GSXRMike posted a great thread about his Civil War era Springfield. Old rifles, muskets and blades are every bit as fascinating to me as the finest double rifle or latest set of optics. Let me preface all this by saying as a career combat arms officer and unapologetic proud Southerner, our collective military history has always been an integral part of what makes me the person I am today. My Great Great Uncle Paul was a young infantryman in the Army of Northern Virginia. My 94 years young mother remembers him as her favorite uncle. He told her stories of Cold Harbor and of being wounded and taken prisoner at Petersburg. My grandmother's family were Barksdale's, and my most noted ancestor on that side led a Brigade at Gettysburg where on the second day he fell mortally wounded in the Peach Orchard crushing Sickles' Corps at Gettysburg.
The first photo is my Confederate wall.
The two rifles are Model 1853 Enfield Rifled Muskets. The British-made Enfield was used by both sides, but was the principal rifle used by Confederate forces. Both of these have the "JS Anchor" mark showing Confederate ordnance acceptance. The rifle on the left has additional unit markings on the butt plate and the soldier's initials carved in the stock. As a result, the rifle is identified with a young mounted infantryman who fought and was wounded at the battle of New Market, Virginia in 1864. I have been unable to find him listed on any returns after admittance to a hospital or in a census after the war. He undoubtedly died of his wounds.
And of course, no self-respecting rebel went to war without a blacksmith-made "D-Guard Bowie" or fighting knife.
The large framed Tintype is a rare Half-plate of a Texas Confederate soldier. The image was likely taken early in the war. He is in civilian dress, armed to the teeth, and wearing an issue Confederate Kepi with a Texas Lone Star prominently displayed on the front. He is almost certainly a member of Hood's Texas Brigade who had a photograph made for his family before heading east.
The second wall photo is carte de visite of a young Confederate Cavalryman. It is interesting because of his confederate uniform and British accoutrements.
The next grouping is Napoleonic. The breastplate and armor are those of a Napoleonic French Cuirassier - the French heavy cavalry. this particular set belonged to a member of the 10th Regiment. On the wall behind are a massive Cuirassier Saber and two sabers with the decorative guards (Guard de Bataille) which a company grade officer would carry in the same regiment. These were the men who attempted to break Wellington's squares at Waterloo in 1815. At the base of the breastplate are a pair of pommel holsters for the dragoon pistols with which the Cuirassier would have also been armed.
I have also spent a lot of time mucking around the Middle East. The musket is a "Jizail". These were made in North Africa and the Arab Peninsula on a pattern of the snaphance lock which preceded the flintlock. This particular gun dates from the early 19th century and is heavily decorated with silver, agate, bone and ivory. The two sabers are also Arab. The curved blade originated in the early 1800s in modern day Syria or Iraq, and the straight blade was built in Zanzibar.
I have every bit as much fun digging into the history of these artifacts as I do the best location to pursue another buffalo.
The first photo is my Confederate wall.
The two rifles are Model 1853 Enfield Rifled Muskets. The British-made Enfield was used by both sides, but was the principal rifle used by Confederate forces. Both of these have the "JS Anchor" mark showing Confederate ordnance acceptance. The rifle on the left has additional unit markings on the butt plate and the soldier's initials carved in the stock. As a result, the rifle is identified with a young mounted infantryman who fought and was wounded at the battle of New Market, Virginia in 1864. I have been unable to find him listed on any returns after admittance to a hospital or in a census after the war. He undoubtedly died of his wounds.
And of course, no self-respecting rebel went to war without a blacksmith-made "D-Guard Bowie" or fighting knife.
The large framed Tintype is a rare Half-plate of a Texas Confederate soldier. The image was likely taken early in the war. He is in civilian dress, armed to the teeth, and wearing an issue Confederate Kepi with a Texas Lone Star prominently displayed on the front. He is almost certainly a member of Hood's Texas Brigade who had a photograph made for his family before heading east.
The second wall photo is carte de visite of a young Confederate Cavalryman. It is interesting because of his confederate uniform and British accoutrements.
The next grouping is Napoleonic. The breastplate and armor are those of a Napoleonic French Cuirassier - the French heavy cavalry. this particular set belonged to a member of the 10th Regiment. On the wall behind are a massive Cuirassier Saber and two sabers with the decorative guards (Guard de Bataille) which a company grade officer would carry in the same regiment. These were the men who attempted to break Wellington's squares at Waterloo in 1815. At the base of the breastplate are a pair of pommel holsters for the dragoon pistols with which the Cuirassier would have also been armed.
I have also spent a lot of time mucking around the Middle East. The musket is a "Jizail". These were made in North Africa and the Arab Peninsula on a pattern of the snaphance lock which preceded the flintlock. This particular gun dates from the early 19th century and is heavily decorated with silver, agate, bone and ivory. The two sabers are also Arab. The curved blade originated in the early 1800s in modern day Syria or Iraq, and the straight blade was built in Zanzibar.
I have every bit as much fun digging into the history of these artifacts as I do the best location to pursue another buffalo.