Rare Confederate Morse Carbine Up for Auction-- Part 2

How the weapon came to be at the auction is not entirely known. but etchings on the side provided clues. One inscription reads "Bloomington, Ind." and another "Robert" alongside an illegible last name and infantry number.

The late owner could have bought it or maybe he was a descendant of Robert himself.

There is even some confusion about the gun's inventor. Some believe he was George Morse, a nephew of inventor Samuel Morse, creator of the telegraph and Morse Code.

There is online bidding at www.wickliffauctioneers.com.

--Old Secesh

Rare Confederate Morse Carbine Up for Auction-- Part 1

From the March 11, 2014, Indianapolis (Ind) Star "Rare Civil War gun up for auction at Indy" by Brian Eason.

The Morse carbine will be one of six Civil War guns offered by Wickliff Auctioneers of Carmel, Indiana. It is very rare and expected to fetch $30,000.

The Morse carbine was a .50 caliber, breech-loading gun made in Greenville, South Carolina, for state militia and was one of the most technologically advanced weapons of the Confederacy.

It is believed that just about 1000 were made and only a small number remain.

One big breakthrough was that the gun's hammer, used to cock the weapon, also served as a catch to keep the trapdoor closed over the ammunition chamber. Otherwise, if tilted up at an angle of 45 degrees or more, the shell would fall out.

Got $30,000?   --Old Secesh

The Burnside Carbine

Yesterday, I mentioned that Mr. Stilling had a Burnside carbine with him at the presentation.  I had never heard of one, but figured that perhaps the Burnside in question was none other than Union General Ambrose Burnside.  I was about to ask if he was, when Mr. Stilling said he was.

So, Wiki and sources here I come.

One site was offering two Burnside 4th Model carbines.  One was an early four-digit serial number, .50 caliber carbine for $2,500.  The other was a .54 caliber 1863-1864 one for $2,999.

According to Wikipedia, the Burnside  was a breech-loading carbine in wide-use, designed and patented by Ambrose Burnside who resigned from the Army before the war to devote himself full-time to his invention.  It used a special brass cartridge that was also designed by Burnside.  He designed the carbine in 1855.

In 1857, his design won a carbine competition at West Point against 17 other models, but even so, few were ordered until the Civil War came about.  Then came an order for 55,000 and eventually that number rose to 100,000.

It was the third most-popular cavalry carbine after the Sharps and Spencer (I'd heard of them before.)

Burnside was actually a poor officer and had begged Lincoln not to place him in command of the Army of the Potomac before the Battle of Fredericksburg, saying, "I was not competent to command such a large army as this."

I Didn't Know That.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Weapons With Dick Stilling-- Part 5

Then, Mr. Stilling showed us a Starr pistol which he said was the third most popular side arm in the war.  In 1963, he had paid $12 for it in Dahlonega, Georgia, the same as the government spent for it during the Civil War.  This particular one had what he termed as trench art, a series of hash marks on the handle and he believe it was very-likely captured from the Confederate unit Cobb's Legion.

I'd sure buy one of those for $12.

CARBINES

Carbines were generally issued to cavalry units.

A Burnside Model #4, named after the man with the facial hair.  I'd never heard of one of these.

Smith Carbine with breach-open.

Spencer Carbine, the one that Confederates claimed Yankees could load on Sunday and shoot until Saturday.

John Wilkes Booth received two of these from Mary Surratt the day after Lincoln's assassination.  Stilling believes she was definitely not as innocent as she claimed to be and was very much in the conspiracy.

An Interesting Talk.  --Old Secesh