Both sides imported large quantities of European
firearms to assist them in arming their troops.
The most widely used was the British Pattern 1853
Enfield rifle-musket because it was accurate and
well made. An important factor for both sides was
that the .58 caliber bullet used by both Union and
Confederate forces was interchangeable with the
.577 Enfield. Its overall length totaled 55 1/4
inches and weighed about 9 pounds. Hundreds of thousands
of Enfield rifle-muskets were successfully smuggled
into the South by the Confederacy during the war.
Division of the History of Technology, Armed Forces
History
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution
Behring Center
Gift of Dr. G. Brown Goode
