Civil War Bench Rifle

Cumpston1862

First Sergeant
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. :wink:

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.

Lt. Resin Wilkins.jpg
Civil War Bench Rifle.JPG
CW Bench Rifle (2).JPG
CW Bench Rifle.JPG
 
That's a very nice sporting rifle and a nice story to go with it, too. I tend to agree with your supposition that Sgt. Wilkins used an issue weapon while in the service. In Missouri it was not unusual for pro-southern volunteers to equip themselves with sporting arms at the outset. Perhaps that was true throughout the south, but I suspect much less so in northern units. I am curious about a detail that I can't quite see in your photos. There appears to be a rib under the barrel. At least, I think I am seeing a rib. Correct? If so, is it a metal rib or wood? Thank you for showing us your rifle.
 
It is a standard half stock percussion hunting rifle common to the era. The under rib is metal and it's purpose is to provide an upper barrel support for the ramrod. A bench rifle of the era usually had a much heavier barrel and some type of peep sight and false muzzle. During the war,
bench.jpg
bench2.jpg
bench3.jpg
bench1.jpg
a bench rifle was used as a target rifle and sniper's rifle.
 
I read a few letters from a Confederate soldier during the early part of the war that wrote to his mother asking her to send him his hunting rifle because he didn't like the one issued to him.
Was it sent to him? That was done early in the war and I saw a rifle Lew Wallace's that he mentioned in his memoirs that was recovered from Fort Donelson.

Concerning the ribs, I am currently preparing to attach a rib to a barrel of a Spanish gun of mine. It was one of those two-piece stock "Kentucky Rifle" that had the brass "patch" joining the forearm to the stock. It look cheesy and hence the rib. I'm going to have to pour a pewter nosecap after the rib is attached. Both rib and barrel have been tinned (solder applied) and they have to be wired together for the final soldering.
 
The rib under the barrel on my rifle is metal. The original ramrod was MIA so the gunsmith made a new one that I think was very sympathetic copy. It was while working on this part of the gun that he discovered the Remington maker stamps that helped us date the gun.

I have been trying to post a picture of the bullet mold and my computer here at home is not cooperating. It is a brass one with a double cavity for both round and conical bullets. Caliber is about .40-.41 so its not an elephant rifle by any means.
 
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I have located some of my family tree, being adopted made it difficult. I found out that Resin Wilkins was my GGGGrandfather. I'm so glad to be able to make this connection and hear this story. Thank you for perserving it, the photos, the rifle. Salute.
 
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I have located some of my family tree, being adopted made it difficult. I found out that Resin Wilkins was my GGGGrandfather. I'm so glad to be able to make this connection and hear this story. Thank you for perserving it, the photos, the rifle. Salute.
Hello Cousin, I am Resin's older brother, Thomas R. Wilkins GGG-Granddaughter. Thomas R. Wilkins lived in a rural area of Paulding Co, Ohio, and is buried in Riverside cemetery, next to his wife, Matilda. It is located on the outskirts of the Village of Antwerp. He also has two young sons and a sister, Mary Jane Harris & her husband John V. Harris buried there. Thomas was a farmer and while I don't think he fought in the war, his son, Elymas Franklin Wilkins did. You can locate Elymas' grave on findagrave.com . He lived in Indiana and had one son,7 daughters, & 2 step-children. My email is [email protected]
 
Back
Top