Creation Date

1800s

Description

Percussion cap rifle. It is stamped "HARPERS FERRY 1847" It is a Model 1842. It was donated by Henry Halvorson before 1966. The number 148 is written in roman numbers in the metal on the butt of the gun.
The Model 1842 Musket has the distinction of being the first regulation percussion firearm manufactured in a national armory, the first musket manufactured at the U.S. Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry with completely interchangeable components and the last .69 caliber, smoothbore musket issued by the U.S. Army. The Model 1842 musket was the primary infantry weapon of both the Union and Confederate armies during the first two years of the Civil War. It was still used in significant numbers by both armies as late as 1863 and was not fully supplanted by the .58 caliber rifle-musket at the end of the war.