Confederate Converted Brown Bess?

[Papa Frinkle]

Today I won a *very* beat up but pretty cool old musket alongside a pretty double barrel shotgun on auction.

The musket is a 3rd model Brown Bess, and based on the markings in the stock it was issued to Canadian troops in Halifax, Nova Scotia during the War of 1812. Before that, it may potentially have seen service against in one of the earlier wars against Napoleon.

At some point it was converted to percussion, but I'm not sure by whom. The conversions done in Canada typically have heavier duty, military style hammers, whereas this one has a civilian hammer. The overall conversion method seems more crude as well.

My questions: Is there a certain Confederate contractor who did this type of conversion? Is anyone aware of whether or not the South purchased obsolete arms from Canada during or prior to the Civil War? Are there any other alternatives I should consider?

 

[Craig L Barry]

Canada was a British colony during the US Civil War, and England certainly supplied the Confederacy. I am not aware of specific arms purchases from Canada to the Confederacy...they did not manufacture arms there to my knowledge.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

There have been examples of the 3rd Pattern Bess converted to percussion attributed to the Confederacy, such as I seem to recall from years ago the "Ben Mitchel" collection having a couple.

I'm NOT the person to talk to on conversions, (@Grayrock Volunteer), but if I were to guess, I wouldn't be surprised if some contractor converted a few, but I'd bet it was few. After all, there seems to have been a contractor or two converting a few Rev. War era "Charlevilles" as their commonly known. Plus, a few of the old Virginia Swan Contract Bess muskets seem to have been converted, so why not a bona fide Brit Bess.

That is a nice Bess from Halifax.

 

[Craig L Barry]

IIRC there is an article called 'Reinforcements for Canada' dated Dec 21, 1861 from the London Illustrated News about the British War Department deploying 25,000 troops to Canada to monitor the United States intentions toward their colony. It mentions that the gunmakers in London/Birmingham were "working day and night" to fill orders for P53 Enfields necessary to arms those troops.

However, no mention of altered smoothbore muskets send to the CS from obsolete arms stored in Canada. Not sure there is any documentation that supports that.

 

[Old Soldier]

IIRC there is an article called 'Reinforcements for Canada' dated Dec 21, 1861 from the London Illustrated News about the British War Department deploying 25,000 troops to Canada to monitor the United States intentions toward their colony. It mentions that the gunmakers in London/Birmingham were "working day and night" to fill orders for P53 Enfields necessary to arms those troops.

However, no mention of altered smoothbore muskets send to the CS from obsolete arms stored in Canada. Not sure there is any documentation that supports that.

Officially, between 33,000 and 55,000 men from British North America (Canada) enlisted in the war, almost all of them, bar a few hundred or so, fighting for Union forces. At least 29 Canadian-born men were awarded the Medal of Honor. Canada also became the terminus of the 'Underground Railroad'. The Civil War and events after hastened the confederation of colonies in Canada. About this time, arms used by Canadian forces were marked with a diamond containing 'DC' - Dominion of Canada.