Precision and Rarity: The Confederate 2nd Quality Whitworth Rifle comes to Auction
One of the rarest, most expensive, and most desirable firearms from the American Civil War is the handful of Whitworth Rifles purchased by the Confederacy and put to devastating use by Southern sharpshooters against the Union Army. These guns were all 2nd Quality Military Match Rifles, and at least some of the later deliveries were equipped with 4-power Davidson telescopic sights. Earlier deliveries used Whitworth’s conventional long-range ladder rear sights and globe front sights.
TO BE OFFERED OCTOBER 22, CINCINNATI | From the Flem Rogers Collection, A 2nd Quality Marked Confederate Whitworth Rifle #B922 American Civil War, 19th Century | $50,000 – 80,000
Although it is unlikely that more than fifty or sixty of these mechanically rifled, hexagonal bore rifles were imported to the South during the war, their legendary long-range
accuracy and battlefield effectiveness have made them iconic pieces in the history of American arms collecting.
During 1861 and 1862, while the Confederacy was actively attempting to acquire these extremely accurate and expensive rifles, Confederate Major Anderson noted that they cost as much as "about $1,000, in the equivalent of gold, for each rifle and one thousand rounds of ammunition." That price in 1861 would be equivalent to roughly $37,000 today.
Surviving examples of these guns are exceedingly rare, with only about twenty legitimate specimens known. Authentic examples appear within a limited serial number range—typically from the mid-B prefix (around B-5XX) through to the mid-C prefix (around C6XX)—and all bear the “2nd Quality” mark engraved on the triggerguard tang.
Some of the best-known examples include:
- #B509, donated by Confederate General A.P. Stewart to the Tennessee State Historical Society (now at the Tennessee State Museum)
- #B547, formerly part of the George Wray Collection and now in the Atlanta History Center
- #C321, in a private collection and pictured on page 183 of The English Connection: Arms, Material and Support Furnished to the Confederate States of America by Great Britain by Pritchard, Huey, Prince, Nichols & Thomas
- #C619, formerly in the collection of Richard D. Steuart and now held by the Virginia Historical Society
This fall, Cowan’s Arms, Armor & Militaria department will offer Confederate 2nd Quality Whitworth Rifle #B922. In October 2022, Cowan’s sold Whitworth Rifle #B902 for $108,000, including the buyer’s premium.
The #B922 example has been known since the 1960s, when it was first discovered and brought to market by pioneering antique arms collector and dealer Turner Kirkland of Dixie Gun Works. At the time, the rifle had been smoothbored and half-stocked, but retained its original components from the rear barrel band to the butt, including the rear sight, lock, and triggerguard. The rifle was later returned to its original configuration by the legendary Ned Hipp, renowned for museum-quality restoration work for institutions such as the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA).
Now fully restored to its original appearance, this rifle represents a rare opportunity for advanced collectors to acquire one of the scarcest and most coveted firearms of the American Civil War—without necessarily having to spend the $100,000+ that these rifles typically command.