Arms, Armor and Militaria

.58 caliber. 40" barrel secured by three flat, spring retained bands. NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture, walnut musket stock. Single show percussion muzzleloading rifle musket with M1861 pattern rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivels and a swelled shank tulip head ramrod. Lock marked with a {Spread-Winged Eagle}/U.S. and E. ROBINSON/NEW YORK in two lines forward of the hammer and dated 1863 at the tail of the lock. Matching 1863 date on top of breech, along with standard V/P/{Eagle Head} inspection marks. Counterpane with a retailer's cartouche that reads WM. S. ROBERTS in an arc over NEW YORK. No inspection cartouches are present, although a clear S.T.B sub-inspection is located on the left breech flat. Despite his inauspicious entry in the Civil War arms contracting business with the Union Army Company, Edward Robinson became one of the moderately successful contract arms producers during the Civil War, with some 30,000 Model 1861 contract rifle muskets being delivered between 1863 and 1865 from a total of 90,000 guns contracted for. William S. Roberts of Sarson & Roberts was one of the less successful contractors during the war, with only 5,140 of that firm's guns accepted by the Ordnance Department between 1862 and 1863, from a total of 25,000 ordered. Somehow, Roberts managed to secure a second contract in his name alone for 15,000 gun in November of 1863. However, no deliveries were credited against that contract. Sarson & Roberts was one of the many contractors that reeled upon other maker's to produce most of the component parts of the guns, as well as completed guns in some cases. This appears to be one of those "completed guns", made by Edward Robinson but delivered to Roberts who stamped the flat to make sure that his firm would be credited for its delivery. The lack of Ordnance acceptance marks suggests that this rifle musket was subsequently sold on the open market to one of the states, rather than the Federal Government. A fine condition and rare example of how the contracting system worked during the Civil War with guns often being made by one maker and delivered by another maker that had a contract to do so. {ANTIQUE}