Check out This Historic Civil War P53 Enfield Rifle

John Russell is a Civil War Historian and Collector who brought a historic Enfield rifle to show off at a Texas Independence Day Party in late February. This Confederate Enfield has been authenticated by Russell who pointed out the marks of authenticity. The most important marking can be found on the stock of the rifle. The “SC” marking indicates that this rifle was purchased from England for use in the South Carolina militia.

On the lock plate of the gun you can see “Barnett London” still clearly visible. On the butt of the gun you will find the shipping number, this rifle happens to be number 415 of the lot. Russell assumes that this rifle saw a lot of heavy wartime action during its lifetime. His assumptions seem to be based on solid evidence though simply by looking at the marks and usage of the gun.

For starters, the ramrod is a replacement signifying that this rifle was heavily used. It’s also missing both its rear sight and sling swivel. Russell points to both of these as markings of a heavily used rifle as well.

One of the fascinating markings on the gun is that a solider carved his initials into the stock of the gun. “J.B.L.” is clearly visible along with a date “Apr 29 1865” right below the initials. This roughly corresponds to Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender to Union General William T. Sherman at Bennett Place. This is culturally and historically significant as this is seen as the last major surrender of Confederate troops, effectively ending the war.

Though the date is significant we don’t understand the significance of the marking. It could be a Yankee took the gun and put his initials on it as a war prize, or perhaps a southerner wanted to leave a lasting impression on the gun. Some details of the rifle will never be known, but that’s the fun in collecting.

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