Arms, Armor and Militaria

.56-52 (56-56) Spencer caliber. 30" barrel. SN: 2037. Blued and color casehardened finish, walnut stock and forend secured by three solid, spring-retained barrel bands. Lever action, manually cocked repeating rifle with seven round tubular magazine in butt, military folding ladder rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug and sling swivels on the middle band and in toe of stock. Top of receiver marked in three lines: SPENCER REPEATING / RIFLE CO BOSTON MASS / PAT'D MARCH 6 1860. Reverse wrist with traces of a a script cartouche. Retains the correct pattern magazine follower tube in the butt. The only Spencer firearms at Gettsyburg were the early deliveries of rifles to the state of Michigan for the 5th and eventually 6th Michigan Cavalry. A detailed analysis of surviving correspondence and records by noted author and researcher Wiley Sword, suggests that many of the Spencer Rifles in 1000-1550 serial number range and 1551 to 2050 range were delivered for use by the 5th Michigan Cavalry and those guns not needed by that regiment, which was initially some 1,200 strong but was down to about 900 men by the time of the rifles being issued, were passed on to the 6th Michigan Cavalry. A copy of Wiley Sword's detailed article accompanies the rifle. A search of the Springfield Research Service Serial Number books did not find this rifle, but did find several close to it. The closest guns were #2044 which was issued to the 6th Independent Company of Ohio Sharpshooters and #2049 which was issued to Company B of the 8th Independent Volunteer Cavalry. Other close guns were #1973 which went to Company E of the 148th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, #1978 which was issued to Company H of the 11th Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry and #2058 which was issued to the 5th Independent Company of Ohio Sharpshooters. As such, it is difficult to know to what regiment this rifle may have been issued, but it is abundantly clear that it was in service with a US regiment by the summer of 1863 and likely saw hard service for the balance of the war. A solid, essentially untouched example of an early production Civil War Spencer Rifle that has survived without any of the post-war, Indian War era upgrades and modifications.