P53 Enfield Rifled Musket & Bayonet

This relic is a P53 Enfield Rifled Musket, caliber .577, marked on the lock “Tower 1862” was imported by the Confederate States of America from England. This information is supported by the marking in the buttstock near the top of the buttplate tang “SHC” with a crown, which stands for Sinclair, Hamilton & Company, exclusive purchase agents for the Confederacy from 1861-1865. The bayonet is also Enfield pattern.

Note that October 18, 1861, while stationed at Camp Cobb, Richmond, Virginia, Captain Robert Joshua Boyd, Company K, Ramsey Volunteers, 16th Georgia, Wofford’s Brigade, requisitioned these rifles upon arrival in Virginia and received 81 rifles with bayonets, gun slings and bayonet frogs. Men from Columbia County carried this highly desirable weapon. ​

The riffle is 55” long and weighs 8 pounds. The bayonet is 21” long and weighs 1 pound. ​ Photos provided by a private collector.