Compass Auction is currently auctioning a Pre-Civil War Harpers Ferry Model 1816 .69 Smoothbore Musket as an item in the current Firearms, Ammo, & Accessories Auction.
Like many other Model 1816s, it has since been converted to a percussion cap action rifle.Throughout the Civil War, soldiers carried weapons like repeating and long rifles, cavalry sabers, bayonets, and pistols. While muskets are often associated with earlier conflicts like the Revolutionary War, they were widely used up to and after the Civil War.
The Harpers Ferry Model 1816 - designed by Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin - is a musket that was commonly used during the Civil War in places like Chattanooga, on account of their availability.
The Springfield and Harpers Ferry Armories mass-produced the Model 1816 from 1816 to 1844. These armories and others produced over 675,000 Model 1816 muskets, earning it its status as the most-produced flintlock firearm in U.S. history.
The Model 1816 was first used in the Texas Revolution and was later used throughout the Mexican-American War and the U.S. Civil War. Many Model 1816s and other muskets have since been lost over the years, making them rare collector’s items in the present day.
Many Model 1816s later had their flint striking ignition mechanisms converted into percussion ignition mechanisms in the mid-19th century for the purpose of modernizing the weapons.
The musket has been a family heirloom for its consignor for over 170 years and was originally owned by a soldier of the Confederacy. The musket comes with two powder horns, one of which bears the initials of the musket’s original owner.
For any questions you may have about the auction this Saturday, please email Info@soldoncompass.com or call 800-729-6466. More info is also available at SoldOnCompass.com.