Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
	Civil War Weapons, all pre 1898
	by Harry Ridgeway

Breechloader, Merrill single shot percussion rifle, First Type, brass patchbox and breech lever secured with rounded latch, .54cal. . Merrill rifle bears a unique breech system with a long lever released by a spring latch, and is percussion primed using a paper cartridge. This model with brass patchbox is referred to as First Type, however this is a collector term of convenience, and not a contemporary designation. Manufactured by H. Merrill, Baltimore Maryland. Marks on lock forward of the hammer, J. H. MERRILL BALTO. / PAT. JULY, 1858 / APL. 9. MAY 21 - 28 - 61, serial number rear of the hammer. Serial number also appears on the breach tang. Breech lever is marked J. H. MERRILL BALTO. / PAT. JULY, 1858. Additional inspector marks inside the loading lever. Standard features include: include brass buttplate, brass patch box, brass trigger guard, two brass bands, brass nose cap, two strap hooks on trigger guard and forward band, two leaf hinged sight, equipped with ramrod used for cleaning only, lug on nose for saber bayonet, rifled with three grooves. On early production, the breech latch is rounded. This rifle, numbering about 770, was made contemporary with the first type carbine. Research Center: Weapon2324-Breechloader-Merrill-Rifle . Reference: Flayderman 9B-077. Barrel length 33in. Details click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon2324-Breechloader-Merrill-Rifle.html

W0869 ### Breechloader, Merrill single shot percussion rifle, First Type, brass patchbox and breech lever secured with rounded latch, .54cal. (sn# 6522) . Merrill rifle bears a unique breech system with a long lever released by a spring latch, and is percussion primed using a paper cartridge. This model with brass patchbox is referred to as First Type, however this is a collector term of convenience, and not a contemporary designation. Manufactured by H. Merrill, Baltimore Maryland. Marks on lock forward of the hammer, J. H. MERRILL BALTO. / PAT. JULY, 1858 / APL. 9. MAY 21 - 28 - 61, serial number rear of the hammer. Serial number also appears on the breach tang. Breech lever is marked J. H. MERRILL BALTO. / PAT. JULY, 1858. Additional inspector marks inside the loading lever. Standard features include: include brass buttplate, brass patch box, brass trigger guard, two brass bands, brass nose cap, two strap hooks on trigger guard and forward band, two leaf hinged sight, equipped with ramrod used for cleaning only, lug on nose for saber bayonet, rifled with three grooves. On early production, the breech latch is rounded. This rifle, numbering about 770, was made contemporary with the first type carbine. Research Center: Weapon2324-Breechloader-Merrill-Rifle . Reference: Flayderman 9B-077. Barrel length 33in. Serial number, 6522, appears on rear of the hammer, and on the breach tang.

This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

All weapons listed on this webpage are strictly manufactured before 1898, and are considered unsafe for actual use. These are antique collectible weapons of the Civil War (most are pre 1865, unless I state otherwise) and actual firing of these weapons is not recommended for any purpose whatsoever! Because these are all "pre 1898" weapons, no licenses are required for ownership, but common sense and good judgment should be applied.

Most information on this page is from:
Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms......
John Thillman series, "Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers...", or "Civil War Army Swords....".

Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War Weapons Research center, weapons, click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon0000-Index.html. Research center, weapons, click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon0000-Index.html.

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Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway, Civil War weapons, Relicman sales catalog. Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Relicman-Sales-Weapon0000.html. Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Relicman-Sales-Weapon0000.html.