Product Description
CIVIL WAR Antique JAMES MERRILL First Type .54 Caliber Percussion CARBINE
Issued to NY, PA, NJ, IN, WI, KY & DE Cavalries!
Here we present an antique James Merrill First Type Percussion Carbine, made circa 1862 in Baltimore, Maryland. These were made by the company of James H. Merrill in Baltimore, Maryland (a very divided city leading up to the war), with a total production of 14,500. These carbines are known to have been allocated to the following Union cavalry regiments: NY 1st, 5th and 18th; Pennsylvania 11th, 17th, and 18th; NJ 1st; Indiana 7th; Wisconsin 1st and 3rd; Kentucky 27th; and finally the Delaware 1st. They are also known to have been used by Confederates as they were available before the war or as they would capture them. Confederate ammunition for these were made at the Richmond Laboratory on Brown’s Island in Virginia. It is telling about how many of the carbines the South may have fielded to justify a significant operation making ammunition at the lab.
As an interesting side-note, the Confederate States Richmond Laboratory was the site of the worst home-front disaster in Richmond for the entire war when careless handling of percussion caps caused the several hundred thousand percussion primers, cannon friction primers and 10 lbs. of gun powder to explode, killing at least 44 and seriously injuring 25 more in the small building.
The overall condition is good. Gray patina throughout. The action is strong. The bore is dim with good rifling. The stock shows lots of period wear and remains solid. Numbers match.
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 22-1/8 inches.
Caliber: .54 percussion
Overall condition as seen in photos.
Very Fast. Very Safe. FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Delivered directly to your door by express mail!
Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
www.ancestryguns.com
$3495
#220237