Inspection, ARMS!
The German Made Model 1861 Springfield
By Tim Prince · Originally published April 2019 · pp. 24–25
Of all the imported arms utilized by the U.S. government during the American Civil War, the Suhl Contract Model 1861 Rifle Musket is probably one of the most desirable and most difficult to obtain for a collection. In fact, the authors of Firearms from Europe (2nd Edition) describe the gun as “one of the rarest of all Civil War weapons” and further note that “only a handful are known to exist.” The details regarding these handmade Germanic copies of the U.S. 1861 rifle musket are not particularly clear, but it appears that the guns were probably produced by Christian Funk of Suhl, a town located in the German state of Thuringia. The guns were most likely imported by William Hahn of New York. According to U.S. Ordnance records, Hahn delivered 481 “German Muskets, Springfield Pattern,” at prices that ranged from $14.50 to $16.50 each. The deliveries were made in two lots, with 179 delivered March 7, 1862, and the balance of 302 being delivered on July 15, 1862. Schuyler, Hartley & Graham of New York delivered an additional 400 “Suhl Rifles” and “Suhl Rifle-Muskets” to the U.S. Government between February 17 and March 10, 1862. However, the pattern of these arms is not noted in the delivery documents. The majority of the Germanic rifle muskets delivered by Schuyler, Hartley & Graham were of the Enfield pattern, making it likely that these 400 guns of “unspecified pattern” were the Enfield pattern that was also
