Arms, Armor and Militaria

.58 caliber. 40" round barrel secured by three flat, spring-retained bands. NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture, walnut stock. Single shot percussion muzzleloading rifle musket with M1861 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} forward of the hammer and in three horizontal lines, U.S./C.D. SCHUBARTH/PROVIDENCE with the date 1863 at the tail. Top of breech with matching 1863 date and left angled flat with typical V/P/{Eagle Head} proof marks. Counterpane with two clear script cartouches, the JTC of John T Cleveland and the JHL of John H Lord. C.D. Schubarth was one of the early war speculators who sought contracts to produce rifle muskets for the United States without having either a manufactory to do it in, the machinery or experience to do the work, or any real knowledge of the firearms industry. In fact his contract appears to have been obtained via bribery and as a result he was subpoenaed to testify by the Holt-Owens Commission in June of 1862. However, a contract was secured on October 11, 1861 for 20,000 Model 1861 Rifle Muskets and by November 26 had been increased to a total of 50,000 guns. Shcubarth relied entirely on contractors and jobbers to provide his parts with well-known contractors like Alfred Jenks and Providence Tool making many of the components and the Norwich Arms Company believed to have manufactured complete guns for Schubarth. Of the 50,0000 guns contracted for, Schubarth only delivered 9,500; 500 in 1862 and the balance in 1863. It is believed that only about 500 were delivered with the Schubarth name on the lock (See Moller, Volume III page 305). Schubarth's contract expired before he had delivered 20% of the guns and it was not renewed or extended. Today Schubarth contract arms, particularly those with a Schubarth marked lock are extremely rare on the collector market. In fact, based on a statistical analysis of the contract arms delivered during the American Civil War, Schubarth marked Model 1861 Rifle Muskets only represent approximately one-tenth of 1% of all Model 1861/63 contract arms delivered. This is one of those very rare guns that appears to be as delivered by Schubarth, with correct barrel markings and cartouches and not simply a Schubarth marked lock in a gun produced by another contractor. {ANTIQUE}