Earlier this description said that it had a replaced loading mechanism, that was left in the description from another carbine, this one is righteous.

As early as the spring of 1861, the Confederate government sent agents to Great Britain to acquire arms and accoutrements. During the course of the war as many as three hundred thousand long arms were imported from Great Britain. Unfortunately, most of these arms cannot be distinguished from their Yankee imported brethren, but some, like the cavalry carbine shown here can be positively identified as Confederate imports by their inspector marks.

Most of the arms imported from Great Britain were the pattern 1853 Rifle Musket, but a small percentage were the rarer and more desirable pattern 1856 cavalry carbine, like the one shown here. The carbine shown below is the British Enfield Cavalry Carbine, with two, Confederate inspector stamps in the comb of the stock.

This well made carbine has a 21” barrel with the standard .577” bore with a blued barrel and barrel bands, color case hardened lock and brass furniture. The ramrod is a captive design mounted to stud under the barrel near the muzzle, with a pair of swiveling arms. The rear sight is a fixed 100-yard leaf with two additional folding leaves for 200 and 300 yards, respectively. The carbine is thirty seven inches in overall length. The left stock face includes an iron sling bar.

The important thing about this from the Confederate Cavalry collector’s point of view is the two Anchor over and S cartouches stamped into the top of this carbine’s comb. The Anchor S is a Confederate viewers mark, similar in use to the JS Anchor, however the use of two on the same gun was unexpected. I first time I saw this two stamp configuration, I presumed that it was done by accident, until I found that I had two carbines at the same time that had two stamps. I was telling two other collectors about it, and they both said that they had owned carbines with two stamps. Now, this is the third that I have owned with two Anchor S stamps on the same gun. This of course means that it was not accidental, it was intentional. But to what end? Perhaps we with eventually figure it out, perhaps not.

The carbine shown here is in excellent condition, it is in fact without flaw. The metal is beautiful and still retains most of its original finish which has now turned a very attractive plum patina. All of the markings are crisp and clear. The bore is in excellent condition, approaching mint. The action works perfectly.