Greetings
New member here
I have been involved in the black powder community for more decades than I care to admit, but have not had a particular focus on the Civil War era. I recently acquired an all-matching Barnett P1853 Enfield rifle in good to very good condition that, I believe, has a Confederate States connection. I am a complete novice when it comes to the US Civil War and would very much appreciate any and all input, guidance and comments from those with more knowledge. That which follows is information gleaned from the internet and might be flat-out incorrect. Additional photos should be available at a later date. I am just now learning to navigate the site.
It is my understanding that Barnett was a leading, if not the primary, provider of British small arms to the Confederate States. I have read that Inspectors or Agents for the Confederate States viewed each rifle prior to acceptance and shipping and placed their view mark, which consists of initials in an oval, on the comb immediately ahead of the butt plate extension. My rifle has such a mark, which measures approximately 1/2" across on the long side. In this case, it is a "T.S" in an oval. It is possible the "T" is a stylized "P" with a tail, but I am quite certain it is a "T". The view mark appears to me to be identical to other accepted Confederate view marks I have seen on this and other sites, but with different initials.
My questions are two fold:
- Does such a view mark indicate ownership of this rifle by the CSA?
- Did any other entity of the period employ a similar, and similarly located, view mark?
I also understand the Confederacy confiscated Union arms and collected Confederate arms from the battlefelds and ran them through a Repair Depot prior to placing them back in service. I believe this is referred to as their C&C Program and I understand such arms were marked with a letter designation on the underside of the stock ahead of the trigger guard. My rifle has the letter "X" prominently stamped on the underside of the stock directly under the forward lock bolt.
Does that reliably indicate passage through a Confederate Repair Depot and would it further support the belief of Confederate ownership?
I have not been able to find any other markings not related to manufacture.
Many thanks for any and all help.
New member here
I have been involved in the black powder community for more decades than I care to admit, but have not had a particular focus on the Civil War era. I recently acquired an all-matching Barnett P1853 Enfield rifle in good to very good condition that, I believe, has a Confederate States connection. I am a complete novice when it comes to the US Civil War and would very much appreciate any and all input, guidance and comments from those with more knowledge. That which follows is information gleaned from the internet and might be flat-out incorrect. Additional photos should be available at a later date. I am just now learning to navigate the site.
It is my understanding that Barnett was a leading, if not the primary, provider of British small arms to the Confederate States. I have read that Inspectors or Agents for the Confederate States viewed each rifle prior to acceptance and shipping and placed their view mark, which consists of initials in an oval, on the comb immediately ahead of the butt plate extension. My rifle has such a mark, which measures approximately 1/2" across on the long side. In this case, it is a "T.S" in an oval. It is possible the "T" is a stylized "P" with a tail, but I am quite certain it is a "T". The view mark appears to me to be identical to other accepted Confederate view marks I have seen on this and other sites, but with different initials.
My questions are two fold:
- Does such a view mark indicate ownership of this rifle by the CSA?
- Did any other entity of the period employ a similar, and similarly located, view mark?
I also understand the Confederacy confiscated Union arms and collected Confederate arms from the battlefelds and ran them through a Repair Depot prior to placing them back in service. I believe this is referred to as their C&C Program and I understand such arms were marked with a letter designation on the underside of the stock ahead of the trigger guard. My rifle has the letter "X" prominently stamped on the underside of the stock directly under the forward lock bolt.
Does that reliably indicate passage through a Confederate Repair Depot and would it further support the belief of Confederate ownership?
I have not been able to find any other markings not related to manufacture.
Many thanks for any and all help.
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