New Model 1863 Sharps Carbine

J

Jimmya1742

Inactive
Okay, here is my story. My grandparents on my mother's side were country folk who never went anywhere out of their small town during the week and only on special occasions on the weekends. When I was 17, they made a special trip on a Wednesday specifically to give me a gun he had picked up when he was in the navy in WWI. Two weeks later my grandmother passed and he passed two weeks after her, making this gun a very special gift to me. Of course this gun will never be sold in my lifetime, but I would like to know it's history. It is a New Model 1863 Sharps carbine, serial number C29137. If anyone has a copy of Civil War Sharps Carbines & Rifles, Coates, Earl J. & McAulay, John D., I would greatly appreciate any info you could relay to me, or for that matter, anyone that could relate any known history of this firearm. Thanks in advance for any info.
 

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HI jimmy: I just saw this post and I also have some interest in Sharps rifles and carbines, so I will tell you a little that I know. You may know that when the production of carbines reached 100,000 a C-prefix was applied. Your SN of C29137 means your rifle is actually no. 129,137, which puts it fairly late in production date. Carbines in this number area were issued to the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th regiments of the Veteran Volunteer Infantry in early 1865. These units were to be made up of veteran troops who had previously been discharged after fulfilling their service. The were to be led by the famous General Winfield Scott Hancock. However, they saw little action because of the late date of their organization. It is said their rifles are often in better condition than earlier ones because of this.

In the lists in Coates, et. al., SN C29073 was issued to a soldier in the 2nd Veteran Volunteers. This is the one closest to your SN, which does not appear in any of the Volunteer lists. This does not mean that your gun was not issued to someone in such an outfit. Coates got his list from regimental records that were kept by the regiments in the field. There are reasons why they may be incomplete or in error. There appear to be no good records of the original issuance of Sharps arms to troops. If a carbine appears in a list in Coates, you can be sure it was there. If one does not, it is a question.

Yours is certainly in the late Civil War period and is a desirable, collectible arm. They made quite a few of them so they are not particularly rare. I can't judge the condition of yours from your picture. The asking price for good ones is usually in excess of $2000. Should say that some of these were converted from percussion ignition to fire cartridges after the war.
 
BTW: I'd drop the block, soak it in kroil for a couple of days to loosen up
the the gas check plate, remove and clean/oil it/re-assemble with a light
coat of Mobil-1 synthetic rubbed on with a patch.

Then do it great honor and make up some Paper Cartridges using real
black powder -- and shoot it.
:D
 
Not at home so I don't have access to my copy right now. Will get back to you in a month or so.

BTW, during the Civil War veteran volunteer was a Union/Federal volunteer (as opposed to regular) whose term of enlistment was almost over. If enough men volunteered to re-up, then the regiment would receive the honor of being called veteran volunteer. It was a source of pride for them.

The Confederates did not adopt the practice as it was once in, always in until the war was over (and in this case, lost).
 
I believe these outfits were organized at the federal level so a given regiment would have guys from several states. The 2nd would then not be identified with any single state. If this is wrong I hope someone will correct me.

BTW, As an inducement to sign up these volunteers were told they would be issued a breechloader, either Sharps or Henry, that they could keep at the end of their service. Wow. If I had been dodging Minie balls for several years, I don't think this would be enough motivation for me to reup:)
 
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Veteran Volunteer was a title given to a state raised regiment if enough men volunteered to maintain the state regiment. Thus, if the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry had enough men re-enlist, then those who remained would served as the Ninth New Jersey Veteran Volunteer Infantry.

The federally organized volunteers were the Invalid Corps which was composed of men no longer suitable for front line duty yet desired to remain in uniform rather than accept a discharge. If accepted, they were removed from their parent unit and transferred into the Invalid Corps from which the could perform garrison or other light duty. Universally they hated the Invalid Corps title and thus it was changed to Veteran Reserve Corps.
 
The Sharps book by Coates, et.al.,Identifies the units to which the C-level Sharps carbines were issued under a heading such as "2nd Veteran Volunteers (U.S.)" The do not mention "Invalid Corps" or "Veteran Reserve Corps" and no states are associated with these lists.Perhaps this was an oversight on their part, but Coates is quite assiduous in identifying state regiments in his other Sharps lists, of which there are many.
 
Dumb question: I'd like to get one of those or perhaps a replica. Negative on the BP. So, can modern Springfield-level ammo be used in those or are they no bueno?

Thanks,
 
Dumb question: I'd like to get one of those or perhaps a replica. Negative on the BP. So, can modern Springfield-level ammo be used in those or are they no bueno?
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I don't know what "modern Springfield-level ammo" is. These are black powder firearms.

Steve
 
FTG05, The Sharps being discussed here does not take a metallic cartridge. It uses a consumable paper cartridge containing black powder. You're looking for a 45/70 Sharps carbine and any of the modern replicas will handle off the shelf ammo.
 
The Union fielded both regulars and volunteers to defeat the Confederates. I've already discussed the state raised "veteran volunteers" and the "volunteer reserves" (or invalids). It is possible that disabled regulars were assembled into a veteran volunteer unit. Dyer's Compendium does not contain any regimental history/summary for the 2nd Regiment, U. S. Veteran Volunteer Infantry. Here's all I could find about them:

2nd Regiment Infantry

Organized at Camp Stoneman, D. C., January to March, 1865. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Veteran Corps, to June, 1865. District of New York, Dept. of the East, to August, 1866. Mustered out August 1, 1866.
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If they were in New York, they may have guarded military depots or a PoW camp. I would contact Elmira.

4th Regiment Infantry

Organized at Camp Stoneman, D.C., December, 1864, to May, 1865. Mustered out August 6, 1866.

5th Regiment Infantry

Organized at Camp Stoneman, D.C., January to April, 1865. Duty at Washington, D.C., Providence, R. I., Fort Wadsworth, N.Y., and Hart's Island, N.Y., until May, 1866. Mustered out May 28, 1866.

6th Regiment Infantry

Organized at Camp Stoneman, D.C., March and April, 1865. Mustered out March 15 to July 27, 1866.
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Source
 
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