Number

Price

     The musket shown here was made in Richmond, Virginia at the Virginia State Armory in 1816.  It is the Virginia Armory’s Second Model Musket.  Approximately 4,104 of this .69 caliber musket were manufactured in 1816.  In the decade prior to the War Between the States, Virginia, on several occasions took up the matter of converting its flintlock muskets to percussion.  However it took John Brown’s homicidal raid to convince Virginia of the need to modernize its arms.  The focus was on making new arms, but when actual War broke out, 50,000 stand of flintlocks were issued from April thru November 1861.  Conversions from flint to percussion were going on at a slow rate at the Confederate shops, but much more needed done and contracts were let to Francis Addams, S.B. Cocke, the Union Manufacturing Company, S.C. Robinson, Samuel Sutherland and others.  Any and all arms converted by these men are Confederate arms.

     The musket shown here is one of the Samuel C. Robinson conversions.  Robinson was not an arms maker or militaria dealer prior to the War, but he and his silent partner, Connecticut native, John Lester had plenty of mechanical experience.  Robinson secured a contract for altering arms in July of 1861 and made 160 approved deliveries in August.  He delivered another 600 in September and 1355 in October.  Robinson would eventually deliver over 18,000 converted muskets.

     The Robinson altered musket shown here is marked on the underside of the barrel XXXIV and VI.  The number 6 is stamped into the nose cap, the barrel band, the lock retaining screw escutcheon plate and the trigger guard.  I presume it is on the buttplate too, but it was not removed.  The inside lock and the inside face of the hammer are marked 333.  The lock is marked Virginia Manufactory Richmond 1816.  The stock has numerous nicks and dings; there is what appears to be a period crack that runs through the forearm, but in reality is cracked all the way through.  It is tight and solid when assembled, but if you pull off the bands, you can slide the two pieces apart.  It was a well used gun

     The name A.SMi (which was not completed) is carved into the right butt face.  Had he been so kind as to include a regimental number or company letter we could identify the Virginian who carried this musket, but alas, he shall remain a mystery.