In early 1861 the Harper's Ferry arsenal had not yet tooled up to produce the Model 1861. They were still actively producing the older Model 1855 rifle musket and as a result, about the arsenal held about 15,000 M1855 muskets in Armory storage. When hostilities erupted in April of 1861, 1st Lieutenant Roger Jones set fire to the Arsenal building and fled to Carlisle Pennsylvania. When Confederate forces arrived later that month, they were still able to salvage over 300 machines along with 57,000 parts and stocks. These components were sent to the Armory at Richmond, where they were later assembled into complete muskets.
The guns that were salvaged from the fire at Harper's Ferry, along with the muskets that were assembled at Richmond make the M1855 Harper's Ferry uniquely Confederate, as authors agree that it would be highly unusual for a Harper's Ferry rifle musket to have made it's way North prior to the war, as the Northern troops were mostly supplied by Springfield; whose output and quality were much higher than Harper's Ferry.
This particular M1855 is a true Harper's Ferry gun. The musket is brown and untouched; showing no evidence of refinishing at any point since it left the arsenal more than a century-and-half ago. The stock still bears the inspector's stamps of Harper's Ferry master armorers Samuel Byington (SB) and James A. Schaeffer (JAS)
The lock is very good with a solid half and full cock. The Maynard tape primer components of the lock were removed. This is a common feature of Southern-used '55s. As the South had trouble procuring Maynard tape primers and used traditional musket caps to prime their guns instead.
The barrel is full length and both front and rear sights are original;. The bore is dark but features strong rifling. The clean out screw in the bolster is broken.
All the furniture is original including the ramrod.
