Muzzleldrs Enfield Marks: Union or Reb?

bayonet

Sergeant Major
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Hello, picked up a 1853 3 band Enfield over 30 years ago. It is a EP BOND LONDON. Was told years ago the SHC or SHG lightly stamped on the butt stock was SCHUYLER, HARTLEY, & GRAHAM for the New York City Importer. Now I see thats incorrect, it is Sinclair and Hamilton Company a CS Importer. But is it truly CS or seized by the Union in a blockade? Above the 25s and crown G crown V on the rear of the barrel is stamped a B then a A but with a noticeable space between them. On the other side of the stock from the hammer is a circular cartouche with a TS in it. Behind that is a stamped (appears to be) 10 or IO as best I can make out. Any ideas? Thanks, Jim
 
If you could post some photos of the Enfield to include the marking we would love to see them and it would help in answering your questions.
 
It's a CS government or a State purchase. Whether or not it made it through the blockade is impossible to tell without more I.D., such as a legitimate CW carved name and unit.

Are there any numbers on the butt plate, small stamped letters on the breech or in front of the butt plate tang [ a "B" maybe ? }

A few photos of any marks you can find would certainly help pin down the details
 
Your enfield would have been inspected by a "viewer" in Britian who was inspecting as part of a confederate purchase, but as you say, plenty of arms were captured and sold at Northern maritime auctions to the highest bidder - so those arms didn't make it to southern armies. One famous example is that the state of Massachusetts bought a load of captured arms inspected for the South for their troops, and stamped the brass of those arms for several Massachusetts regiments, and so those arms have "official" stamps for the South (viewers marks showing confederate "viewers" accepted them as to quality in Britain) and for the North (the state property marks put on by Massachusetts after that commonwealth bought these at admiralty "Prize Court" sales after the ship carrying them was captured).

Also, arms inspected had to be paid for before they were shipped, and if the confederate buyer didn't have the cash or credit when time came to conclude the deal, those arms might have been snapped up by a union buyer, and so never even loaded onto a ship bound for the South.
 
Pics as requested, hope helps to ID. No markings on butt plate

Enfield 1.jpg


Enfield 2.jpg


Enfield 3.jpg
 
That rear mark on the side wood would be "IC" which is a confederate inspection mark. There is some debate about what it stands for, but may well be "Isaac Curtis."
Typically, the Enfield rifle-muskets with the Crown / SH / G_ stamped in the wood ahead of the buttplate tang, on top of the comb, also have two letters stamped on the barrel where the proofmarks are (see the B A on yours), and also have script initials in an oval border on the side of the stock (see the T S in the oval border on yours).
So, this all matches up well.
 
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While certainly not a guarantee of CS usage, the signs point that way. While the lock plate is not dated, E Bond was a well known London gunmaker. It was noted by US Consul FH Morse (in correspondence back to Washington) that the Commission Houses of Sinclair, Hamilton and SIC & Co had tied up the capacity of many of the London gunmakers for the CS early in the Civil War.

As Lanyard Puller points out, it gets more problematic as far as for whom any particular Enfield saw service during the Civil War. It may have been purchased as part of a CS contract, but that's about all that is known for certain.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I purchased it many years ago after research told me My Great Great Grandfathers Regiment carried/issued Enfields. The 17th Connecticut. I forgive the guy a fellow reenactor who years ago said it was Union. I guess the value jumps now on it since it surprisingly is in good condition for a CS arm to include the bayonet with it. But if anyone has a Connecticut State proofed Enfield (if there is such a thing) I'd be happy to trade.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I purchased it many years ago after research told me My Great Great Grandfathers Regiment carried/issued Enfields. The 17th Connecticut. I forgive the guy a fellow reenactor who years ago said it was Union. I guess the value jumps now on it since it surprisingly is in good condition for a CS arm to include the bayonet with it. But if anyone has a Connecticut State proofed Enfield (if there is such a thing) I'd be happy to trade.
The 17th CT carried the Enfield in 1862 then Springfield from 1863 till the end of the war; tis a Springfield ye want there laddie........
 
To repeat my earlier comment, remember that these confederate inspections were done in Britain, and so don't prove the inspected arm actually reached the south - lots of cargoes bound for southern states were captured, sold at admiralty prize auction in New York, and were bought by New England states to arm their Yankee troops:

Your enfield would have been inspected by a "viewer" in Britain who was inspecting as part of a confederate purchase, but as you say, plenty of arms were captured and sold at Northern maritime auctions to the highest bidder - so those arms didn't make it to southern armies. One famous example is that the state of Massachusetts bought a load of captured arms inspected for the South for their troops, and stamped the brass of those arms for several Massachusetts regiments, and so those arms have "official" stamps for the South (viewers marks showing confederate "viewers" accepted them as to quality in Britain) and for the North (the state property marks put on by Massachusetts after that commonwealth bought these at admiralty "Prize Court" sales after the ship carrying them was captured).

Also, arms inspected had to be paid for before they were shipped, and if the confederate buyer didn't have the cash or credit when time came to conclude the deal, those arms might have been snapped up by a union buyer, and so never even loaded onto a ship bound for the South.


I would not be surprised if Connecticut bought some for its men, including perhaps your ancestor's unit.
 
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The 17th CT carried the Enfield in 1862 then Springfield from 1863 till the end of the war; tis a Springfield ye want there laddie........
Whoa there my Man! Where did you find that research that the 17th CT switched to Springfields in 1863? But don't worry I have a 1863 Parkers & Snow Springfield (made in Meriden, CT the same Town he's buried in) on the wall right above the Enfield!
 
To repeat my earlier comment, remember that these confederate inspections were done in Britain, and so don't prove the inspected arm actually reached the south - lots of cargoes bound for southern states were captured, sold at admiralty prize auction in New York, and were bought by New England states to arm their Yankee troops:

Your enfield would have been inspected by a "viewer" in Britain who was inspecting as part of a confederate purchase, but as you say, plenty of arms were captured and sold at Northern maritime auctions to the highest bidder - so those arms didn't make it to southern armies. One famous example is that the state of Massachusetts bought a load of captured arms inspected for the South for their troops, and stamped the brass of those arms for several Massachusetts regiments, and so those arms have "official" stamps for the South (viewers marks showing confederate "viewers" accepted them as to quality in Britain) and for the North (the state property marks put on by Massachusetts after that commonwealth bought these at admiralty "Prize Court" sales after the ship carrying them was captured).

Also, arms inspected had to be paid for before they were shipped, and if the confederate buyer didn't have the cash or credit when time came to conclude the deal, those arms might have been snapped up by a union buyer, and so never even loaded onto a ship bound for the South.


I would not be surprised if Connecticut bought some for its men, including perhaps your ancestor's unit.
You might be right Jeff in Ohio. It's condition is much better than most Reb muskets I've seen. Plus didn't most Reb imported muskets show further markings placed on them once they did reach Southern States?
 
State contracts, like the state of Georgia, did mark some of their early war purchases with a G on the stock flat, presumably after they were off-loaded from the blockade runner Bermuda in Savannah. Also, rack marks were added after arrival...but the final inspection marks were placed on the Enfields in England as I understand it.
 
As to state marks put on by Southern States, they are very scarce.
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina are the three states I know so marked some early purchases.
I don't know if they were marked here or in Britain.
 
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Puller is "The English Connection" a book on do you have a link to it? A search of this site turns up nothing.Thanks
 
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