Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a fantastic bit of U.S. firearms AND military history! The story of this musket began during the Crimean war of 1853-1856, one of the many Victorian era conflicts in Europe precipitated by the decline of the Ottoman Empire. When the war began, England had just patterned the new P-1853 Enfield 3-Band rifled musket, and unfortunately their domestic production had not produced enough for the conflict, much like the shortage that the U.S. Union Forces would suffer 8 years later. In the face of this somewhat dire shortage of the new standard long arm, England decided to have them produced under contract in the United States.

The company they chose was Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor, Vermont. This company had in fact supplied of the machinery for the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock, and the American firm had actually helped set up the British production. As such, they were the perfect choice, and they were engaged by the British government to produce the P-1853 2nd Model. Robbins & Lawrence anticipated sales of 30,000 to 60,000 rifled muskets, and spent huge sums of money getting the tooling and machinery in order. They even added a second factory in Hartford, CT, anticipating business for years to come.

Unfortunately for Robbins & Lawrence, the Crimean War ended too soon, after only approximately 10,400 rifled muskets were completed, with the British cancelling the rest of the contract as well as any future contracts. The result was that Robbins & Lawrence went bankrupt, and the creditors of the company them set up the Vermont Arms Company to complete production using the parts and tooling they had, with additional parts produced on an as needed basis. This company also folded in 1858, and the assets of the company were sold off at auction. The factories were sold, as well as the machinery, tooling, and parts. Sharps purchased the Hartford Factory, while Lamson and Goodnow purchased the Windsor factory, which would go on to produce the "Special" Model 1861 Musket along with Colt, who had also acquired some of the tooling used to produce the "American Enfields".

As for the parts, the largest purchaser of those was the Eli Whitney Company, who would use them to produce his very rare and odd “good and serviceable” arms, such as the "Whitney Enfield" we have here. The company had previously had large contracts to manufacture the Model 1841 "Mississippi" Rifle, however per Eli Whitney, Jr., the inspection standards of the U.S. military were too stringent, and he was losing money during their production.

His solution was to recoup losses while utilizing parts and machinery already on hand by manufacturing slightly lower quality guns. These arms would not be subjected to the stringent U.S. government inspection standards; Whitney’s plan was to sell them to state and local militias. While these guns often resembled the standard production military long arms of the era, they all contained Whitney’s unique manufacturing short cuts. These included the use of non-interchangeable parts, and often, the use of condemned, remanufactured, repurposed, and surplus gun parts as well.

This very interesting "Battlefield Pickup" condition "Whitney Enfield" resembles somewhat of a cross between a Model 1861 Springfield and a P-1853 Enfield. The only marking we can see on it is the E. WHITNEY stamp on the bottom of the lock plate, the typical marking on these. Condition is definitely "rough", with the upper barrel band / sling swivel missing, as well as the rear sight. The barrel tang / breech plug is also missing, and it is overall in "relic condition".

We received it with a manila tag, which is apparently a copy of an old museum tag that was previously attached, and unfortunately missing. The handwritten  tag indicates that this rifled musket is a:

Battlefield pickup from Antietam
By R.A. Hunting of
Hillsborough N.H. on
July 19, 1866

Found in woods west
of Dunker Church

We unfortunately have no way to verify the information on this tag, and leave it as a great research opportunity. This is definitely exactly the type of rifle that many state militias had purchased in the runup to the Civil war on both sides.

A lovely "Battlefield pickup" condition example of a "Whitney Enfield" rifle from the civil war, ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1858
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minie Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

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