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CALISHER & TERRY CARBINE – 1856 BRITISH PATENT –
STRONG CONFEDERATE ASSOCIATION – AS CARRIED BY J.E.B.
STUART – VERY NICE COMPLETE SPECIMEN:
Developed for the British
army in the late 1850’s by the Birmingham and London
firm of the same name, the Calisher-Terry Carbine is one
of the imported firearms associated with the Confederate
Army during the American Civil War - specifically one is
known to have been carried by Major General J.E.B.
Stuart, C.S.A., and another was owned by Confederate
President Jefferson Davis.
Known as both a “Door Bolt” and a “Folding Bolt-action”
system, the Terry Carbine was operated in a very similar
fashion to today’s modern bolt-action firearms. The
handle, which is hinged on the rear right side of the
receiver, is pulled out perpendicular to the axis of the
barrel, rotated 90 degrees up, and pulled to the rear.
The cartridge is inserted through a milled slot in the
right side of the receiver, and the bolt is closed.
Upon being closed, the arm of the bolt handle fills the
loading aperture. The bolt is secured in position by two
rear-locking lugs which engage the milled shoulder in
the receiver. The bolt face has a chamfered head which
seats into the mouth of the correspondingly shaped
chamber. A percussion cap is placed on the nipple, and
when struck by the hammer, ignites the combustible paper
cartridge. A unique positioning of the nipple in
relation to the chamber directs the flame from the
percussion cap into the middle of the cartridge, as
opposed to the rear of the cartridge as in most of the
other contemporary firearms of that period. By igniting
the cartridge in the center of the powder charge, the
charge burned both forward and rearward, and perhaps was
thought to provide a faster and more even burning of the
powder.
The Terry Carbine employed a special cartridge developed
by Terry in 1855 consisting of a combustible paper
cartridge infused with nitrate, containing 55 grains of
powder and a 530 grain conical bullet which is described
in various sources as being both solid and having a
cavity in the base. A greased felt wad was attached to
the base of the cartridge at the rear of the powder
chamber. When the cartridge was fired, consuming the
paper wrapped powder charge and expelling the bullet,
this wad was left behind at the face of the bolt,
sealing the chamber and acting as a gas check. When the
bolt was withdrawn to reload the carbine, the felt wad
remained at the front of the chamber, forward of the
next cartridge loaded. Upon firing the second, and any
subsequent cartridges, the wad was propelled through the
barrel ahead of the bullet and served to lubricate the
barrel and reduce the build up of fouling.
The Terry Carbine was subjected to testing by the
British Army in 1858. The tests were successful and
after making an impressive showing, The Calisher & Terry
firm received an order for at least 1,000 carbines for
use by British cavalry units through the early 1860’s.
The Terry carbines were eventually supplied to other
units throughout the Commonwealth, being used through
the early 1870’s. Calisher & Terry went out of business
in 1870.
These carbines have enjoyed a strong association with
the Confederacy primarily due to the two specimens
identified to luminaries of the Confederacy.
The most famous example of
a Calisher-Terry Carbine is the one carried by Major
General J.E.B. Stuart who earned his fame in the Army of
Northern Virginia as the legendary commander of General
Robert E. Lee's cavalry. Stuart was known for his
interest in innovative cavalry equipment, so it is
perfectly in character that he selected a carbine of
modern design for that time. The second most famous
Calisher & Terry was found in the personal possessions
of President Jefferson Davis upon his capture at the end
of the War. These two carbines still exist and now
reside (respectively) in the collections of The Museum
of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House in
Richmond, Virginia.
Aside from these two historic and identified guns, as
with so many of the arms that were purchased abroad to
arm the Confederacy, there survives little documentation
as to how many Calisher-Terry carbines were imported by
the South. Due to the necessity of closely guarding any
records of international arms purchases at the time, the
inherent nature of blockade running, and the
characteristic lack of surviving records from any
defeated government or nation, the lack of a definitive
number is not particularly surprising. Certainly, it
stands to reason that more than two Terry Carbines were
brought into the South, and with the demand for
serviceable arms, it is very likely that those that were
imported were placed into service with the Confederate
Army.
While documented deliveries of the Calisher-Terry
Carbine have not yet been uncovered, strong
circumstantial evidence exists that at least some of
these carbines saw use in the South, and perhaps as many
as 200 may have been purchased by the US Government. In
1861, Henry Calisher traveled to New York with “200
Long Enfields”, which he offered for sale. It seems
more likely he would be more inclined to market his own
arms, and it is possible, if not probable, that these
two hundred were in fact the Terry Patent carbines.
Further clouding the North American history of the
Calisher-Terry Carbines is that it is unclear whether
Calisher sold those two hundred carbines were sold
directly to the representatives of the US government or
to the firm of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham of New York.
It is known that a number of arms were delivered to the
Confederacy through purchases at the Schuyler, Hartley &
Graham store in New York. If Calisher sold his carbines
to SH&G, it is quite possible the entire lot was
purchased by a Southern agent who in turn arranged for
their shipment south. While the definitive record of
the service of the Calisher-Terry Carbines during the
Civil War has yet to be written, there is little doubt
that to some extent these sturdy carbines were present
on American battlefields during those violent years.
This is a well marked example, with the stamping on the
top of the receiver “TERRY'S PATENT .30 BORE” fully
legible. “30 Bore” is the common English manner of
stating the caliber, which a measure based on the number
of round balls of that particular diameter needed to
equal 1 pound, or translated to the decimal system used
in the United States, the barrel is .53 Caliber. The
top of the bolt boss and the rear flat of the lock plate
are both stamped with fully legible British proof
marks. The butt stock is stamped on the right side flat
“CALISHER & TERRY / MAKERS / WHITTALL St / BIRMINGHAM”
and the majority of this stamp is fully legible.
Forward of the hammer, the lock plate bears a stamp,
“CALISHER – TERRY / 1862”. As seen on the comparatively
few surviving examples, there is considerable variations
in the manner in which Calisher marked his lock plates.
Again, there are no definitive records which survive to
explain the chronology or reasoning behind these
variations, however this marking is substantively
consistent with other known examples.
The straight grained stock is obviously one intended for
military use, showing none of the embellishments such as
checkering at the wrist and on the forearm that are seen
on other examples of the Terry Carbine that were
intended for the civilian market. A number of surviving
examples of these carbines that were placed into service
throughout the British Commonwealth bear unit stampings
on the flats of the butt stock plainly identifying them
to Australian, New Zealand, and South African police and
militia units – all of which would generally preclude
those examples as possible Confederate associated arms.
Discovered in a well established and long standing
collection of Confederate arms, this carbine presents as
one would expect of those imported during the Civil
War.
This carbine shows some evidence of use, but survived
the passing years in remarkably nice condition. It is
in full form, complete with all the components, to
include the unique full length ramrod which is often
missing from surviving examples, and of particular note,
the butt stock trap still
retains the original ramrod/cleaning rod extension with
the integral slot for a cleaning patch. The barrel is
full length, and is complete with both front and rear
sights. The rear sight is complete with the slide and
leaf.
The bore is in excellent
condition, retaining very strong rifling with no pitting
and only minimal frosting.
The unique bolt system is in excellent condition, and
the bolt handle snaps into place with no play or
looseness due to wear – as tight as the day it was
made. The lock mechanism is very strong and functions
with a crisp trigger pull and spring action and the lock
retains much of its original smooth dark finish.
The surface of the barrel, lock and all of the iron
furniture has an even naturally aged plum color, turned
from the original blue. The surfaces of the bolt, lock
plate, hammer, barrel band, ramrod and cleaning jag are
all smooth. The barrel, trigger guard and buttplate
have an overall light, scattered pitting as can be seen
in the photographs. The pitting seen on these noted
surfaces of this carbine is virtually universally
consistent with the same surfaces on almost every other
known Calisher-Terry Carbine I have seen. With the
exception of two high grade specimens which featured
finely checkered stocks and in one case, extensive
engraving – both obviously special order or presentation
pieces – all of the Calisher-Terry Carbines I have seen
have had this same light pitting on those particular
iron surfaces which leads me to be believe the quality
or molecular makeup of the iron used by Calisher for
those components may well be the culprit. If nothing
else, this degree of consistent pitting is a signature
feature of these carbines, aiding in their
identification.
The stock is complete, and while showing the expected
signs of wear and handling, has no structural damage
such as cracks, or breaks. The wood has an attractive
grain, a pleasing natural patina, and a beautifully aged
rich color.
This unique and quite scarce Calisher-Terry Carbine was
collected back in the days when such special pieces were
still regularly coming out of family estates, and even
at that time this was a special discovery. Overall,
this carbine presents very well and would be an
attractive addition to a Civil War Cavalry collection,
and it survives as a credible representation of the
carbines used by the Confederacy.
(0108) $6750
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