Tom Hughes
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- May 27, 2019
- Location
- Mississippi
I dug this fired Enfield this morning in west central Mississippi and this find reminded me of the tremendous impact the British Enfield made for the Confederates at Vicksburg.
When Grant entered the city on July 4, 1863, he was surprised to discover that many of the 30,000 Confederate soldiers that surrendered were in possession of the .57 calibre British Enfield rifle.
Many of the Union soldiers were in possession of antiquated converted muskets that were inferior to the Confederate weapons.
The base of the bullet I dug today has the number "57" stamped in the base of the bullet's cavity, indicating the calibre.
These stamped bullets were manufactured in England and made it through the Union blockade to supply the Confederate army.
Lots of arms and material made it from England.
The lack of industry in the South prompted a need for arms and equipment from this European ally during the war.
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