The Burnside carbines were designed by General Ambrose E. Burnside and manufactured by the Bristol Firearms Company and then the Burnside Rifle Company. Burnside was a mediocre leader of men but was well regarded for his carbine design. Burnside's carbines performed very well in the antebellum trials and even beat seventeen other designs in 1857. Nevertheless, only small numbers were ordered before the Civil War broke out. Once it did, over 50,000 carbines were purchased for the war effort. This example is one of 2,000 of the early variations manufactured by the Burnside Rifle Company in 1861 and 1862. The main distinguishing characteristic of this model from the more common latter examples is the absence of a forearm. It has a blade front sight, notch and folding leaf rear sight, "G. P. FOSTER PAT./APRIL 10TH 1860" on the lever catch, "BURNSIDE RIFLE CO./PROVIDENCE=R.I." on the lock plate, a saddle ring and bar on the left side of the action at the bottom, and a sling swivel on the bottom of the stock.

Fair. The carbine displays mostly dark brown patina overall. There are spots of mild pitting primarily on the breechblock and hinge. The revarnished stock is very good and has some slight chips at the edges of the inlets and a few minor marks. The lock functions fine, and the markings are mostly crisp.