doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Unexpected consequences after shotgun save!

Hello from MT! Am a newbie to these forums and a senior, so be kind.
Was trolling a comercial selling site online looking for some antique rifle inlays for a project. Came across what was advertised as a fine English shotgun from the period 1770 to 1830's. Gun was seperated into three pcs. to each be sold individually, with a break on cost if purchasing more than one. Price was fair and gun seemed in much better than average condition with good unbroken wood. Lots of lightly engraved metal, 38 in Damascus London Fine Twist dbb. Maker Wm. Chance of Birmingham. Ad said name or initials carved in stock. Very surprised when it came. Had TENNESSEE stamped on stock right side and initials and , Name J M Ring on other. Didn't make sense to me to see such on a better English Double? Ended up in Civil War Forum. Turned out name belonged to Confederate Calvary Pvt. from Marshall County Tennessee (Marshall's Raiders). Learned that State Stamp ment gun travelled through Arsenal and delivered by wagon back to troops. Anyone out their have an early era piece with a State stamp into stock? Have seen pic online of one from Ohio and one from Maryland . Amazed to learn doubles favored by some calvary for duration of war (buck and ball. When seeing gun advertised with carved stock I almost didn't buy it. Who would do a primative carving on nice wood?
While waiting for delivery I contemplated a restoration as they look so nice. Be careful not to be to quick to scrape this history away from civilian looking shotguns from these earlier times! Confederate stuff scarcer then hens teeth, especially tied to man and unit I've been told? A bit of a windfall!

Hello Flathead
Wonderful first posting
Please to have that info
I used to live in Great Falls, MT and both my children were born there/
Again, Welcome
Mike

Hi, Thanks for greetings. Great Falls our favorite pheasant country. Geese still great!

Welcome, Flathead. Always nice to see a piece of history land with someone who can take care of it. Good piece of research, too.

DDA

Interesting story, Flathead. Welcome to the forum. Thanks for posting that.

These are the kinds of pieces that definitely should not be "restored", IMO. While not in the category of unique provenance as yours, I have a BE grade Fox that has "L B Hart 1919" crudely engraved into the triggerguard bow. I have not been able to find out much about him, but would never remove that bit of history of the gun.

Hope you can take some pics and post them for us soon.

All my best, SRH

Welcome Flathead;
I live in Tennessee not far from Marshall County. Do you know which cavalry unit Mr Ring was in. One of my G Grandfather's rode with Starnes' 4th TN Volunteer cavalry.

Hi Thans for your welcome. Their were lots of Rings listed as coming from Marshall County and had formed into Company A, Marshall's Raiders , Baxter Smith's Regiment . Private Ring fought entire war from 1861-65. Forum thread below has pics, the Forum members waded in, showed pictures of other states stamped stocks, and some regiment history. Those men were the real deal. They were there and back.
Civil War Talk Forum
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/unexpec...0/#post-1547329
lots of pics, I;ll try to figure how to post them!



https://civilwartalk.com/threads/unexpec...0/#post-1547329

https://civilwartalk.com/attachments/dscn0449-jpg.138731/

https://civilwartalk.com/attachments/dscn0506-jpg.138766/
Have lots of pics, Very elegant long barreled 38" that balances well. Wood is very nice as far as fit. Was surprised no breaks or splits. Finish seems English Red under an old coat of clear varnish.

Flathead,
Good save of southern history. This gun could have come from anywhere. Cavalry units, early in the War, were allowed to keep whatever equipment(money also)they captured from the enemy as incentive to join. Some troopers favored shotguns for their particular tactics, as well as six (or more) revolvers; Colt 1860s when they could get them, or most anything operable until they could upgrade to Colt or good copies. Because of misdeeds of some outfits( Bloody Bill Anderson?),the CSA withdrew that policy later on.
Mike

The civil war talk folks forum found other state marked guns and said they were through some sort of arsenal, marked, and returned to units in need in the field. The Seventh Regiment shows all men with shotguns, some issued, some theirs. Very interesting in that value of each gun given $20-$30 values sited. And name of donator. South in a bad hole at beginning. North had industry and men. South put up one hell of a fight. Might see other State names stamped on shotguns, as I said earlier.

Some cousins of mine, about 3rd if I remember correctly have a percussion half stock rifle. It is deeply carved in one side of the stock in very neat block letters Leander H Edwards. This was the name of my G Great Father, Their's also, who fought in the 45th TN infantry. Family lore has it he carried this rifle through the war. It is of course not a military rifle, but he may well have provided it, & kept it for the duration.

I have seen a rifle which belonged to one Jack Hinson. He was an "Independant" Sniper, didn't sign on with either side. This is a .45 or .50 caliber rifle of about 20 lbs weight firing a long picket bullet. He was extremely effective with it firing on blue Coats, especially if they had officrs insignias on them.
If you have never heard of him do a search on that name, he has a very interesting story. He had a plantation south of Dover TN. He in fact helped guide Gen Grant across from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson. After the capture of the fort & the confederate withdrawal the Union arrested two of his young sons, who were out on their property squirrell hunting, for "Gorilla" activity. They were subsequently shot, beheaded & their heads placed on Mr Hinson's gate posts.
They hadn't ortta made the old man mad, a mistake which cost them tremendously, it has been estimated close to 100 lives. Much of his work was done from a cave in a cliff overlooking the Tennessee river. Below this was a narrow channel in which the water was so swift it took the boats of the day a long time to pass through. Many search parties were sent out but he was never found or captured. The Captain of one boat though them surrounded by a confederate force & as the boat was unable to gain speed he actually dropped anchor & ran up a white surrender flag. Jack oif course didn't try to go down singlehanded & capture them, so after no activity on about a half hour, the white flag was pulled, anchor raised & they proceeded on up river (South at this point). Much of the area where this all unfolded is presently in the "Land Between the Lakes" or underwater of either Kentucky or Barkley lakes. The Cave is still accessible. A group from my Sons of Confederate Veterans camp went there a couple of years ago. I would have loved to have gone also, but knew I was simply not physically able to make the long trek up the hillside to the cave.

That sounds like something Sherman's "men" would have done down here in my neck of the woods. I guess W.T. didn't have a corner on cruelty. I have mentioned it before, briefly, but they gang raped my wife's great-great aunt. She subsequently became mentally ill to the point that she had to be committed. She died in an asylum, insane from the trauma and shame.

SRH