of 1865, a couple months after the carbines were stashed in St. Louis.

Here's a photo of the USS Conestoga, part of the MS Squadron nee Western Gunboat Flotilla, in 1861. Anyone see a Sharps carbine in there??
USS Conestoga.jpg


Here are some contemporary contemporaneous art pieces depicting the ships, including other "timberclads" in 1861. The USS Conestoga was a converted civilian tug boat. The list of ships may also provide some traction for someone to discover if marines had assignments on them. This overview of USMC activity in the Civil War doesn't seem to indicate any activity in the MS squadron / MMB directly, though inland river service is mentioned.
 
Last edited:
We have 190 out of 300 being inventoried in 1871 at Ft Union. That presumably leaves 110 (in the best case scenario) surviving as percussion and i doubt that was the case with damage and loss surely taking a few off the list. Truly a unique small arm and one that probably saw a lot of use. Here is a shot of a few features on my example. Patina matches and gun has been together for a long long time.
IMG-0215.jpg
IMG-0218.jpg


IMG-0214.jpg
 
Last edited:
Some additional info, this from Sharps Firearms - Volume 1. The Percussion Era, by Roy Marcot, Ron Paxton, and Edward W. Marron. This is a great book, volume 1 of 4, hardcover, 495 pages, with plenty of excellent color photographs of just fantastic examples and accessories from various collections. It's very well researched and thorough, and you can still buy autographed copies direct from the author. Volume 2 covers the Sharps guns of the metallic cartridge era and is equally as valuable on one's shelf, IMO.

It has this to say about the New Model 1859 Sharps Carbine:
"One of the true mystery carbines of the Civil War was the New Model 1859 Sharps carbine known as the "Navy Model." The wartime facts around the carbine remain vague. From the start of the war to the end of September 1862, the Federal Army commanded the inland rivers, including the Mississippi River. The Army Ordnance Department purchased and armed the naval vessels with Army crews led by Federal Navy officers. In the spring of 1861, William Nelson was sent by President Lincoln into Kentucky to organize and recruit for the Union cause. In July, from Cincinnati, Nelson wrote to the War Department requesting 300 Sharps carbines for the Mississippi Squadron in the process of being formed by the Federal Army.

Nelson's request for 300 Sharps carbines was sent by the Ordnance Department to the Sharps Rifle Mfg. Company. At this time, the Sharps factory was in the process of finishing the Navy's "Mitchell order" for 1,500 Sharps New Model Military Rifles. The Mitchell contract rifle serial numbers are found up into the 42000 range. The serial numbers of the New Model 1859 Sharps Model Carbines are in the 43000 range. Since the carbines were for the Federal Navy they had no use for a sling bar on the receiver, it is possible that the factory took the leftover parts from the Mitchell contract to fabricate the carbines.

The New Model 1859 Sharps Navy Carbines had a rifle receiver and rifle buttstock with sling swivel, and a standard carbine barrel. The 300 carbines were sent by the factory to the New York Agency, where they were inspected by the Army inspectors. An inspector's cartouche was stamped on the left wrist of the buttstock. Army records indicate that 300 Sharps carbines were purchased for the Navy on September 3, 1861 at a cost of #30 each.

The author goes on to say..
"The Navy Bureau of Ordnance records and Deck Logs from the National Archives do not show these carbines being issued to the Mississippi Squadron. Ships logs of this squadron during the Civil War do not show receipt of New Model 1859 Sharps carbines, although several vessels were armed with Sharps New Model 1859 Military Rifles. The 1866 official Navy inventory listed only a few Sharps Model 1855 carbines. It appears that the Sharps New Model 1859 carbines may have remained at the New York Agency storage facility throughout the war. The carbines would not have been issued to Federal Cavalry troops because of lack of a sling ring.

The Sharps New Model 1859 Navy Carbines found in today's collections are typically in very good or better condition, confirming the view that they were not issued."

There are additional details about this gun's unique characteristics, and the sling that was used with these, including some great photographs of them. The sling was basically looped around the barrel via a simple buckle, and then back through the sling swivel on the stock.

This book has new (to me) information about the order for the carbines and speculation on how they were put together. Notably, he finds a request (order) for 300 carbines and ties them specifically to the Mississippi Squadron being formed by the Army.

While theories on the employment of these guns is limited to dueling speculations, it's notable that Marcot's recent book conflicts a bit with McAulay's earlier research.

Rereading what McAulay wrote in "Civil War Sharps Carbines & Rifles", as quoted earlier, the letter from the Secretary of the Navy isn't indicated to have itemized these carbines specifically, so much as the disposition of "guns" coming off the boats generally, and so it seems a speculative link to assume the carbines were included. To revisit McAulay's question, "how did these end up in the hands of the army", may be answered by Marcot's theory - bought direct by the Army, placed in New York at storage facility and never deployed.

McAulay had also speculated in another book, "Civil War Carbines, Vol 2", that these guns may have been purchased by a Navy agent through a private dealer in Philadelphia, Joseph C. Grubb and Company. The additional research represented in the 2019 book by Marcot, et al, pays out here too - there's an actual order from the Ordnance Dept. direct to the factory for the 300 carbines. That seems to solve the acquisition mystery.

So were they ever deployed? Maybe they stayed in NY until sent back to Sharps for conversion, then shipped out to Ft. Union because they didn't know what else to do with them. Probably not suitable for maritime work. Definitely not suitable for cavalry work. Just a misfit, el patito feo. As it was said, these are "one of the true mystery carbines of the Civil War". A rare piece, a custom variant requested for a unique application in the war, that much is certain.

I am ever in awe at how much hard work and research is on display by my elders in the gun collecting world. Digging through National Archives, looking for the most obscure source material, pouring over factory records, to say nothing of the travel required to make all that possible, then compiling these books. In the age of Google, so much knowledge is still offline.
 
Great info, and thanks for providing it.
I have not seen these books.
There is still a great deal of info to be discovered that can replace "gun show stories"
 
Very good information .. Thanks!!
I refer to McCauleys Small arms used by Marines and Navy and will use one example as I don't have a listing of the boats used in the Mississippi Squadron. The "Cairo" is listed in the book as having been issued .44 Colts..it was also notably in that squadron.. No other weapons are listed. Its obvious that this is an incomplete listing and the fact the Cairo is in the Mississippi Squadron it begs the question..What other boats in that squadron have incomplete listings?.. and .. With only 300 carbines created and not all of them having been converted to 50/70 later on.. maybe some (those still in the original percussion configuration) did get issued and did in fact find their way onto some of those boats on the Mississippi.
 
Back
Top