OS-8432

     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, with the exception of the stock making machine, which was taken to Fayetteville, N.C.  Fayetteville produced the stocks, and sent them to the Richmond 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.  And of these, the high hump rifle musket is truly the “Iconic” Confederate longarm.

     Slight variations exist in the profile, markings, and the materials used in the construction of the early Richmond rifle muskets.  These variations allow the modern collector to more specifically calculate the date of manufacture of a particular arm.  In the case of this example, it has the year 1862 stamped into the rare high hump lock.  In February of 1862, the Armory changed the method of attaching the nose cap from a rivet to a screw and the high hump lockplate was still in use, as well as unmarked iron buttplates.  In March, the Armory reduced the lock plate profile and made the last of the iron buttplates.

       The barrel is stamped with the “VP” (viewed and proved) over Eagle inspection mark.  Especially noteworthy is the distinctive broken “P” proof mark, a well-known characteristic of early 1862 Richmond production resulting from the use of a damaged proof die.  The barrel has the Richmond sight stabilizer cutout, and rear sight.  And it has the early iron nose cap.

     All of the iron barrel bands are marked with the Richmond, off-center U.  It retains its original Richmond manufactured ramrod, a rarity in itself.  The stock of this example lacks the Maynard primer mortise which shows that it is a Richmond Armory manufactured stock.    

      This gun’s configuration would date its manufacture to February or early March 1862.  It would have been issued very soon after, so this weapon fought three years of the War; though has obviously seen a lot of use it remains in exceptionally good condition. The mechanics work perfectly.

     The sling swivels were intentionally removed during the period, otherwise the gun is in the exact original configuration that it left the Richmond Armory and is in very good, untouched condition.  If you have spent much time looking at Richmond’s, you know how hard it is to find one that has not been altered by restoration, and this is better than it looks in the pictures, beautiful gun.