A Confederate Gun

The Fayetteville Rifle a Confederate made gun, ceased to be made March 11^th 1865, when Union General William Tecumseh Sherman destroyed the arsenal.

The Fayetteville Rifle was a .58 caliber, two banded rifled musket that was made at the Confederate States Arsenal in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  The rifle’s back sights were set for 500 yard and it had a place for a bayonet.  The machinery used to make these guns was captured in April 18^th 1861 at the United State Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.  It had been used to make the US Model 1855 Rifle.  They were able to make about 300 rifles a month, with a maximum of 500 when needed.  The Fayetteville was produced from early in 1862 until the arsenal was captured and destroyed March 11^th 1865 by troops under Union General William T Sherman.

Arsenal Destroyed

General William Techumseh Sherman’s continued his march north on March 11th 1865 when he captured the town of Fayetteville, North Carolina. He promptly ordered the Fayetteville Arsenal destroyed. The women who worked at the Arsenal had turned out over 900,000 rounds over seven months of 1864, mostly .58 caliber cartridges known as “minnies“. Most of the machinery being used at the Arsenal was made before the war at Harper’s Ferry.