The original inlaid silver plaque on the left side of this c. 1830s-1840s rifle below the cheekpiece is finely period inscribed "Benjamin French". The rifled barrel has traditional dovetailed blade and notch sights and "J.H. RECTOR SYRACUSE/NY/27" marked at the breech. The standing breech is tapped for a peep sight (absent). The lock is marked "C. BAKER" and has scroll and game scene engraving. The forend cap and inlays, ramrod entry pipe, trigger guard, patchbox, toe plate comb plate, cheekpiece inlay, panel inscribed "Benjamin French" below the side plate, and the rear side plate are all silver, and most are engraved. The patchbox is particularly ornate features engraved columns on the side plates, a keystone arch on the finial, and scroll accents. The brass buttplate is engraved and was silver plated. The curly maple stock has a checkered wrist with evidence of having been a thin band wrapped at one time. The rifle is accompanied by a copy of "Witness to the Young Republic: A Yankee's Journal, 1828-1870" by Benjamin Brown French (to whom this rifle is attributed) edited by Donald B. Cole and John J. McDonough Benjamin Brown French (1800-1870), in the period often known as Major French, was a witness to many historical events, especially in the nation's capital from the 1830s to the 1870s. He had been a representative in the New Hampshire legislature in the early 1830s as well as a major in the state militia prior to working in a variety of roles in Washington, D.C. For much of his life, he lived within a block of the Capitol. He became the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in the mid-1840s, president of the Magnetic Telegraph Company in 1847-1850, Grand Master of the Knights Templar of the United States in the 1850s, president of the inaugural ball committee for Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration, and Commissioner of Public Buildings in Washington, D.C., during the the Pierce, Lincoln, and Johnson administrations. French laid the cornerstone of the Washington Monument and Smithsonian Institution as Masonic Grand Master of the District of Columbia and wore the same apron and held the same gavel used previously by George Washington during the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol. French's masonic connections as well as his significance to the public buildings in Washington, D.C., could explain the unusual masonry designs on the patchbox. At the consecration of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, French served as the marshal-in-chief, and the Consecration Hymn written by French was sung by the Baltimore Glee Club between the oration of Edward Everett and Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. French was in frequent contact with President Lincoln during the war and was one of his confidants and also close with Mary Todd Lincoln. He oversaw the arrangements for the funeral of Willie Lincoln in 1862 and rushed to be by Lincoln's side after learning he had been shot. After his death, French made the funeral arrangements, and his son Benjamin French Jr. designed the catafalque upon which Lincoln's casket rested in the Capitol Rotunda. It has since been used for every person who has laid in state in the rotunda. Major French's nephew Daniel Chester French was the sculptor of the famous statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial as well as other notable patriotic sculptures. After the turmoil of the Johnson administration, Major French worked as a clerk in the Treasury Department until shortly before his death. In his journal, French makes it clear he was a capable marksman and knowledgeable about rifles and other firearms but regrettably does not discuss any of the specific firearms in detail. In his entry for April 4, 1838, regarding the famous Graves-Cilley duel fought with rifles at 90-100 yards, he wrote in the margins that after examining the rifle used by Graves, he was confident he could hit a 4 inch ring five out of six times at the duel's distance. On May 15, 1838, he wrote of walking with Congressman John Crockett, son of Davy Crockett, and how they "talked about rifle shooting nearly all the way. I found that he understood all about the science." In other entries he discusses hunting birds, his air rifle, and other firearms related topics.

Good with attractive aged patina and distinct engraving on the silver furniture and inlays, gray and brown patina on the replacement lock and barrel, a hole from a prior front lock screw, tool marks towards the breech end, absent set trigger and front ramrod ferrule, and moderate wear suggesting the rifle saw considerable period use. The stock is also good and has attractive figure and faded finish, some chips absent, a few cracks, visible but smoothed checkering, and general mild wear. Mechanically fine. Overall, this is a very fascinating silver mounted American rifle believed to have been owned by one of the most significant figures in Washington, D.C., in the period.