Extremely rare South Carolina Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket in relic condition. State purchasing agent Benjamin F. Evans only purchased an estimated 4,180 arms in England for South Carolina; the first shipment was stamped with a large “SC” (7/8 inch) state property mark and the second shipment with a medium “SC” (5/8 inch) property mark. This Enfield is from Evans’ second shipment which arrived in Charleston in August 1862.

The gun is marked with a wonderfully legible medium “SC” state property mark in the right face of the butt-stock. It also bears a crown-SHC stamp of Confederate supplier Sinclair, Hamilton & Company in the stock below the trigger guard tang. The lock is marked with a crown and “TOWER 1862”; the ramrod is engraved with Confederate inventory control number “173.” The butt-plate is missing and the butt area exhibits evidence of scorching from fire. The fore-stock is mostly gone and the wood present forward of the lock is damaged from shipworm activity. The lower stock is undamaged and in good condition. This relic Enfield is pictured on page 42 of the reference book, The Confederate Enfield, by Steven W. Knott.

Strong evidence suggests this gun was recovered from the wreck of the Confederate ironclad ram CSS Chicora by Professor Benjamin Maillefert in 1872. CSS Chicora was burned and scuttled in the Cooper River (Charleston harbor) on 18 February 1865 to prevent capture by Union forces. High resolution photos of the gun were examined by Dr. E. Lee Spence, underwater archaeologist who found the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley. Dr. Spence observed that: 1. The damage to the wood of the Enfield was caused by Teredo Navalis, a shipworm found only in salt-water environments (including Charleston Harbor); 2. The gun was underwater less than ten years; 3. The butt-stock area of the Enfield was under sediment, protected from exposure to shipworm activity. Dr. Spence noted that he has never seen a gun recovered from a blockade-runner wreck with the lower area protected in this manner; they have all be uniformly deteriorated. Arms racks aboard naval warships typically store guns in a vertical position with the butt down; as the burning ship sank and settled into the river bottom, this would explain how the lower butt portion of the Enfield was covered with sediment.

CSS Chicora was the first ironclad ram independently financed and equipped by the State of South Carolina. The ship was launched in August 1862 and entered service in November 1862 with the Charleston Squadron. This coincides with the arrival of the second shipment of SC Enfields in August 1862. CSS Palmetto State, launched at nearly the same time, was built and equipped by the Confederate Navy Department and not the State of South Carolina; as such, it is unlikely any state owned arms would have been supplied to this ship. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State conducted a successful attack against Union warships blockading Charleston Harbor on 31 January 1863.

CSS Charleston was the second ironclad ram funded and equipped by the State of South Carolina. The ship entered service in September 1863, however, over a year after the arrival and distribution of the SC Enfields. Therefore, it is unlikely the ship received any arms from the small supply of SC marked Enfields available.

CSS Chicora, CSS Palmetto State, and CSS Charleston were all burned and scuttled in the Cooper River in 1865 to prevent capture. The wrecks of these ironclads were salvaged by Professor Maillefert in 1872. An article in the 10 August 1872 edition of The Charleston News mentions that Maillefert removed “curious relics from the wrecks, including a breech-loading rifle and a handsome lamp.” This demonstrates that Maillefert’s team did save interesting firearms found during their salvage activities.

Though there is no way to know for certain, the question remains how could a very rare SC Enfield end up in salt water for less than ten years, be exposed to fire, and have only the butt covered by sediment when sunk? CSS Chicora provides the best answer that fits all the known facts.

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