German and Austrian Arms

Among Prussian arms specially imported, Boker delivered his share. Sample No. 10 described by Crispin was .69, weight 10.55 pounds, the Prussian newmodel musket rifled four grooves, without the long range sight, and having a front action lock. “A well made arm, with a strong, substantial lock,” said Crispin. “Its great defect, of couse, is its large caliber.” The only accouterments (which fitted the ramrod) were ball screw, and worm for the twist of tow or flannel rag that would be used to wipe out the bore. By February, 848 had been received.
Sample No. 11 was the Austrian rifle, with broad sword bayonet, also called Lorenz Jaeger carbine. The original Model 1854, caliber .54, had no ramrod, the rammer being a separate accessory. Said Crispin, “the arms imported by the Messrs. Boker &Co. have been bored in the stock to receive a steel rammer.” No spring was installed to secure the rammers, as is done in the Enfield or Springfield. Crispin supposed that as “these arms are well made,” they might do for artillery or,

French Delvigne musket with long range rear sight is compared with identical arm bored smooth. Top gun originally was rifled with same type sight but this has been removed, leaving traces of solder and file marks on barrel. Bore was cut out smooth to remove pitting when sold off as surplus after several years of hard shooting practice. New musket type sight is on tang of barrel.

without sword bayonets, for cavalry. By February 13,1862, 1,488 had been received.
A specimen of the Boker-modified Lorenz Jaeger carbine in the author’s collection is bright finish, stamped ferd. fruwirth in a circle on top flat of octagon barrel about Vi inch from breech. A draw mark is incised on top of the breech and plug tang, to index after unbreeching. The nipple bolster is of approximate Enfield form. The barrel is held by two cross wedges, pinned to the stock to avoid losing them; and by the screw for front “jaeger type” sling swivel. The rear swivel is on a two-screw base and mounted on the belly of the stock. Iron trigger guard has the usual Austrian deep curve before the tang. The muzzle is turned round for about 4Vi inches, and the bayonet socket fits over the muzzle, a spiralling cut in the socket conforming to the inclination of the front sight base and bayonet stud. Near to the octagon there is another stud on right side of barrel, against which the ring wedges when the bayonet is locked on. The broad flat blood-gutter single-edge blade is sharpened on top of the point for about 5 inches. The fore-end cap and ramrod thimble are two pieces, and the well- cut screw threads of the cap will not fit the screw threads of the screw that holds the ramrod thimble on, and vice versa. Differences in the two screws, which are actually very similar, suggest the thimble is not a Fruwirth factory addition. The ramrod is a shortened ordinary Lorenz rifle rod, with eggshaped head having a hole through it, and threads very casually grooved on the tip. The hole through the head is for a torque arm supplied normally as part of the implements, to help withdraw the stuck bullet in case of misfire. A common blade front sight is mated with an elaborate curved incline rear sight, open notch it is true, but of the same principle as the sight on the U. S. Army Garand rifle 1936-60. A thumb screw on the right of the sight base clamps the sight curve leaf in proper elevation. Sight and nipple are blued; all else is bright.
That this is one of Boker’s guns is fairly conclusively proved by the fitting of a brass shield on top of the stock small, having an eagle on it. The plate has

Brazilian light Minie combined characteristics of Enfield and Minie .577 rifles. Arms are several are to be seen in U.S. Government Civil War collections.

been stamped in a double die, the male die not so crisply cut as the female die once doubtiess was—it is now much rubbed. Of yellow brass, this shield-eagle has been noted on one other foreign gun. Though it is thought the other gun was an Enfield-like arm also branded ohio, it has been suggested this eagle (which is unmistakably Federal, olive branch, arrows, and Washington’s arms) is the insignia of the famous Wisconsin “Eagles” regiment, whose mascot was an American bald eagle. If so, the “Eagles” turned this Lorenz carbine over to the surplus property officers and after the War it was sold off as a serviceable gun. Thousands were returned to Europe, mostly to Belgium. There, being transformed into Wanzel-system flip breechloaders was the fate of some; being falsely fitted with flint cock and pans, the fate of others. This one escaped such a fate and was presented to the new Musee d’Armes de Liege in the old palace on the Quai de Maastricht. It was No. 853 in the old listing, a gift of Monsieur A. Simonis, believed a gunmaker of Liege. In June, 1961, the author bought at an auction of some duplicates from the Museum this interesting carbine

Garibaldi rifles were strongly made but clumsy, and non-standard .71 caliber. Records state only 5995 Garibaldi rifles were purchased. Style similar to Lorenz Jaeger carbine but barrel is round and special front band holds ramrod.

found with ohio on stock and and returned it to the middle west where it now reposes in a place of honor on the gun rack above the front door. Yet this is doubtless not the first of Boker’s guns to make the westward trip across the Atlantic twice.
Three patterns of arms are not well described by anything in any official records, but are definitely Civil War Northern issue. One resembled the Enfield, may actually be the “Belgian Enfields” mentioned with William J. Syrus & Brother’s imports. The gun is actually the Brazilian fight Minie rifle, made in Liege for the Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil. The butt stock, butt plate, trigger guard and lock with nipple bolster, are plain Enfield 1853 model. The rear band and front nose-cap are straight from the light .58 French Minie, and the yataghan sword bayonet is also of the light French .58 Minie form, brass hilted, almost straight blade, slanting away from line of bore when fitted. It attaches to the right of muzzle with a guide rib. The same bayonet seems to fit certain Colts, and possibly Sharps and other .58 rifles having rather large muzzle diameter. The rear sight of this composite rifle is long Minie form, not Enfield. The lockplate bears simply the stamp of an anchor, flanked by the initials D and G or, as it sometimes seems to appear, C. The bayonet is also stamped thus, a smaller punch, on the right of the blade, and on the left, one example bears the initials S&K. Albaugh & Simmons identify this as Schnitzler & Kirschbauer of Solingen, Prussia, whose initials appear on many Civil War items—both North and South.
The first example of this gun seen was in the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, Virginia. Museum chief Lieutenant Colonel John H. Magruder informed us the rifle had been located with and was in association with a Plymouth rifle and a Mississippi rifle, and had been with them for a long time. Though it is possible the Marine Corps made some shooting tests of this rifle in competition with the others, no record has so far been found. As a rifle for boat crews, it would be useful. The second specimen seen was in the Liege museum, identified as “Bresil.” The third seen was at an Ohio Gun Collectors Association convention, offered for sale modestly. The stock small was branded ohio and appeared entirely legitimate, the gun showing signs of honest use.