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375.–1 Except for the “high hump” lockplates and Whitney’s new“mid-range”rearsight,based on the Model 1861 rifle musket rear sight, these arms were similar to Whitney’s Variant Model 1855 rifle muskets. Whitney Variant Model 1855/1861 Rifle Musket (High Hump Lock)  375. Documentary evidence suggests this rifle musket was made by Whitney in 1860. Frederick P. Todd wrote, in his excellent book American Military Equipage, 1851–1872, of a Maryland state purchase of Whitney rifle muskets in 1860: “By the outbreak of the Civil War the following small arms, with their accouterments, had been received: 2,000 rifle muskets Model 1855, cal .58, from Eli Whitney, Jr., of New Haven, Conn” (p. 882). Todd cites a “Report of the Maryland Adjutant General to the General Assembly, Special Session” as the source for this information. There is no mention of these arms in the Whitney papers in our possession. At that time, Whitney was producing his Enfield arms. Although the report describes them as Model 1855 rifle muskets, it is believed that Whitney produced only 350 Model 1855 rifle muskets for the state of Connecticut in 1861. It is likely the arms acquired by Maryland were the Whitney Variant Model 1855/1861 rifle muskets. Following John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry Armory, the Maryland State legislature appropriated $70,000.00 for arming the volunteer militia. A substantial part of this appropriation was utilized in Governor Thomas H. Hicks’ May 23, 1860, contract with Eli Whitney Jr. for 2,000 “Rifled Muskets of the minie pattern” at $15.00 each, and for 1,000 .36 caliber Whitney revolvers. Under the terms of this contract, Whitney was to produce “two thousand Minie long-range muskets, equal to the sample already furnished by said Whitney, and now at Annapolis, Md. The calibre of said Muskets being 58/100 of an inch in diameter, to be packed in cases and delivered in the City of Baltimore, Maryland.” On January 16, 1861, Governor Hicks wrote to Whitney complaining of the quality of some of the arms. Whitney replied that he had 100 replacements to substitute for the defective arms. All 2,000 rifle muskets were ultimately delivered by early 1861, and 1,630 were issued to the volunteer militia. The remaining 370 unissued rifle muskets were stored at the warehouse of Wollford & Patterson in Baltimore. On the night of April 19, within a week of the outbreak of the Civil War, rioters broke into the warehouse and removed these rifle muskets; it is possible that many found their way to the Confederacy. In 1860, the state of Georgia’s legislature authorized the expenditure of $75,000.00 for arms and military accoutrements. Under Governor Joseph E. Brown’s authority, a man identified as Commissioner M. A. Cooper contracted with Eli Whitney Jr. for rifle muskets. Although the quantity contracted for is Non-Armory-Pattern Muzzleloading Arms 483 unknown, subsequent correspondence indicates at least 1,220 rifle muskets were delivered. On September 10, Whitney wrote to Governor Brown stating that he had previously delivered 500 rifle muskets, and that he would send 300 more by the following day’s steamer to Savannah. Georgia state treasurer’s vouchers support these two deliveries, showing payments to Whitney for these arms on July 18 and October 23. These vouchers also indicate that on December 20 Whitney was paid for an additional “420 muskets furnished by contract.” A subsequent report of the Georgia adjutant general of the arms purchased by the state during the previous eight months included 1,225 “‘Minie’ Muskets, pattern 1855.” This probably referred to the rifle muskets purchased from Whitney. There is limited photographic and documentary evidence indicating use by units of the Twenty-First Connecticut Volunteer Militia that suggests Whitney delivered these arms as part of his first contract with that state, possibly in late 1861. A report of an 1863 inspection of the Twenty-First CVM troops stated, “Some of the muskets are of the ‘Whitney’ pattern, consequently difficult to keep in good order as the ‘Springfield’ on account of the surfaces of the musket and the poor finish they received at the hands of the maker.” Whitney Variant Model 1855/1861 muskets are also known with New Jersey’s state ownership mark of “NJ” stamped into the stock’s left breech flat, suggesting that some of these muskets...

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