The parts and machinery taken at Harper’s Ferry in April of 1861 were transported to Richmond, Virginia and set up in the old Virginia Armory. The state of Virginia transferred the armory to the Confederate Government in August, 1861 and from that time forward the facility was known as the Richmond Armory. The Richmond Armory was by far the most prolific maker of arms for the Confederacy. The rifles and rifle muskets made at the Richmond Armory are the most widely recognized and sought after long arms of the Confederate era. The Richmond Armory is also known to have made extensive work of repairing damaged guns sent back to the factory. Repair of a large number of these Richmond Rifled Muskets is particularly noted.

This 1863 dated Richmond Rifled Musket, has original wood as witnessed by the uncut Maynard Tape Primer mortise. However, when the gun was sent back to the Armory for repair, some damage had taken place to the forestock and front of the barrel. This caused the Armory to shorten the barrel to the rifle length of 33 ½ inches and place a new block style rifled musket sight on the front. They then cleanly cut off the broken forestock under the second barrel band and made a piece of forestock to attach to it via a large under barrel staple similar to the technique used on the Reed and Watson guns. The effect after completion was simply to have a gun with all the features of a Richmond Rifled Musket with the length of a Richmond Rifle. Fascinating.

Two of the barrel bands are clearly Richmond, with their offset U’s, the other may or may not be, but the extreme ghost on the barrel shows that it’s always been there. It has the correct, original brass butt plate. It has an iron Richmond nose cap on the forestock. The barrel features the classic Richmond sight groove as well as the Richmond, "broken P” proof stamp. The bore still has strong rifling. The barrel exterior metal is in great shape, smooth and has a deep original patina. Even the original nipple is in very good condition. There is very light pitting around the nipple, but it is clear that its owner took good care of the gun. The ramrod is period, but is not an official Richmond product. The brass rear sight is a period replacement; likely done after the War. The original sling swivels remain. We know that the repairs mentioned above were done at the Armory during the War by the quality of the work, the professional attachment of a Richmond Rifled Musket front sight after the barrel shortening, and the undeniable patina and ghost on all covered parts.

The stock still has its original finish and is in nice aesthetic condition. The are minor dings and scratches, but the only real damage is on the underside in front of the trigger guard where a little over an inch of the end of the ramrod channel split out.

The stock has H M and a five pointed star neatly carved into the left stock face; TK is stamped into the comb with a relatively modern font. Most intriguing is the 3.5 by 1.6 inch, silver plated brass plaque, inlet into the right stock face which has been hand engraved with one inch tall script letter that read F.C.P.