Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting Civil War Springfield Model 1863 Type I Rifle Musket that remains in its original percussion configuration and is stamped five times with the name D. VALRANCE, identifying it to Private David Valrance of Company G, 24th Michigan Infantry. The 24th Michigan served as part of the famed Iron Brigade and fought at Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg before being selected for duty as an escort during the funeral of President Abraham Lincoln. Valrance remained in service through the end of the regiment's wartime career. The musket has several later alterations, most notably a smoothbored barrel now measuring .615, a reproduction rear sight and percussion nipple, and a small drilled hole in the top of the barrel, but its five deeply struck ownership stamps, 1863 dated Springfield lock, government inspection markings, and association with a documented Iron Brigade soldier give it excellent historical and research interest.

The rifle is dated 1863 on the lock plate tail, and also has a Federal Eagle stamped into the lock to the left of U.S. / SPRINGFIELD, indicating production at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The markings are still fully legible, and it is still fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, without issue. Despite showing a good amount of powder burn on the top, the side of the cap nipple cone bolster still bears a clear Eagle marking, which is often totally worn away. The barrel still shows clear V / P / (Eagle's Head) proofs on the left facet of the breech, with the barrel date now worn away from powder burn, but it is likely "1863". The rear sight and cap nipples are both reproductions, added by a collector.

The left side of the stock by the wrist still has ordnance inspection cartouches present, though the upper cartouche was worn away from cleaning. Lower to the right is a mostly clear ESA oval cartouche, for Erskine. S. Allin, Master Armorer at Springfield Armory from 1853 until his death in 1879, as well as the designer of the trapdoor system. The other cartouche seems to be underneath the soldier’s name stamps. The letters CSC are stamped in the wood behind the rear of the bottom tang, a set of ordnance inspector’s initials.

The one piece walnut stock is in very good condition, showing wear from service including some dents, scratches, and dings, but no major damage or evidence of past repairs. The worst chipping is along the ramrod channel edges. It has a lovely lightly oiled finish and shows a great red brown color to the American Black walnut. The stock is stamped on the left side of the receiver with the name D. VALRANCE twice in the shape of a chevron. The same stamp is used three times on the left side of the buttstock in a triangle shape. It was not uncommon for soldiers to have custom property stamps made, and we have seen several different variations over the years. The stamps are deep in the wood, and are very likely of the period. It is possible that a family member added them later, but they look correct for having been done in the field. At the time Sutlers sold all kinds of things to soldiers, and there are known examples of period stamped firearms and leather goods.

The rear sight has been entirely replaced with a 2 leaf sight, so the hole where the 3 leaf sight would be is now empty, and the replaced sight sits correctly in the dovetail. The "barleycorn" front sight is in great shape, still firmly attached to the barrel. The bore has been entirely smoothbored, though with rust blooming on top of that, we cannot narrow down when this was done. It now measures at .615. All barrel bands are U stamped (for UP), and the butt plate tang is correctly US stamped. There seems to be a piece of tape under the front barrel band to act as a shim. Only the rear swing swivel is present, and the other is missing. The ramrod is the tulip type without an enlarged shank, correct for the model 1863, though there are no threads at the end. The end of the rod sticks out roughly one eighth of an inch. A collector tag has been attached at the trigger guard.

David Valrance was born on October 2nd, 1843 in Monroe, Michigan. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the 24th Michigan Infantry, being mustered in on August 13th, 1862. We were able to find a tintype photograph of David Valrance on the Monroe, Michigan website. We must stress that this photograph is NOT INCLUDED WITH THIS MUSKET but is included in the master photo for reference. The following information comes from their website:

“On August 12, 1862, David Valrance, Jr. enlisted in Company G of the 24th Michigan Infantry. One of the letters he wrote to his family in Rockwood, dated July 29, 1863, described the experiences of the 24th Michigan, Iron Bridge, during the Battle of Gettysburg. He told the home folks about the death of his friend 1st Lieutenant Walter Wallace of Company K, who was killed July 1. David commented, “I heard that Mr. Wallce went after Walter, but could not fetch him. He layed too longe on the Battle field.” David believed that Gettysburg was one of the “gratist Battles Ever fought in the army of the Potomac we are bound to follow the up…”.

He wrote that the 24th Michigan Colonel was in Detroit trying to raise a Cavalry Regiment and “git us home” and that the 24th Regiment had suffered heavy casualties, citing only 150 men left for duty out of 1,040. Private David Valrance served through his entire enlistment, mustering out on June 30, 1865, at Detroit.

This ambrotype of David Valrance, Jr., 18, and a four page letter he wrote describing the 24th Michigan’s march to the Battle of Gettysburg were sold at Cowan’s Auctions.”

After the war, Valrance was active in veteran’s organizations, including the reunion of the 24th Michigan Infantry, serving on its finance committee in 1884 according to a December 17th issue of the Detroit Free Press.

After he returned home to Rockwood, David Valrance continued to contribute to community life. When organizers established the Rockwood State Bank in 1911 with a capital stock of $20,000, David Valrance and William Milliman were appointed vice presidents. David Valrance died on July 4, 1926 and he is buried in Riverside Cemetery in South Rockwood.

This musket has several significant condition and originality considerations, including the later smoothbored .615 bore, reproduction rear sight and nipple, missing sling swivel, unthreaded ramrod end, and general service wear around the breech and stock. At the same time, it retains an unusually compelling combination of original features, including the 1863 Springfield lock, visible bolster eagle, clear V / P / (Eagle's Head) proofs, ESA inspection cartouche, original percussion configuration, and all five deeply struck D. VALRANCE ownership stamps. The association with a documented member of the 24th Michigan, together with Valrance's surviving firsthand Gettysburg correspondence, gives this musket substantially more historical interest than an unidentified example. It would make an excellent centerpiece for a collection focused on the Iron Brigade, the 24th Michigan Infantry, or named Civil War firearms.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1863
Maker: United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield
Model: 1863 Rifled Musket
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minié Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

The Springfield Model 1863 rifled musket is a .58 caliber rifled musket produced by the Springfield Armory between 1863 and 1865. The Model 1863 was a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1861. As such, it is sometimes classified as just a variant of the Model 1861. The Model 1861, with all of its variants, was the most commonly used longarm in the American Civil War, with over 700,000 manufactured. The Model 1863 also has the distinction of being the last muzzle-loading longarm produced by the Springfield Armory.

The Model 1863 was produced in two variants. The Type I eliminated the band springs and replaced the flat barrel bands with oval clamping bands. It also featured a new ramrod, a case-hardened lock, a new hammer, and a redesigned bolster (percussion chamber). Several of these modifications were based upon Colt's contract model 1861, known as the "Colt special". 273,265 Type I variants were manufactured in 1863.

The Type II is sometimes referred to as the Model 1864, but is more commonly referred to as just a variant of the Model 1863. This version re-introduced band springs, replaced the clamping bands with solid oval bands, and replaced the three leaf rear sight with single leaf sight. A total of 255,040 of these were manufactured from 1864 to 1865.

By the end of the Civil War, muzzle-loading rifles and muskets were considered obsolete. In the years following the Civil War, many Model 1863 muskets were converted into breech-loading "Trapdoor Springfields". The breech-loading weapons increased the rate of fire from 3 to 4 rounds per minute to 8 to 10 rounds per minute. The Model 1863 could be converted to breech-loading for about $5, at a time when a new rifle would cost about $20. The conversion of Model 1863 rifles therefore represented a significant cost savings to the U.S. military.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.