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Civil War Smith carbine with some unusual markings.


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Smith carbine –serial number – 21198.

 

The inspector’s cartouche on the left wrist looks like “JM”….there was an inspector in 1862 that used a “JM” stamp…..John Maggs.

 

Maggs

John Maggs, active in 1862, during the American Civil War, accepted firearms and accessories on behalf of the Federal Army. They were marked 'JM', date alone distinguishing them from guns attributed to Julian McCallister, J. Mills and Justice Murphy.

 

 

There is a second inspector’s stamp on the left wrist that has been over stamped with “C.H. Duba”.

 

This carbine has the markings "C.H. Duba”, neatly stamped on four areas of the stock. Years ago, I engaged the research person at "The Horse Soldier" in Gettysburg to look into this question.

 

It is on record that Smith carbines were issued to the 12th Illinois cavalry, and the results of the research show a John Duba was mustered into "E" Co. Il. 12th Cavalry 1/24/1862, and mustered out on 12/31/1865.

 

Duba, is an unusual name ,... but C.H Duba is not John Duba.

 

However,.... it does allow one's imagination to wander???

 

David

 

There is perhaps a follow up explanation regarding this “C.H. Duba” marking that I may post later….which may date to events in 1866 and the Fenian invasion of Canada.

 

 

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but C.H Duba is not John Duba.

 

I am not sure if John Duba would have kept this rifle after his time of service but if he did maybe C.H. is a decendent of John?

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AK101,

 

That may be the case?????

 

 

I am sure I will never know the story!

 

 

 

Some years ago I had occasion to request Joe Bilby’s opinion regarding a few guns that I had some questions about, and he was more than helpful in each instance.

 

In case you don’t know Joe Bilby I have included his bio below.

 

You might want to keep an eye open for his very excellent books.

 

 

 

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Joe Bilby's Biography

Joseph G. Bilby was born in Newark, New Jersey. He received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. Mr. Bilby is Supervising Investigator of the New Jersey Department of Labor’s Central Investigation Office, has taught military history on the community college level and lectured widely on the Civil War. He is the author of over 250 articles on New Jersey and military history and Outdoor subjects and is a columnist for The Civil War News and New Jersey Sportsmen’s News and contributing editor for Military Images Magazine. He has appeared on the History Channel's Civil War Journal and the Discovery Channel's Discovery Magazine as an expert consultant on the Civil War and 19th century firearms and wrote the liner notes for David Kincaid’s Civil War music CD album The Irish Volunteer and Kincaid’s forthcoming Irish American’s Song. Mr. Bilby was a Panelist for the NJ Historical Commission's 1996 seminar on Civil War Studies, and is a Trustee of the NJ Civil War Heritage Association and member of the Development Board of The Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table's Library and Research Center.

 

Since the publication of the first edition of Three Rousing Cheers: A History of the 15th New Jersey Infantry from Flemington to Appomattox, in 1992, Mr. Bilby has written Forgotten Warriors: New Jersey's African-American Civil War Soldiers, Remember Fontenoy: The 69th New York and the Irish Brigade In the Civil War and co-edited My Sons Were Faithful and They Fought: The Irish Brigade At Antietam, all published by Longstreet House, Hightstown, NJ. He received a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission to assist in the research for Three Rousing Cheers, and Forgotten Warriors received a publication grant from the same institution. Remember Fontenoy was awarded the 1997 William Donovan Award for Excellence in Military Literature and, in a softbound edition as The Irish Brigade in the Civil War, published by Combined Publications, Conshohocken PA, was a Military Book Club selection. Mr. Bilby's Civil War Firearms, published by Combined as well, was also a Military Book Club selection, runner-up in the history category in the 1997 Small Press Book Awards and received the Louisiana State University Civil War Center's Award of Excellence. His most recent book is Remember You Are Jerseymen: A Military History of New Jersey’s Troops in the Civil War, co-authored with William C. Goble and published by Longstreet House. He has recently contributed to the forthcoming Encylopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers University Press) and a second, expanded, edition of his history of the 15th New Jersey Infantry is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Bilby is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Irish Brigade Association, The Society of the First Infantry Division and the North-South Skirmish Association's 69th New York.

He lives at the New Jersey shore with his wife and three children.

 

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With regard to the “C.H. Duba” stamped marking on the Smith carbine this is how the story unfolded.

 

My question to Joe.

 

In your experience, have you seen these types of stamps before on other guns?

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As a matter of fact, yes - Fenians had a tendency, if two of the conversion muskets are an indication, to mark guns like this.

 

One that a friend of mine owns has "Sgt. Noonan" stamped into the wood.

 

Joe

 

 

The 1866 Fenians were armed with rifle muskets and "SMITH carbines" -- some of the Canadians

had Spencers, and the Canadian government bought more Spencers in the wake of the "invasion."

Unless they were personal weapons, the Fenians never used Spencers.

I mention this in passing in my new book on the Spencer and Henry.

The Fenians of 1870 were armed with the Needham conversion of the Model 1863 rifle musket.

The story is mentioned in Flayderman's "Guide" the guns were converted in

Trenton by Trenton Arms Company, and a Fenian leader was a silent partner in the company.

 

Joe

 

Having written a book on the Irish Brigade, and being of Irish American heritage myself,

I am very familiar with the Fenians, as well as the perpetual

bungling that characterized their efforts. :-)

 

The 1866 invasion was actually tactically successful, if I recall,

but the victorious Fenians suffered the usual leadership lapse

after the Battle of Ridgeway. At that point most Fenian troops were CW vets.

 

By 1870, the vets had better things to do, and the Fenian force

that crossed into Canada with weird looking conversions

of CW muskets (designed by a Brit and made in a factory in

Trenton NJ by a firm that had a Fenian leader as secret partner)

were a lot of unemployed kids swept up off the streets of NYC --

of course the Canadians had no way of knowing that.

 

 

Joe

 

 

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Two links to the 1886 Fenian Raids …for they that may be interested.

 

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~dbertuca/g/FenianRaid.html

 

http://www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm

 

 

David

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