|
MODEL 1853 SHARPS CARBINE –
RECOVERED IN MEXICO THIS IS A VERY HISTORIC PIECE WITH
STRONG TIES TO THE 1ST US DRAGOONS AND
INLAID WITH A MEXICAN MEDAL OF HONOR FOR THE BATTLE OF
THE HEIGHTS OF ACULTZINGO:
Originating
from the interior of Mexico where it was found years
ago, this Model 1853 Sharps Carbine bears ample witness
to the trials and upheaval that were part and parcel of
Mexico’s path through the 19TH Century on the
way to becoming a Republic.
No doubt once owned by a proud Mexican soldier and
veteran, this carbine’s stock is inlaid with the Mexican
Medal of Honor for the Battle of the Heights of
Acultzingo. This well documented Mexican military honor
was awarded to the Mexican troops led by Generals
Ignacio Zaragoza and Porfirio Diaz, who resisted the
French Army’s advance from Vera Cruz on Mexico City,
April 28, 1862, only seven days before the Mexican
victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, May 5,
1862 – now celebrated each year as “Cinco de Mayo”.
This Medal of Honor is inlaid on the right side of the
butt stock, immediately forward of the brass batch box.
The mortise appears to have been hand cut into the stock
and the edges of the mortise show wear commensurate with
the age of the surrounding wood, indicating the medal
has been in place for many years through the service
life of the carbine. Struck from copper, the edges of
the medal and the letters of the inscription show
appropriate wear, however the entire inscription is very
legible. The medal is held in the mortise by two iron
nails – one each at the top and bottom centers of the
medal – and the style of the head of the nails is
consistent with the square shanked nails in use during
the 19Th Century.
As it is inlaid in the stock, only the reverse side of
the medal is visible, edged in a laurel wreath and
bearing the inscription, “COMBATIO; CON HONOR; EN LAS;
CUMBRES DE; ACULTZINGO; CONTRA EL; EJERCITO FRANCES; EL
28 DE ABRIL; DE 1862” (He fought with honor on the
heights of Acultzingo against the French Army on the 28TH
of April, 1862.) The obverse, the side that
lays against the wood in the hand carved mortise in the
stock, bears the inscription within an olive branch,
“LA; REPUBLICA; MEXICANA; A SUS; VALIENTES; HIJOS” (The
Mexican Republic their Valiant Sons). Below the
wreath are the initials “S.N.G.” the initials of the
engraver, S. Navalon Grabador. When issued, these
medals were fitted with an eye at the top of the medal
for suspending the award from the honoree’s clothing.
(The full description of these medals as seen in the
photographs below was obtained from a volume documenting
Mexican military medals and awards and a copy of that
page accompanies the purchase of this carbine.)
In spite of the obvious wear to which this carbine has
been subjected, the correct and expected stamps are
present and legible on the lock plate and the top of the
barrel. The serial number is still legible on the
underside of the barrel; however the serial number on
the tang is mostly obscured by pitting.
According to the Springfield Research Service records,
this carbine’s serial number, 14527, falls in the midst
of a series of Model 1853 Sharps Carbines (between SN
14506 and SN 14552) that were issued to Companies C and
E, 1st California Volunteer Cavalry. It is
historically documented that when the 1st US
Dragoons were ordered to depart California for
reassignment to the Eastern states at the start of the
Civil War, they turned in their Model 1853 Sharps
Carbines prior to leaving the west. These same Dragoon
carbines were then issued to the 1st
California Cavalry in 1861, thus originally this
particular carbine was most assuredly in the inventory
of the 1st US Dragoons and then issued to the
1st California.
The history of the 1st California Cavalry is
of some significant interest in the context of this
carbine. As written on page 49 of Civil War Sharps
Carbines and Rifles by Coates and McAulay,
“The
1st California was organized at Camp Merdiant
near Oakland, and mustered in between August and October
1861. By May 1863 they had been raised by increments to
full regimental strength. They saw action against
Confederate forces in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Later, they also participated in skirmishes with both
Apache and Navajo Indians. The regiment was mustered
out March 6 to October 19, 1866.”
The circumstances that carried this carbine to Mexico is
a story that unfortunately is lost to history and it
will remain a mystery,
however it is worthy of
serious speculation that this carbine may well have been
lost during one of the actions that the 1st
California participated in throughout the Southwest.
That it was eventually traded or sold across the border
into Mexico was well established by its discovery there
by a well known collector many years ago in Mexico, and
the medal inlayed in the stock testifies that it fell
into the hands of a decorated Mexican veteran of that
historic battle.
As you can see in the photographs provided below, this
Sharps has “seen the elephant” – in fact, a valid
argument could be made that it stayed to see the entire
circus. It has been long noted that historic guns of
interest that surface in Mexico are often found in a
condition that testify to their heavy and prolonged
use. After handling a fair number of guns that have
emerged from Mexico, I have come to the conclusion that
the political and economic history of the country simply
did not provide enough of a respite for the people to
allow these guns to have been put away and cared for as
collectables or keepsakes as they were in the United
States. Rather, they continued in use as necessary
tools of survival, and they must be viewed in that
context to be fully appreciated.
The surfaces of the steel and iron components have an
even, pleasing brown patina. The majority of the barrel
surface is smooth, with some spots of heavy pitting
towards the muzzle. Likewise the receiver, to include
the upper tang and trigger plate are generally smooth
with some specific areas of heavy pitting where the gun
was held or handled regularly. Surprisingly, the breech
block is overall smooth and still functions as it should
with a tight fit and crisp lever action. The lock is
fully functional with both full and half cock notches,
and the trigger let off is crisp.
The bore is dark as
expected, however the rifling is consistently strong for
the full length of the bore. The rear sight is missing,
likely removed to use on another gun, but the original
brass front sight is present. The brass furniture has a
nice even patinated color and the patch box lid is
complete and functions as well as the day it was
installed. This carbine was mounted with the early
pattern long carbine sling ring bar, but it was removed
at some point in the early days of its service life.
The bar hole in the receiver was plugged with a screw
and the brass barrel band was anchored in place with the
addition of a screw through the bottom of the band into
the forearm.
The stock seems to have suffered
the most from the effects of wear and age, but again it
testifies to the length of constant service of this
carbine. The forearm is missing a section along the
right side of the barrel, but it is still firmly held in
place by the forearm screw through the brass screw hole
liner and the barrel band, and is not loose at all.
The butt stock is well
weathered, and shows considerable evidence of heavy use
and age. The wood is eroded along the crest of the
comb, in the area of the right side above the patch box,
and along the lower edge of the butt stock, however the
patch box and butt plate are still well attached. There
is a crack at the in the wrist at the rear point of the
upper receiver tang, but the wood is stable with very
little movement. This is an honest description of the
stock, warts and all, but all being said the stock is
remarkably stable and when you shoulder this carbine it
is easy to imagine the aging veteran still defending his
ranchito from raiding Apaches, or his pueblo from
warring factions during any of the periods of
revolution. In spite of the wear, the stock retains a
pleasing patina that contrasts nicely with the brass
furniture.
On occasion an artifact surfaces which captures the
imagination of collectors and causes them to look beyond
the production and technical data of a particular
piece. It is seldom a pristine example, and at least
these days it usually emerges from an old, deep
collection that was assembled years ago. Such is the
case with this Model 1853 Sharps Carbine. The person
who is fortunate enough to place this piece in their
collection will be able to appreciate the long
historical record represented by the age of the metal
and wood that transcends years of service with the
United States Dragoons at Ft. Tejon; with the 1st
California Cavalry on long patrols in the American
Southwest and in pitched battles with Confederates and
Indians alike; and finally across the border to the
south where it was carried in desperate struggles by a
Mexican patriot pursuing the promise of a new Republic.
SOLD
|
