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    The carbine shown here is a one hundred percent Richmond Armory manufactured two band carbine. It is one of 2,723 carbines produced in 1863 by the Richmond Armory.  It has a brass nose cap, iron butt-plate and iron bands.  You will notice from the pictures that the bands have been stamped with the "U" to indicate which way to turn the band when reassembling.  The "U" is not in line with the spring band retainer whereas Federal bands line up with the spring retainer.  Another Richmond carbine characteristic is that the front band spring is an eighth of an inch shorter than the rear spring.  By these characteristics we can identify the bands and the stock as Richmond products.  The iron butt-plate is a Richmond product and is totally unmarked.  The Armory used any barrels that it could salvage in making carbines, but carbines utilizing Richmond made barrels are the most desirable to modern collectors.  The carbine's barrel shown here has the elongated site groove found only on Richmond manufactured barrels.  Even the ramrod is an original Richmond Armory made rod, which is something seldom found and is worth a thousand dollars or more by itself.  The gun has numerous carvings and inscriptions cut into the wood.  A diagram showing the various inscriptions is included with this report.

     This carbine was purchased by Larry Trotter directly from the colored family that had the carbine stored in an outbuilding in Carson, Virginia.  Carson is located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.  The gun had been passed down in the colored family, but they did not know whether their ancestor served in the Confederate Cavalry or had picked the gun up on the battlefield.  The carbine is just exactly as found.  It has not been cleaned or altered in any way.   The carvings, (or scratchings) in the gun’s stock are numerous and include: JJ Parkers (or Parkes) Gun Confederate States;  C States;  JJP CS  1863 and a couple of other names and numbers.  All can be seen in the accompanying schematic.