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INDIAN USED MODEL 1841
“MISSISSIPPI” RIFLE WITH NATIVE GUNSMITH REPAIRS USING A
HEAVY PLAINS RIFLE BARREL – AN EXCELLENT HISTORIC AND
EVOCATIVE FRONTIER RIFLE:
A little preface to
put this one in context. Through the years I have
noticed a substantial number of Mississippi Rifles that
exist in private and public collections that show
distinct, classic evidence of Indian use. The Rock
Island Arsenal collection of documented surrendered and
captured Indian guns includes a significant number of
Mississippi Rifles. Some of these are in barely
serviceable condition, but obviously were still in
active use at the time of their seizure testifying to
the sturdy character of these historic arms. The Model
1841, or Mississippi Rifle, was a sturdy, dependable,
serviceable firearm, originally intended for use on
horseback and made in a handy, manageable length, and it
presented well with the attractive brass mounts. For
all these reasons, and of course due to the Model 1841's
passage into the surplus market after the Civil War, it
is apparent that these rifles were a popular and
common item of trade to the Indians.
In spite of
the sturdy design of the Mississippi Rifle, any firearm
has it limits and the steel will only withstand just so
much overloading or worse, improperly seated or
unintentional multiple loads. Upon inspection of this
rifle, it undoubtedly suffered from just such an
explosive event which apparently destroyed the barrel
and lock, and caused some damage to the stock in the
area of the lock mortise and the rear of the barrel
channel. While the destruction of his rifle certainly
must have given the Indian pause, either he (assuming he
survived) or one of his fellow tribesmen gathered up the
useable remains and paired the damaged Mississippi Rifle
stock with the barrel and lock from a plains rifle that
had probably suffered a broken stock. This sort of
salvage-based gunsmithing was very common among the
Indians and they were quite adept at it as evidenced by
any number of surviving examples in private and public
collections.
In fact, there
is an almost identical example of this sort of pairing
of parts salvaged from different rifles in the Rock
Island Arsenal Collection, cataloged as item number
1391. Identified by the arsenal’s museum as a captured
Indian gun, that rifle was originally a Mississippi
Rifle which was repaired with an octagon .45 caliber
barrel measuring 34 ˝” long. The stock was heavily
damaged at some point and the barrel and lock are held
in place with large wrappings of rawhide stitched in
place. Notably, this heavily repaired rifle is also
missing the trigger guard bow such as is seen on the
rifle offered here. It is possible that the presence of
the guard bow interfered with the wrapped rawhide
repairs and considered unnecessary, it was omitted from
the repair efforts.
The appearance
of this Mississippi Rifle speaks volumes of its life on
the frontier. The work to enlarge the barrel channel to
accept the octagon barrel was done quite nicely,
evidence of the quality of work of which the native
gunsmiths were capable. I imagine similar work was
necessary to seat the replacement lock and then the
entire breech area of the rifle was wrapped in rawhide
which was stitched in place with sinew to bind the lock
and barrel to the stock. An additional piece of rawhide
was sewn forward of the breech in the area of the rear
sight to further secure the barrel. The rawhide is very
old, worn and stained and there is no doubt that it
dates to the period of use of this rifle. Most
importantly, it serves a genuine function of holding the
rifle components together and is not some recently
applied enhancement as seen on so many purported “Indian
Guns” that have been decorated in modern times.
There are
traces of red paint on the barrel consistent with paint
found on a significant number of Indian used guns.
Noted in several references, the painted guns were
covered or highlighted with blue, black, dark and
lighter green and red, however the significance of the
paint has never been firmly determined to a certainty.
The sense of art, decoration and color that the Native
Americans possessed has been long established and that a
warrior would decorate his rifle is certainly in keeping
with their practices and traditions.
The rifle
stock retains the original brass butt plate, patch box
and trigger guard base plate, and the brass has a nice
untouched soft patina. The fore end of the stock
retains the majority of its original length. The butt
stock is full form and the left side of the butt has
several names carved into the wood, likely the names of
the soldiers or settlers who first carried this
Mississippi before it fell into the hands of the
Indians. The stock shows all of the desirable wear
where one would expect to find it on the high edges of
the barrel and ramrod channels and at the points where
the rifle would have been handled or rested as it was
carried on horseback, and the wood has wonderful aged
feel and very nice coloring.
The heavy
octagon barrel, measuring 40” long and 1 1/8” from flat
to flat, retains both front and rear sights and has an
even smooth color overall. The bore features what
appears to be early hand cut button rifling which
presents very well at the muzzle. The barrel was
originally made for a flintlock rifle and at some point
was converted to percussion with the installation of a
drum and cone. There are some small minor patches of
light pitting on the flats as is expected, but the
surface is overall smooth. The percussion lock is
completely covered with a section of the rawhide
wrapping which holds it in place on the rifle, but the
hammer appears to be from a rifle of the same era as the
barrel. The hammer will not engage the sear and it
feels as if the mainspring is likely broken, but there
is no way to access the internal workings of the lock
without disturbing the rawhide – a misguided effort that
would severely decrease the value of the rifle.
This spectacular Mississippi Rifle shows all the classic
characteristics of hard use and
genuine repairs
in the hands of an Indian,
having a great appearance that literally talks to you as
you hold it, and is no doubt a veteran of fierce
determined and desperate battles, and untold numbers of
buffalo kills in the hands of a warrior.
I am confident enough that
this gun was indeed used by Indians, that I have enjoyed
this gun in my collection of Indian used guns for
several years and am only now offering it for sale as it
is a duplicate to others in my collection. Genuine
Indian used guns that have not been sullied or ruined by
the addition of upholstery tacks, modern leather
wrappings and other fantasy enhancements have never been
common. As more collectors are recognizing the historic
value of Indian guns of this quality, they are now
becoming increasingly difficult to find on the market.
This is an opportunity to
obtain an honest Indian gun that has not been tampered
with since the day it passed from the Indians into the
hands of that first collector.
If you hesitate and miss this one, for many years to
come you will regret it as the one that got away.
SOLD
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