Chatham's Civil War Carbines Located

By Herman E. Melton

Former Pittsylvania County resident and Civil War buff, Will Melton of Middlebury, VT, has notified The Packet of his visit to the Springfield Armory, a National Park Service facility at Springfield, Massachusetts. He viewed four (4) Confederate Army carbines that were manufactured by Bilharz, Hall & Co. at their gun factory in Chatham during the Civil War. The printed museum guide lists them thusly:

BILHARZ, HALL & CO.
- 57. 6123 BILHARZ, HALL & CO. “RISING BREECH” CARBINE .54 SN #9. Of the 100 “Rising Breech” carbines delivered to the Confederacy in 1862, no more than 16 are known to exist.
- 58. BILHARZ & HALL “RISING BREECH” CARBINE .54 SN #24 “REBEL.”
- 59. 6122 BILHARZ & HALL “RISING BREECH” CARBINE .54 SN #58. “History is unknown. This is a very rare specimen.”
- B50. 1504 BILHARZ & HALL MUZZLELOADING CARBINE .58 patterned after M1855 Springfield Carbine.

The Packet says “Thanks, Will” and recommends a visit to the Springfield Armory to any member who happens to be in that area. It will afford some insight into some items that represent Pittsylvania's contribution to the Confederate war effort.

Notes

This article was printed in The Pittsylvania Packet, Pittsylvania Historical Society, Chatham, Virginia, Summer 1996, p. 9.
Electronic formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.