Fenian Used 1863 Springfield Musket

This is a Model 1863 Springfield Musket manufactured by Alfred Jenks and Son, also known as Bridesburg. At the end of the Civil War, Jenks had a large surplus of rifle muskets and an interested buyer, the Fenian Brotherhood.

The Fenians were an Irish-American group interested in putting pressure on Great Britain in order to free Ireland. Their idea for creating this pressure was to invade Canada.

In 1866 and 1870, the Fenian Brotherhood launched their attacks, and this musket was a part of it. Both invasions were ultimately unsuccessful, and after the first invasion, the US government ended up confiscating a large majority of the Fenian’s arms. They placed the muskets in storage and cared for them very poorly, to the point where rust formed on many of the guns.

Following the first invasion, the Fenians were somehow able to convince the government to give the muskets back. When the Fenians received them, they sorted and cleaned the rusty muskets, and then reassembled them. There was no attempt to match the parts and on many Fenian guns, this one included, you’ll find one pitted or rusted part on an otherwise good condition firearm. In this case, the butt has some noticeable wear, but the rest of the musket is in very good condition complete with “IN” Irish Nation inspection marking on the stock.

This particular musket is made further unique by the fact that it is one of the few (around 2,000) Fenian muskets that was left in un-converted percussion condition. Most were converted to breech loaders for the second Canadian invasion in 1870. As for the overall condition, it has very clean wood, working action, and minimal wear considering its age. This 1863 Springfield is a very unique piece of little known Civil War era history!