Civil War Auction

J.H. Merrill Balto 1858 .54 Rifle (C) 2706

The auction will start in __ days and __ hours

Start price: $1,000

Estimated price: $2,000 - $3,000

Buyer's premium:

Civil War Era and VERY Unusual! J.H. Merrill Balto 1858 .54 Rifle in very good vintage condition with a freckled patina finish. Rifling is sharp. Ramrod breech door locks up tight. Rifle seems complete. This is a very nice single shot percussion breech loading Civil War Saddle Ring Carbine. 14,500 were made by J.H. Merrill of Baltimore for the Union Cavalry, mostly between 1863 and 1865. These carbines are known to have been allocated to the following Union cavalry regiments: NY 1st, 5th and 18th; Pennsylvania 11th, 17th, and 18th; NJ 1st; Indiana 7th; Wisconsin 1st and 3rd; Kentucky 27th; and finally the Delaware 1st.

They were however available before the war started, so the Confederate forces also had some, and also would capture them when possible. The breech loading design is somewhat unique: a breech loading percussion system with a large breech lever / loading rammer. Percussion cartridges were loaded, pushed forward into the breech by the rammer, and then ignited by a percussion cap. C&R Eligible S/N:2706