The Fayetteville Rifle was a 2 banded rifle produced at the
Confederate States Arsenal in
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city.
Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...
. The machinery which produced these weapons was primarily that captured at the United States Arsenal at
Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which was previously used to produce the US Model 1855 Rifle.
The weapon was produced in .58 caliber from early in 1862 until the capture and destruction of the arsenal by Union forces under
General W. T. Sherman on March 11, 1865.
In February, 1862, the Fayetteville Observer, in describing the beginning of arms’ manufacturing at the arsenal, reported:
The first examples were manufactured using assorted M1855 lock blanks and are mounted in iron with high and medium high lockplate humps. Later examples are mounted in brass with a graceful "S" shaped hammer. Only the very early examples are known to have a
patch box.
The rifle was made both with and without a special
bayonet lug which allowed the use of a
sword bayonet.
The weapons are highly rare and collectible and pristine examples command prices in excess of $25,000.
See also
*
Rifles in the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Though the muzzleloader percussion cap rifle was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the Union and Confederate armies, many other fire ...
References
* Bilby, Joseph G. (2005), ''Civil War Firearms: Their Historical Background And Tactical Use'', Da Capo Press, 252 p.,
* Fadala, Sam (2006), ''The Complete Blackpowder Handbook: The Latest Guns and Gear'', Gun Digest, 446 p.,
* Katcher, Philip, Katcher, Philip R. N. (1986), ''American Civil War Armies'' vol. 1, Osprey Publishing, 48 p.,
Notes
{{USCWWeapons
Weapons of the Confederate States of America
American Civil War rifles