Confederate Altered Model 1819 Hall Rifle Attributed to South Carolina
SKU: PS-0002
Under the provisions of the Militia Act of 1808, The State of South Carolina had managed to draw 101 Model 1819 flintlock Hall's Rifles prior to the Civil War. At least some of these rifles are known to have been stamped on the left side of their frames with block letters reading S. CAROLINA. Although the exact number of guns marked as such is unknown, most researchers cite John Murphy's figures of 75 to 166 guns. Based on surviving surcharged examples it is thought that the Hall's Rifles that South Carolina drew were all products of Simeon North's 1828 contract for 5,000 of Hall's patent rifles.The seizure of the Charleston Arsenal in 1860 netted the state an additional 566 Hall's rifles. With several other military posts across the state adding a handful of additional rifles. With impending start of the Civil War and desperate need for arms, State authorities scrambled to percussion alter stocks of existing flintlock muskets and rifles to arm the thousands of new troops.Although the exact location of the arsenal or arsenals responsible for performing South Carolina's Hall's Rifle alterations, and the exact numbers altered is unclear, we do have a good idea of what South