Rare Eagleville Contract US Model 1861 Rifle Musket

American Civil War

.58 caliber. 40" barrel secured by three flat, spring retained bands. NSN. Bright finish, steel furniture, walnut musket stock. Single shot percussion muzzleloading military rifle musket with M1861 pattern three leaf 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} forward of the hammer and U.S./Eagleville in two lines. Tail of lock dated 1862 horizontally with a matching 1862 date on the top of the breech. Upper left angled breech flat with standard V/P/{Eagle Head} proofs. An illegible script cartouche is present on the counterpane, behind the forward lock screw. The Eagle Manufacturing Company was established in late 1861 and received a contract to delivery 25,000 US Model 1861 Rifle Muskets at the rate of $20 each. The principles in the company were Henry Almy and James D Mowry. The firm delivered only 5,500 guns under the contract in 1863, before the firm was acquired by Mowry's newly formed Norwich Arms Company. Norwich would deliver the balance of the Eagle Mfg. Co. contract. Eagle Manufacturing was responsible one of the three smallest deliveries of US M1861 contract rifle muskets with Sarson & Roberts being the least successful contractor at 5,140 deliveries and Eagle Mfg. Co. and James Mulholland tying for the second least successful contractors with both delivering 5,500 guns. Eagleville marked muskets are particularly scarce on the collector market. {ANTIQUE}

From the Lifetime Collection of Robert G. Paulsen

This lot is located in Cincinnati.