This rare Norwich Model 1861 rifle-musket is identified as a War Department pattern gun, and the top breech of the barrel is bearing the corresponding marks consisting of a flaming bomb stamp above "W.D" (War Department) surrounded by an oval and "1864" in three lines, and "No 1" is painted on the rear surface of the butt, hidden beneath the buttplate. A substantial number of firms were contracted to manufacture the Model 1861 rifle-musket. Norwich Arms Company was one such manufacturer, and manufactured approximately 25,000 of these rifle-muskets between 1863-1864. An accompanying copy of an official period government correspondence letter addressed to Chief of Ordnance General G. D. Ramsay, dated May 20th, 1864, mentions this pattern gun as "Musket No. 1" as well as another "Musket No. 2" as critically inspected in detail by noted U.S. Ordnance inspector William A. Thornton, in which he mentions twelve small parts that were found to be slightly out of specification when measured with a gauge on this gun. Thornton finishes the letter by stating, "The remaining parts, comprising both muskets, have been critically inspected in detail. They are found to conform favorably with the standard gauges, to be of good materials and of passable workmanship, and I therefore recommend their acceptance as Models, with the full understanding that the errors in workmanship, herein before named, shall not exist in any of the rifle muskets to be hereafter furnished by the Norwich Arms Company pursuant to Mr. F.L. Gleason's contract of April 1st, 1864." The lot also includes letters from 1863 requesting the proper dies to be made for the War Department stamp. The lock plate is dated "1864" behind the hammer and marked with the eagle motif and "U.S./NORWICH." ahead of the hammer. The left rear of the barrel is marked with the "V/P/eagle head" proofmarks, and the top of the breech also has the standard "1864" date marking in line with the bore below the War Department marking with its separate smaller "1864" date. Rock Island Auction Company recently sold a War Department pattern gun Spencer Model 1860 with an identical stamp on its breech (Lot 190, Auction 88). The buttplate tang is marked "US" and the barrel bands are "U" marked. Fixed front sight doubling as a bayonet lug and three leaf folding rear sight, clean-out screw on the bolster, and iron tulip head ramrod. Mounted with a full straight grip stock with no inspection cartouches having ever been applied to the left stock flat due to the fact that this rifle-musket was sent directly to the Ordnance Office at the New York Arsenal for inspection as a pattern model. Sling swivel mounted on the middle barrel band and front of the trigger guard. Also includes separated pages from an original March 1864 "Harper's New Monthly Magazine" of an article titled "The Norwich Armories".

Extremely fine, exhibits bright iron surfaces, most of the original blue finish on the rear sight, with sharp markings and edges overall. Stock is excellent with attractive original raised grains, some scattered light scratches and dents, some minor chipping around the front lock screw on the left flat, and defined edges. Mechanically excellent. As an identified pattern gun of the iconic U.S. contract 1861 rifle-musket that was used as a War Department sample and studied by the critical eyes of U.S. inspector William A. Thornton, this is a historically significant item worthy of any advanced U.S. martial or Civil War firearms collection!