James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine
U.S. MODEL 1842 MUSKET, HARPERS FERRY ARMORY, .69 CALIBER, PAPER CARTRIDGE, PERCUSSION
James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine
Manufactured by Harpers Ferry Armory, Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1843–55. Total production: approximately 103,000.
Overall length: 57-13/16". Weight: 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Muzzleloader, single shot.
Eagle over “US” on lock plate in front of hammer; “HARPERS / FERRY / [year]” vertically on lock plate to rear of hammer; “V / P / [eagle head]” proof mark on left side of barrel near breech; inspector’s initials forward of proof marks on some examples; “US” on tang of butt stock.
With the exception of the armory markings on the lock plate, the U.S. Model 1842 Muskets originating from Harpers Ferry Armory were virtually identical to those manufactured at the Springfield Armory. In addition, the musket parts from both armories were interchangeable. A variant of the U.S. Model 1842 Musket was the 3,200 reported to have been altered with shortened, rifled barrels and long-range rear sights for an expedition by John Charles Frémont in 1847. These rifled muskets had 33" barrels and an overall length of 48-1/2".
| GOOD–$950 | FINE–$2,750 |
U.S. MODEL 1842 MUSKET, SPRINGFIELD ARMORY, .69 CALIBER, PAPER CARTRIDGE, PERCUSSION
Rock Island Auction Company
Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1844–55. Total production: approximately 172,000.
Overall length: 57-13/16". Weight: 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Muzzleloader, single shot.
Eagle over “US” on lock plate in front of hammer; “SPRING / FIELD / [year]” vertically on lock plate to rear of hammer; “V / P / [eagle head]” proof mark on left side of barrel near breech; inspector’s initials forward of proof marks on some examples; “US” on tang of butt plate.
The U.S. Model 1842 musket was the first regulation percussion firearm and the last .69-caliber musket to be manufactured in U.S. armories. They were used in large numbers in the Mexican War and in the early months of the Civil War. They featured all-iron furniture, finished bright; a flat lock plate with beveled edges; 42" bright barrel fastened to the 55” black walnut stock with three barrel bands, the center of which held the upper sling swivel; and lower sling swivel riveted to the forward part of the trigger guard bow. A bayonet lug was located on the underside of the barrel near the muzzle. There was no rear sight; the forward sight was a brass blade on the upper barrel band. The butt plate was flat and 4-1/2" long. Many U.S. Model 1842 Muskets were rifled and equipped with long-range rear sights after 1855, and redesignated the U.S. Model 1842 Rifled Musket.
| GOOD–$950 | FINE–$2,750 |
U.S. MODEL 1842 MUSKET, B. FLAGG & COMPANY CONTRACT, .69 CALIBER, PAPER CARTRIDGE, PERCUSSION
Manufactured by B. Flagg & Co., Millbury, Massachusetts, 1849. Total production: at least 640.
Overall length: 57-3/4". Weight: approximately 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Muzzleloader, single shot.
Eagle over “U.S.” on lock plate in front of hammer; “B. FLAGG & CO. / MILLBURY / MASS. / 1849” vertically on lock plate to rear of hammer (“1849” is marked horizontally on some specimens); “US” in italics on butt plate tang; serial number on butt plate tang, top of each band, and top of barrel near breech.
Benjamin Flagg’s version of the U.S. Model 1842 Musket was a virtual copy of the government-manufactured original. The musket had a short production run, evidently during only 1849, and South Carolina purchased 640 stands the following year. The lock plates of some specimens have a nonstandard shape, in which the surface forward of the percussion cap bolster cutout continues at about the same, nearly horizontal angle as the bolster cutout, but slightly below its level. This extension was beveled like most of the rest of the plate.
| GOOD–$1,200 | FINE–$3,800 |
U.S. MODEL 1842 MUSKET, PALMETTO ARMORY CONTRACT, .69 CALIBER, PAPER CARTRIDGE, PERCUSSION
James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine
Manufactured by Palmetto Armory, Columbia, South Carolina, 1852-53. Total production: at least 6,020.
Overall length: 57-3/4". Weight: approximately 9 lbs. 3 oz.
Muzzleloader, single shot.
“PALMETTO ARMORY S*C” in a circle around a palmetto tree, on lock plate to front of hammer; “COLUMBIA / S.C. 1852” vertically on lock plate to rear of hammer; “V / P / [palmetto tree]” proof mark on barrel near breech; “SC” on tang of butt plate.
In April 1851 the Palmetto Armory secured a contract with South Carolina to produce 6,000 copies of the U.S. Model 1842 Musket. The armory completed the contract by the end of 1853, on machinery purchased from Benjamin Flagg’s factory in Millbury, Massachusetts, that had previously been used to manufacture the A. H. Waters and B. Flagg versions of the U.S. Model 1842 Musket. The Palmetto Armory version was very similar to the standard U.S. model, with variations in some examples including brass barrel bands instead of iron and a bayonet stud on top of the barrel rather than the bottom. In addition, some examples had long-range rear sights or browned barrels.
| GOOD–$3,500 | FINE–$7,000 |
U.S. MODEL 1842 A. H. WATERS CONTRACT MUSKET, .69 CALIBER, TYPE I (STANDARD BUTT PLATE), PAPER CARTRIDGE, PERCUSSION.
Made by A. H. Waters & Co., Milbury, Massachusetts, ca. 1844. Total production: probably over 100.
Overall length: 57-3/4". Weight: approximately 10 lbs. 4 oz.
Muzzleloader, single shot.
