Enfield 3-Band Musket Rifle. Workhorse of the American Civil War, and the end of the Percussion Weapons Era.
In the mid 19th Century, military long
arms were transitioning from smoothbore muskets to the future of
firearms that would shape the way warfare was conducted.
Neither smoothbore musket, nor modern rifle, the Pattern 1853 was a
link, bridging the gap between the two. Using paper
"cartridges" filled with black powder, and topped off with a lead ball,
the 1853 had a rifled bore and was equipped with sights, signaling the
end of the old way of performing combat, which was giving way to new
techniques of using firearms. Unlike earlier flintlocks, the
1853 used percussion caps to ignite the charge in the barrel.
Shortly after the serviceable military tenure of the 1853 Enfield, the
age of metal cartridges would soon arrive and change
everything. Although bayonets were a throwback to an age
where combat was performed by hand-to-hand fighting with swords and
sabers, they continued to be used clear up into World War II, including
the Pattern 1853. Often referred to as the "three band"
rifle, (it's a rifled musket) the Pattern 1853 Enfield was carried into
conflicts around the world, making its mark, advancing the
traditions of the RSAF, the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield,
UK. Like the Brown Bess musket before it, the 1853 was used
on American soil
The British were using the Pattern 1853 Enfield in
the Crimean War between Russia and an alliance of nations including the
declining Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and others. Like
other parts of the world who were delayed in technological advancements
due to their cultural and historical circumstances, many combatants in
this conflict were catching up with modern advances, including
weapons. The Enfield was also present in the British Empire's
1857 conflict with India, involving the East India Company, a sort of
trading bloc set up in Asia for the British. It is
interesting to note that the Enfield played a part in this conflict not
only as a weapon, but as a source of antagonism that helped to set it
off. Among the conflicting parties, there were religious
implications. As you may know, Hindus are averse to beef, as
they hold bovines as sacred. Muslims abhor pigs and
pork. The paper cartridges containing the powder had to be
broken open at the top, which was usually done by biting it
off. Ruminations began to spread that these cartridges were
lubricated with either pig grease or beef fat. This led to
the refusal of Muslims and Hindus refusing to touch these cartridges to
their mouths. Given the contentious history between Muslims
and Hindus, it's reasonable to consider that the rumors could have been
started by each, to discourage the other in order to reduce
their capacity to fight. The British, who brought the
expatriate rifles to the colony, eventually settled the issue by
instructing users of the Enfield to tear the tops off the cartridges by
hand. The British were thought to be indifferent to the
religious preferences of the Muslims and the Hindus, which added
discord to the situation, which ended in a rebellion.
The Pattern 1853 was
also used in New Zealand Wars, a series of skirmishes lasting from 1845
to 1872, mostly over white settlers moving in on lands occupied by the
indigenous Maori tribes. To most stateside readers of this
website or article, the most famous use of the Pattern 1853 Enfield
3-Band took place during the American Civil War which ran from 1861 to
1865. They were sold to both sides in the conflict by the
British, and used extensively, especially by infantry in the South.
There are estimated to have been some 900,000 of the rifles involved in
the conflict.
To most stateside readers of this website or
article, the most
famous use of the Pattern 1853 Enfield 3-Band took place during the
American Civil War which ran from 1861 to 1865. They were
sold to
both sides in the conflict by the British, and used extensively,
especially by infantry in the South. The Confederacy had a difficult
time getting things brought in by sea, due to Union naval
blockades. There are estimated to have been some 900,000 of
the
rifles involved in the conflict. The second most-used small
arm
in the American Civil War, it was second only to the P60--another
Enfield. The 1853 was used by both Union and Confederate
forces. Since the Pattern 1853 used a .577 ball bullet, the
same
as the Pattern 1861 and P60 Enfield, it assured the continued use of
the former. The stateside version of the .577 bullet was the
.58
caliber minie ball. Towards the end of the Civil War, the
British
stopped exporting the weapons to the Confederacy because it was
apparent that they were not going to prevail, and did not wish to
damage their neutral standing. There had been some tension
remaining since the American War for Independence some 100 years
previously, and things were still not quite settled between the two
continents, though by this time, they were cooling down.
Not
surprisingly, the 1853 was succeeded by the Pattern 1861
Snider-Enfield. A great many of the 1853s were reworked and
upgraded by RSAF into the Snider-Enfield rifle, which used a
metal-cased cartridge called the Boxer. Today there are
reproductions of the various Civil War Enfield 1853 and 1861 rifles,
and are in high demand due to the popu
larity of Civil War history and
re-enactment.
Firearm Type:
Muzzle-Loading R
i
fled Musket
Nation Of Manufacture: Britain
Military Service Dates : 1853-1867
Variations: Rifle, Carbine, 1853, 1861
Snider-Enfield Conversion
Ammunition: .577, .58 Caliber Minie Ball
Wars: US Civil War, Crimean War, New
Zealand Land Wars, India Rebellion, others
Recent Prices at Auction for Originals: US
$500-$3,000
Interested in an authentic replica an Enfield
Pattern 1853 Rifled Musket?
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