Here's a fantastic Barnett Enfield with not one but two Confederate viewer's marks - it's got so much Southern provenance you can practically here it whistling Dixie!
Made by the prolific JE Barnett & Sons firm; a company that provided so many weapons to the Confederacy, that noted Confederate weapons researcher Tim Prince once wrote: "There is no English gun maker who could more appropriately be called the “Gun Maker to the Confederacy” than the London firm of John Edward Barnett & Sons." Over the course of the war, Barnett delivered thousands of Pattern 1853 “Enfield” rifle muskets, rifles, and Pattern 1856 carbine to the South. Barnett also delivered large numbers of obsolete arms like Brunswick rifles and Pattern 1851 Minié Rifles to Confederate buyers, as well as filled weapons orders the Confederates states of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
This Barnett is among the few surviving P1853 Enfields purchased by the Confederacy; as evidenced by the "Crown/SH/C" stamp found on the butt stock directly in front of the butt plate tang, as well as an "IC" stamped within an oval located on the left counter pane. These are the markings of Sinclair Hamilton and Co. and Isaac Campbell; the two primary suppliers of English arms to the Confederacy. Tim Prince described the importance of Archibold Hamilton in purchasing arms for the Confederacy:
"The relationship between the firm of Sinclair, Hamilton & Company, other English suppliers to the Confederacy and to the Confederacy itself is somewhat interesting. The firm was one of the two primary English suppliers of arms to the Confederacy, and was also one of the major sources of arms sold to S. Isaac, Campbell & Company, which was the other primary supplier to the Confederacy. Archibald Hamilton was one of the principals in Sinclair, Hamilton & Company, and was a major player within the English arms industry. Hamilton also served concurrently as the director of the London Armoury Company, a major small arms making company in London, and the only English source for guns made with fully interchangeable parts, other than the British national armory (the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock). As such, Sinclair, Hamilton & Company served as the conduit for all Confederate purchases of London Armoury Company made arms. Sinclair, Hamilton & Company also maintained a strong relationship with five English arms making firms, which they referred to as the “Five Furnishers”. These firms delivered (even if they didn’t manufacture) the bulk of the arms that SIC subsequently sold to the Confederacy. Sinclair, Hamilton & Company entered into at least five different contracts with the Confederate central government during the course of the war. The first contract was entered into on June 11, 1861, with a second contract quickly following in October of that same year. The last known contract was entered into in October of 1863, running through April of 1864. These contracts typically ran for a duration of six months and were usually for 30,000 arms, indicating that Sinclair, Hamilton & Company may have delivered as many as 150,000 P-1853 Enfield rifle muskets to the Confederate central government during the course of the war. Those numbers do not include the arms that they sold to Confederate speculative buyers during the same time frame, nor does it include arms the Confederacy purchased from S. Isaac, Campbell & Company."
Apart from its fantastic Confederate provenance. This Enfield is in fantastic condition, which is quite unusual for a Confederate-purchased gun as they saw extensive use in comparison to the Union-purchased guns. This is easily the nicest condition Confederate Enfields we've ever had, and is among the nicest we've seen offered anywhere.
The stock is in very good shape with crisp edges and great markings indicating that the wood has never been sanded or refinished.
The lock has wonderfully crisp markings and a beautiful patina. The hammer holds solid on both full and half cock.
The barrel is full length with great London proofmarks at the breech. The bore has been reamed smooth - something that is quite common to Southern gun.
The furniture is all original and matching; including the ram rod which is full length.
This piece would be hard to upgrade - a quintessential Southern musket made by one of the Confederacy's most influential suppliers, and inspected by two of the South's best known purchasing agents. Don't let this one get away!
