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View Full Version : Has anyone seen this gun?


Stonecrusher
09-22-2014, 01:04 PM
I have been searching for info on this gun for quite some time. I have had no luck, so I thought I would ask our membership.

117089117090

The rifle musket shown was reputedly dug at Petersburg Virginia. The markings scratched on it indicate that it was carried by my Great-Great Grandfather Thomas Craven. He served in the 11th South Carolina Infantry and was captured June 24, 1864 at Petersburg. He subsequently died as a POW in Elmira Prison in New York.

I discovered the pictures while doing a little research on Ancestry.Com and was included in a family tree by a "roughly" third cousin of mine. I do not know this person and attempts to contact him resulted in nothing. I also tried to contact the web address on the photos and didn't get anywhere either. I don't think my "cousin" was purposely ignoring me, most genealogy people are always interested in comparing notes, but rather did not keep paying for membership to Ancestry.com after doing what he wanted to do and has never seen the messages I sent.

What I would like is to find any information at all about this gun. For example: is it for real, when and where exactly it was dug, and where it is now? I would love to see this piece of family history if not actually purchase it. Even some better pictures would be great.

Any info or leads would be greatly appreciated. My people were always poor dirt farmers and little or nothing, other than some photos, have been passed down from this time period. It would be great to have a link with my Great Great grandfather.

Thanks in advance!
doc1876
09-22-2014, 01:56 PM
try these guys, I hooked up with them about a year ago. Most seem to be like me on there, they come in about once a month, but they do come back
http://civilwartalk.com/
http://civilwartalk.com/forums/
Stonecrusher
09-23-2014, 11:49 AM
Thanks for the lead Doc. Looks like a pretty good forum for that type of stuff. I will give it a shot.
Ithaca Gunner
09-23-2014, 01:26 PM
I can tell you it's a P-53 Enfield, the South's major arm. Unfortunately, a site which could have provided some information on Thomas Craven has it's domain expired, (civilwarroster.com). I found many soldiers there, North and South just by typing in a last name and side fought on. I hope they renew the domain.
Stonecrusher
09-23-2014, 01:47 PM
It does look like an Enfield, with band springs. I have a lot of info on my GG Grandfather such as some muster sheets from his company, paperwork from the prison on his death and I know he is buried in Woodlawn cemetery. I even have a picture of his grave. I just want to know more about the gun.
quack1
09-23-2014, 06:49 PM
The one picture has chicoragunworks@yahoo.com. printed on it. When you tried emailing that address, were you able to come up with a location? There is a little town called Chicora about 12 miles away from me in W. Pa., but no Chicora gun works that I know of.
Stonecrusher
09-23-2014, 09:10 PM
I have received a name and address of the individual that has that e-mail address from someone on the Civil War Talk forum. He is in Soutch Carolina outside of Charleston. I will try to contact him and see what happens. Wish me luck!
TXGunNut
09-23-2014, 10:56 PM
Good luck, please report back with your findings.
Ithaca Gunner
09-24-2014, 11:36 AM
It does look like an Enfield, with band springs. I have a lot of info on my GG Grandfather such as some muster sheets from his company, paperwork from the prison on his death and I know he is buried in Woodlawn cemetery. I even have a picture of his grave. I just want to know more about the gun.

2nd. model P-53 Enfields had band springs. I own one made by Robins and Lawrence of Windsor VT. for a British contract during the Crimean war. Many of the contract were not shipped and used later in the Civil War, this riflemusket could be one of them.
Ithaca Gunner
09-24-2014, 12:00 PM
117253Here's a picture of my Windsor Enfield showing band springs like the one in the photo in your post. The lock plate is marked, "Windsor" a crown, and the date, 1856.
Stonecrusher
09-24-2014, 12:15 PM
Nice musket Ithaca Gunner.
Blacksmith
09-25-2014, 04:22 AM
Stonecrusher
Try posting your question on various genealogy sites. I would suggest message boards and mailing lists for the family name, and the state and county the the family lived in as well as the 3rd cousin. Also try local historical societies. Genealogy is addictive so the cousin is probably still digging up ancestors.

Here are some links to get you started:
Rootsweb message boards
http://boards.rootsweb.com/
Rootsweb mailing lists
http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
GenForum message boards
http://genforum.genealogy.com/

There are others and the place to look for them and other genealogy resources is Cyndi's List:
http://www.cyndislist.com/categories/
Stonecrusher
09-25-2014, 01:59 PM
Update! Thanks to a member on Civil War Talk I was able to locate the source of the pictures. Turns out he actually is my third cousin and took the pictures from a private collection up in Maryland. He doesn't have much more info on the gun but he is going to send me Thomas' military records and a few other things such as wills and pension records of my GGG Grandfather from the War of 1812.

If I find out anything of interest I will post it here.

I sure would like to see that musket though!
doc1876
10-06-2014, 08:39 AM
I love it when a plan comes together.