This Richmond Armory longarm is often referred to as a Confederate ‘High Hump’ rifle musket. The ‘high hump’ characteristic in the Federal M1855 lockplate was designed to support the Maynard tape primer system which the Confederates did not utilize in their own production. This shoulder arm, a .58 caliber rifle-musket, is based on the M1855 Pattern made at the U.S. armory at Harpers Ferry, VA. In April of 1861, Virginia State Forces under rebel Captain Turner Ashby raided Harper’s Ferry and made off with the Federal armory’s most modern M1855 rifle and rifle musket tooling and milling machinery, including all the spare M1855 musket parts and dies. The equipment was relocated to the Richmond, Virginia Armory where the Type-1’s were assembled once the southern armory was refitted with the Federal machinery. These very early high-hump models had lockplates with the date “1861” stamped behind the hammer, and “RICHMOND, VA” forward of the hammer. They were the predecessor of the Confederate government’s first production run of military longarms which commenced at the end of August or early September timeframe in 1861.

This Richmond rifle-musket, which we consider an early transitional Type-1, is a scarce longarm being one of only 2300 very early Southern-produced rifle muskets assembled at the Richmond Armory with original M1855 rifle parts taken from the Federal Harper’s Ferry Armory. Early Richmond rifle-musket production runs were assembled almost entirely from the captured M1855 parts including the metal furniture which was mostly iron. But as noted by the late Fred R. Edmunds, an authority on Richmond rifles, these longarms likely included some brass component parts in their makeup, i.e. butt plates and stock tips, a.k.a. nose caps, taken from the armory inventory when Ashby conducted his raid.

We feel this high-hump may be one of those first, early Richmond Armory type production arms. It exhibits a number of Harpers Ferry-captured parts in its assembly, assembly characteristics such as the brass butt plate, a cast brass nose cap with screw, and the barrel bands. Longarm appears to have Richmond Armory-produced characteristics such as a hammer with no Maynard primer cutting edge, a crudely checkered hammer thumb, and a walnut stock with no cartouche. Others are an early lockplate with primer apparatus removed, an irregular upper lockplate screw on the stock flat, a 40” steel barrel, and an unmarked two-leaf rear sight. All gunmetal on this rifle musket exhibits attic-condition dark coloring. Lockplate bears a dull, dark gray patina with light pinprick pitting overall.

Musket measures 55½” long overall with a 40” long barrel. Barrel bore exhibits very good condition three-groove rifling. Proof markings of “V / P / eagle head” visible on the breech left facet but are very worn. Both sling swivels present but the upper swivel is broken. Black walnut stock measures 52¾” long and has acquired a pleasing dark patina overall. Stock has no patchbox or cartouches but does show three, ¾” high, hand-carved initials “JMH” on the left stock and a single letter “A” on the flat. Stock does show edge rounding at the flat. Longarm has no ramrod.

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