Rare Union Arms Company Marked Contract Model 1861 Rifle Musket by E Robinson

American Civil War

.58 caliber. 40" barrel. NSN. Bright finish, steel furniture with there solid, flat, spring retained barrel bands, full-length walnut musket sock. Muzzleloading percussion rifle musket with 1861 pattern three-leaf rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivels and swelled shank tulip head ramrod. Lock marked with a {Spread-Winged Eagle} over U.S. and U.A. CO./NEW YORK forward of the hammer and dated 1863 at the tail. Breech dated 1863 as well with the standard V/P/{Eagle Head} proofs on the left angled flat. The left flat of the breech has a block G.E.C inspection mark. There is a weak and only partially legible script cartouche on the counterpane that appears to be Orville W Ainsworth's OWA. The Union Arms Company (U.A. Co) marked contract US Model 1861 Rifle Muskets have always been somewhat of a conundrum to arms collectors and researchers. The firm was organized by R.H. Gallagher who had acquired the rights to manufacture Marsh Patent breechloading rifles. Another member of the organization was Edward Robinson who would go on to delivery M1861 Rifle Muskets under his own contracts later in the war. Gallagher initially received a contract in the summer of 1861 to deliver 25,000 of the Marsh patent guns to the Ordnance Department, but the contract soon canceled and replaced with a contract to produce 20,000 US Model 1861 Rifle Muskets. Additional contracts followed and soon the firm was contracted to supply 60,000 M1861s. As of the firm had failed to deliver anything by the fall of that year, terms were renegotiated and in April of 1862 a new arrangement was made, calling for the delivery of the original 25,000 Marsh rifles at a new, lower price and reducing the number of US Model 1861 Rifle Muskets to be produced to 25,000. Like so many of the contractors who intended to build M1861s, Gallagher had no intention of making all of the parts, or even most of the parts, in house. Rather he was relying primarily upon contractors for the parts which his firm would then assemble. The first Union Arms Company delivery was of 300 rifle muskets which were all rejected. It is believed these were later sold to the state of New Jersey, as at least one extant example survives that is marked with condemnation "C" marks throughout and is New Jersey surcharged. Whether the initial delivery of poor quality muskets was the reason, or the constant delays and failures to meet the contracted delivery dates, the Union Arms Company contracts were voided and the firm collapsed. It appears that Edward Robinson acquired some of the parts that were on hand when the company failed and used them to produce M1861s for his own contracts. Between 1863 and 1865 Robinson would managed to deliver some 30,000 M18161 Rifle Muskets out of a total of 90,000 that was contracted to manufacture, with the early guns having the U.A. Co (Union Arms Company) marked locks. This gun bears the "G.E.C" barrel sub-inspection of George E Chamberlin who inspected arms delivered by Robinson, so it appears that this may be a correct Robinson contract M1861 with the rare, early delivery U.A. Co. marked lock. {ANTIQUE}

From the Lifetime Collection of Robert G. Paulsen

This lot is located in Cincinnati.