This iconic 19th century target rifle and the legend surrounding it have been told many times. The two key markings on the rifle are "Little George Lainhart" inscribed in Gothic script on the heel plate and "Abe Williams Maker" on the toe plate. There is also a partially faded Remington maker's mark on the barrel, and scroll and border engraving. The rifle is fitted with a 37 inch long scope on finely adjustable mounts dovetailed into the barrel towards the muzzle and on screw mounted on the upper tang. The upper barrel flat also has a variety of other taps for mounting (three filled, four with screws in place, and two empty). Two gold hearts are inlaid into the left side of the stock which has been previously noted as rosewood. The semi-pistol grip wrist is checkered, and there are oval cheekpieces on both sides. Collector J.P. Stevens made many of the accoutrements for the rifle, including bullet molds, swages, and patch cutters, and the more recent owner made the case which contains additional accessories including a large bullet starter, false muzzle, another scope, and more. The rifle weighs over 35 pounds. This impressive rifle is featured on the cover of the February 1969 edition of "The Gun Report" (copy included) and discussed within in the article "Little George Lainhart" by S.P. Stevens and which relays the legendary tale of this rifle first told in "Our Rifles" by Charles Winthrop Sawyer on pages 89-102 (copy included) and also noted in Ned Roberts's book "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle." In Sawyer's legend, the West Point Graduate Captain John Metcalf III used this rifle in a machine rest to shoot and kill a Confederate general at the range of one mile and 187 feet while serving in the U.S. Army Engineer Corps in April 1864. The slaying of the general is said to have turned the battle for the Union. The story was featured in "Mile-Long Shot to Kill" in the "True" series. In some versions of the story, "Little George Lainhart" is identified as the Confederate general killed and in others it is the nickname given to the rifle by Abe Williams. Display materials relating to "Mile-Long Shot to Kill" and the rifle are included. In truth, the story is pure myth. Captain John H. Metcalf III never existed and there was no General George Lainhart killed by a sharpshooter in 1864. In "Tall Tales of the Civil War" by William C. Davis notes, "The story first appeared as a history account in Charles Winthrop Sawyer’s Our Rifles, appended to the description of the target rifle with Lainhart’s name engraved on the stock. The rifle was real enough, though Lainhart’s identity remains a mystery. But the whole Metcalf fabrication Sawyer took from an earlier novel he had written, John Metcalf, Old Time American Rifleman. The fictional Metcalf was a marksman in the American Revolution, fabled for long-distance shooting. Sawyer simply moved the fiction forward and attached it to this actual gun. The story, despite being exposed as a fraud, has been told and retold, even televised in the 1960s. Today at least two target rifles are on display—one in a tavern in Texas—as the one Metcalf used. Instead of being the rifle's nickname, the inscription is likely for the rifle's original owner." This indeed is the case based on the history of this rifle and its maker as discovered by noted firearms researcher and author H.J. Swinney and discussed in detail in "The New York State Firearms Trade" on pages 1692-1695. Period records indicate Abram/Abraham Williams was active in Owego, New York, in "1864-1885 and later." Swinney notes that Williams lived and worked with the Ogden family of gunsmiths. The New York Census of 1865 lists him living in the home of Charles Ogden, the youngest of the three Ogden brothers. By the 1870s the fancy goods business Ogden & Lainhart appears in directories. We located on example in The Gazetteer & Business Directory of Broome and Tioga Counties, N.Y. for 1872-3" which lists "Ogden & Lainhart (Owego,) (Walter Ogden and Geo. Lainhart,) variety store and manufs. firearm, Front opposite Ahwaga House" another advertisement card for the shop listing "C" or "G" "Lainhart, dealer in Gold, Silver, and Plated Ware. Fancy Goods, Notions Table and Pocket Cutlery, Fire Arms and Fishing Tackle, Also Manufacturer of Guns, Variety Store, Front St. opp. Ahwaga House, Owego, N.Y." Swinney indicates George H. Lainhart was married to Libbie Ogden/Gardner and that Williams and Lainhart lived together for many years. "The big target rifle illustrated by Sawyer undoubtedly comes from a later period. Either George Lainhart commissioned it or Williams made it as a present for his friend." He also notes, "The famous rifle is now owned by a Mineral Wells, TX, collector, and I have handled it. It confirms my opinion that it was made about 1880, not 1860." Provenance: The Major John De Merritt Collection; The J.C. Harvey Collection; The Herb Green Collection; The Johnie Bassett Collection; The S.P. Stevens Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Fine with fading original blue finish fading to an even brown patina along the barrel, traces of original case colors in the protected areas and otherwise smooth gray and brown patina, aged patina on the German silver, and generally minor overall wear. The revarnished stock is also fine aside from a split along the grain down the left side of the stock and has crisp checkering and minor wear. The scopes have good options and considerable finish. Mechanically excellent. The case and accessories are generally very fine with minor wear. Overall, this is an iconic rifle connected to a famous myth from the Civil War.