Originating from French words like “carabin” and “carabinier,” the term carbine came to refer to lightweight muskets and rifles with shortened barrels and stocks. These weapons provided mounted troops and other units who required greater mobility with an easier-to-carry and more maneuverable option on the battlefield. Early carbines tended to be smoothbore, but rifled carbines gained traction in the 19th century, and the American Civil War saw a renaissance of innovation in the platform.
During the American Civil War, carbines were widely fielded by both sides of the conflict, with models from at least 19 different manufacturers adopted by the Union alone. Though most infantry troops equipped rifles, carbines were sometimes carried by skirmishers in addition to the platform’s prevalent role with cavalry units. The wealth of rare Civil War carbines for sale at Rock Island Auction Company demonstrates the experimentation and innovation found within this fantastic collecting category. Click on the images throughout this article to learn more about each of the featured firearms.
When it comes to fierce battles, rich history, and the sheer number of weapon types introduced, the Civil War era has everything a firearms fan could ask for. It’s little wonder that today’s collectors are drawn to relics from the conflict, and Rock Island Auction Company’s May 17-19 Premier Firearms Auction in Bedford, Texas features some of the finest, scarcest, and most historic Civil War arms available, including the exceptional iron frame Henry rifle pictured below.
Ball Repeating Carbine
Ordered by the Union in 1864, a reported 1,002 Lamson & Co. Ball carbines were received by the U.S. Army in May 1865, in the final days of the Civil War. Manufactured by Lamson & Co. of Windsor, Vermont, this seven-shot repeater was patented by Massachusetts inventor Albert Ball and was one of the most advanced weapons of its era. While the gun’s action operated similarly to a Spencer carbine, the Lamson & Co. Ball repeater also utilized a side action loading system and tubular magazine covered by a wooden forestock not unlike the latter Winchester Model 1866.
Ballard Carbine
Ball & Williams Co. of Worcester, MA were originally contracted to manufacture 5,000 Ballard carbines for the U.S. government in January 1864. Only 1,500 were produced before Ball & Williams abandoned the order and instead shifted production toward a more lucrative contract solicited by the Kentucky Cavalry. 1,200 of the initial 1,500 Ballard carbines manufactured were issued to the Vermont militia after the St. Albans Raid in October 1864. The fine condition example below appears to be among the select few Ballard carbines not issued and likely sat in government storage.
Bilharz, Hall & Co. Carbine
Originally attributed to D.C. Hodgkins & Sons of Macon, Georgia, more recent research indicates that these Civil War carbine models were made by Bilharz, Hall & Co. of Pittsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, for the Confederate Government in late 1863 to early 1864. A close copy of the Springfield Model 1855 carbine, only 400 to 700 Bilharz, Hall & Co. carbines were produced in total. Like many Confederate arms, these .58 caliber muzzleloading carbines were likely manufactured by hand due to a lack of factory equipment.
Burnside Carbine
This exceptional Civil War Burnside carbine was manufactured by the Burnside Rifle Company in Providence, Rhode Island between 1864 and 1865. Developed by future General Ambrose Everett Burnside in the 1850s, the Burnside carbine would become the third most purchased breech-loading Civil War carbine after only the Sharps and Spencer. The 5th Model Burnside represents the most advanced version of the general’s design, with a “guide screw” in the breech block that helped accelerate the loading process.
Gallager Carbine
The Gallager carbine was designed by South Carolinian dentist Dr. Mahlon J. Gallager and manufactured under license by Richardson & Overman in Philadelphia. Around 18,000 Gallager carbines were manufactured in three variations, with the first two versions widely used by the Union cavalry.
Gibbs Carbine
The Gibbs was one of the scarcest breech-loading Civil War carbine models. Only 1,052 were manufactured by William F. Brooks at the New York City Phoenix Armory and delivered to the U.S. government before the factory was burned down during the New York Draft Riots in July 1863. Around 500 Gibbs carbines were issued to the 10th Missouri Cavalry, with smaller quantities issued to the 13th and 14th New York Cavalry.
Greene Patent Breech-Loading Percussion Carbine
200 Greene carbines were delivered to fill a U.S. contract in March of 1856. 170 were sent west to the 1st Cavalry for field testing and were carried on the Cheyenne Expedition in May of 1857, with a small number issued to the 6th Ohio at the outbreak of the Civil War.
2,000 Green carbines were also manufactured between 1855 and 1857 on contract with the British for use in the Crimean War, with only a few hundred surviving today. The Massachusetts Arms Co. British contract Greene Patent carbine pictured below includes a “U.S.” marking in the left tail of the stock, indicating it could have been bought back from the British and used in U.S. military service during the Civil War era.
Gwyn & Campbell Type II Carbine
Gwyn & Campbell manufactured around 8,200 Type I and Type II Civil War carbines in 1863 and 1864 for the Union. Primarily issued to Midwestern units, including members of Col. Benjamin Grierson’s 6th Illinois Cavalry, these unique-looking .52 caliber breech-loaders were nicknamed “grapevine carbines” for their long hammer and serpentine-shaped trigger guard.
Hall-North Model 1843 Carbine
Around 10,500 “side lever” Hall-North Model 1843 carbines were manufactured by Simeon North of Middletown, Connecticut from 1844 to 1853. The 1st and 2nd U.S. Dragoons were among the units issued these carbines during the Mexican-American War, and more than half are believed to have been rifled for use in the Civil War. Original smoothbore examples like the high-condition Hall-North Model 1843 carbine offered below are a true rarity in 19th century military arms collecting.
Joslyn Model 1862 Carbine
One of the most fielded Civil War carbine types, the Joslyn was offered in two models: the 1862 and the more prolific Model 1864. Approximately 2,200 of the less common 1862 Joslyn breechloaders, distinguishable by their brass-mounted hardware, were purchased by the Ordnance Department. Designed by the prolific Massachusetts-born gun inventor Benjamin Franklin Joslyn, the carbine is equipped with a hook-type friction latch breechblock that pulls up and to the left for loading.
Lindner Carbine
Designed by Edward Lindner and manufactured by Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, New Hampshire, approximately 500 of these First Type American carbines are reported to have been manufactured for the Union. The guns were delivered in January 1863. 297 Linder carbines were subsequently issued to the 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry and used in skirmishes against Confederate forces between August and November of 1863.
Maynard Carbine
Another Civil War carbine designed by a dentist, the Maynard carbine was favored by both North and South. Maynard’s breech-loading carbine saw two variations, with several thousand First Model Maynard carbines purchased by southern states in the lead-up to the war. Not to be outdone, the Union armed its cavalry with 20,000 Second Model Maynard carbines between 1863 and 1865, including the 6th, 9th, and 11th Indiana Cavalry as well as the 10th and 11th East Tennessee Union Cavalry.
Palmer Bolt Action Carbine
The Palmer carbine was patented in 1863 and holds the distinction of being the first metallic cartridge bolt action firearm ever adopted by the U.S. Ordnance Department. The bolt on this design is used to seat the cartridge and seal the breech. It fires with a traditional side lock. Over 1,000 of these innovative Civil War carbine models were ordered by the U.S. government, but they arrived one month too late to see action in the conflict.
Remington Type I Split Breech Carbine
These Type I split breech carbines were manufactured by Savage Revolving Arms Co. for Remington to fulfill a U.S. Government contract for 5,000, with deliveries completed from February to April of 1865. Around 3,600 were repurchased from the government by Remington in 1870 and then resold to the French for use in the Franco-Prussian War, lending to their scarcity in today’s collecting market.
Sharps Carbine
A must have for any Civil War carbine collection and firearms fans of every stripe, the Sharps needs no introduction. The Sharps platform got its start during the Antebellum Era and saw use with figures like abolitionist John Brown and Mormon leader Brigham Young in the years leading up to the Civil War. Both North and South equipped their elite marksmen with Sharps carbines and rifles, including the Union’s green-jacketed regiment of volunteers popularly known as Berdan’s Sharpshooters.
The Sharps proved well suited for testing an enemy’s strength, slowing advances, picking off officers, and harassing a retreating foe, and the Union armed 80 cavalry regiments with Sharps carbines during the conflict. The incredible U.S. Sharps New Model 1863 percussion carbine pictured below is an example of perhaps the Civil War’s most popular variant of the platform.
Sharps & Hankins Model 1862 Carbine
While Christian Sharps is remembered for the platform mentioned above, he was involved in multiple firearm designs, including a cartridge rifle developed with Philadelphia entrepreneur William Hankins. The Sharps & Hankins was a breechloader chambered for a .52 caliber rimfire cartridge and designed with a barrel that slides forward in a track on the frame when the lever is pressed forward. This mechanism is a unique standout to many Civil War carbines and early breech loaders that utilized barrels that tilted on a hinge downwards, rotated to the side, or had moving breechblocks.
The Sharps & Hankins Civil War carbines were manufactured in three different variations, and government records list 6,686 purchased for the U.S. Navy. These Navy Sharps & Hankins included leather covering designed to protect the barrel from corrosive saltwater. Due to age and hard use, the original leather covering on most of these firearms didn’t survive or show extensive damage. The U.S. Navy Sharps & Hankins Civil War carbine pictured below is one of the most remarkably complete examples of the genre.
Smith Carbine
One of the most prolific Civil War carbine models fielded by the Federal cavalry was invented in 1857 by Dr. Gilbert Smith of New York. 30,362 Smith carbines were reportedly purchased by the United States government during the war, an impressive figure considering the Union’s frequent skepticism toward new technology.
The Smith carbine folded open similarly to a break action shotgun and was designed to use ammunition with a reloadable case made with a special rubber known as “gutta percha.” Though rubber shortages resulted in a limited supply of Smith casings and the ammunition could be slow to extract due to heat expansion in the chamber, the Smith carbine still saw hard use in combat. Finding high-condition “as issued” examples like the Smith carbine pictured below is a true collecting rarity.
Spencer Carbine
No Civil War carbine collection is complete without the legendary Spencer repeater. As the first military-issued repeating metallic-cartridge long gun design, the Spencer rifle and carbine offered an unprecedented level of firepower for its era. After inventor Christopher Spencer gave President Lincoln a personal demonstration of his seven-shot lever action repeater, Lincoln pressured his Ordnance Department to adopt the new weapon.
The first Spencer rifles purchased by the Ordnance Department were priced at a hefty $40.00, over two and a half times the cost of a Springfield Model 1861 muzzleloading rifle. The shorter-barreled Spencer carbine, accepted by the Union in the fall of 1863, quickly became the preferred standard due to its more affordable $25.00 price tag. Late in the war, the Burnside Rifle Co. retooled its facilities to manufacture Spencer carbines to help meet production demand for the model and made their first deliveries early in 1865.
Springfield Model 1855 Pistol-Carbine
A rarity for Civil War carbine collectors, Springfield Armory only manufactured 4,021 of these distinctive weapons between 1855 and 1857. The Model 1855 pistol-carbine was intended to provide the U.S. Cavalry and Dragoon regiments on the pre-Civil War frontier with a weapon that could be utilized as a pistol on horseback and a carbine for dismounted action when fitted with the stock.
The carbine was designed to fire the newly introduced .58 caliber expanding base bullet (Minie ball) and was fitted with the Maynard tape primer system that was employed in numerous military models from 1855. Though the Model 1855 pistol-carbine was quickly replaced with the Colt revolver, these adaptable firearms were brought out of retirement and issued to volunteer cavalry units during the early stages of the Civil War. High condition examples like the Model 1855 pistol-carbine pictured below that retain their original matching stock are few and far between.
Starr Arms Carbine
Before he developed his famous revolvers, Ebenezer Starr patented a .54 caliber falling block carbine in 1858. The Union ordered more than 20,600 Starr carbines and earmarked the weapons for cavalry units in the Civil War’s Western theater. In the end, the Starr became the fifth most manufactured Civil War carbine, though high-condition offerings like the example below are immensely difficult to find.
Triplett & Scott Repeating Carbine
Another example of advanced Civil War carbine development, the Triplett & Scott repeater was produced by the Connecticut-based Meriden Manufacturing in 1865. 5,000 Triplett & Scott carbines were ordered by the Kentucky Home Guard to help protect supply lines under General Sherman, but these unique repeaters arrived too late to see action on the battlefield. The Triplett & Scott carbine features a seven-round magazine and is loaded by twisting the barrel to align with the magazine on the lower left side of the receiver.
Warner Carbine
One of the most distinctive Civil War carbine models, the brass frame Warner carbine was designed, patented, and produced by lifelong gun inventor James Warner of Massachusetts. Warner managed to land an Ordnance Department contract for his carbine before the patent was issued in February 1864. About 1,500 carbines were produced near the end of the war, issued primarily to the 3rd Massachusetts and the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiments.
Civil War Carbines for Sale
The vast number of gun models and ammunition types fielded during the Civil War was a daunting challenge for each military’s ordnance bureaus, but the result was a goldmine for today’s arms collectors. The bounty of Civil War carbine models produced during the conflict demonstrates an arms race of innovation, and the finest and rarest period examples can be found at Rock Island Auction Company.
The Civil War carbines for sale featured here are just a sampling of what awaits in Rock Island Auction Company’s May 17-19 Premier Firearms Auction. For Civil War enthusiasts in the market for rare rifles, revolvers, swords, cannons, and militaria employed during this fascinating era in arms development, May’s auction offers numerous opportunities to build your collection.
Subscribe to the weekly Rock Island Auction newsletter to receive new gun blogs and gun videos that dive deeper into Civil War-era arms like the Henry rifle, the Gatling gun, the Bowie knife, the LeMat revolver, the Beaumont Adams revolver, the Pettengill’s hammerless revolver, the Butterfield Army Model disc primed revolver, and more.
