- Joined
- Sep 10, 2013
- Location
- Mustered Out
Ladies and Gents-
About 30 years ago an older gentleman gave me a rifle. He himself was a WW2 veteran and could tell stories of his experiences that would make you want to pull up a chair and just listen...for days. But this is about the rifle. It was not a military rifle but an old civilian bench rifle. We had gotten quite friendly talking about history and the Civil War and one day he walks in with this gun.
He says the rifle belonged to his wife's grandfather and he had talked it over with her and they agreed to give it to me as they were up in years and no one else in the family wanted it. Not only did he have the rifle with him but the bullet mold that came with it and a book about the early pioneers of our area. He wanted me to have all of these things. I started to ask him all sorts of questions about the owner of the rifle and he than flipped open the book and showed me the owner's picture and biography. The book dated to 1885. Needless to say I thanked him and his wife profusely and have had all of the items in my possession since.
The man was named Resin Wilkins and when war broke out in 1861 he wanted to not only enlist but he wanted to form a sharpshooter company. According to family tradition the rifle I was holding was the very gun he was planning on taking to defend his country and flag. For some reason he was dissuaded from forming the sharpshooter company and was asked to join the 15th Iowa Infantry. Mr. Wilkins became sergeant Wilkins and after gallant service at the Battle of Shiloh he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. His health failed him eventually and he was forced to tender his resignation in March of 1863.
I am fairly certain the rifle now in my possession was sent home and he most likely used a standard military rifle until promoted as an officer. Despite it probably not having been used directly in the war it is priceless to me as a symbol of a citizen soldier taking his rifle to war with him to defend his country. But quite honestly I really don't know. It could have been used at Shiloh for all I know but the man who knows for sure I will not have an opportunity to speak with about it for some years.
The rifle was in pretty rough shape and for many years languished on a table in my home. With the help of an incredibly gifted gunsmith we were able to put the gun back together as the wood was splitting in many places. Through careful research we discovered the gun was assembled from parts ordered by an Ottawa, Illinois gunsmith by the name of Henry Brunker. He made/assembled guns from roughly 1849 until his death from consumption in 1871. The rifle I have we were able to date to about 1855-56 by the stamps found on the underside of the barrel that were so faint and darkened with age I had not seen them until we restored the gun.
About 30 years ago an older gentleman gave me a rifle. He himself was a WW2 veteran and could tell stories of his experiences that would make you want to pull up a chair and just listen...for days. But this is about the rifle. It was not a military rifle but an old civilian bench rifle. We had gotten quite friendly talking about history and the Civil War and one day he walks in with this gun.
He says the rifle belonged to his wife's grandfather and he had talked it over with her and they agreed to give it to me as they were up in years and no one else in the family wanted it. Not only did he have the rifle with him but the bullet mold that came with it and a book about the early pioneers of our area. He wanted me to have all of these things. I started to ask him all sorts of questions about the owner of the rifle and he than flipped open the book and showed me the owner's picture and biography. The book dated to 1885. Needless to say I thanked him and his wife profusely and have had all of the items in my possession since.
The man was named Resin Wilkins and when war broke out in 1861 he wanted to not only enlist but he wanted to form a sharpshooter company. According to family tradition the rifle I was holding was the very gun he was planning on taking to defend his country and flag. For some reason he was dissuaded from forming the sharpshooter company and was asked to join the 15th Iowa Infantry. Mr. Wilkins became sergeant Wilkins and after gallant service at the Battle of Shiloh he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. His health failed him eventually and he was forced to tender his resignation in March of 1863.
I am fairly certain the rifle now in my possession was sent home and he most likely used a standard military rifle until promoted as an officer. Despite it probably not having been used directly in the war it is priceless to me as a symbol of a citizen soldier taking his rifle to war with him to defend his country. But quite honestly I really don't know. It could have been used at Shiloh for all I know but the man who knows for sure I will not have an opportunity to speak with about it for some years.
The rifle was in pretty rough shape and for many years languished on a table in my home. With the help of an incredibly gifted gunsmith we were able to put the gun back together as the wood was splitting in many places. Through careful research we discovered the gun was assembled from parts ordered by an Ottawa, Illinois gunsmith by the name of Henry Brunker. He made/assembled guns from roughly 1849 until his death from consumption in 1871. The rifle I have we were able to date to about 1855-56 by the stamps found on the underside of the barrel that were so faint and darkened with age I had not seen them until we restored the gun.