Arms, Armor and Militaria

.72 caliber. 41.125" round barrel, secured by there flat brass spring-retains barrel bands. NSN. Bright finish, brass furniture, beech stock with recessed cheek rest. Single shot smoothbore muzzleloading percussion altered musket. Lock marked with the {Prussian Crown}/Potsdam/GG forward of the hammer. Breech with weak {Prussian Crown}/FW and additional small inspection marks Brass furniture and most parts assembly numbered 20 throughout. Buttplate tang with Prussian unit marking reading 81 AC/KAGR. Fixed block sight on breech plug tang, brass blade front sight on upper band. Retains both sling swivels, spade shaped spring bayonet catch under the muzzle and a correct pattern full-length double trumpet head iron ramrod inventory numbered 106. This pattern of musket was originally produced in flintlock for the Prussian military and other large German states and its use goes back to the period of the Napoleonic Wars. After the adoption of the percussion system many the guns were altered to percussion and continued to see use until made thoroughly obsolete by the adoption of the Model 1841 Dreyse Needle Gun. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Prussia and many other Germanic states took the opportunity to sell of large stock piles of these obsolete musket to American buyers. These guns saw heavy use during the first 12-18 months of the Civil War, primarily with Union troops in the Western Theater and many continued to see use with US troops sent to quell the Sioux uprising in Minnesota during 1862. One of the more heavily used import arms of the war, the "Potsdam" is a must have item in any collection of Civil War long arms.