The "Mississippi Rifle" was made famous by Jefferson Davis' unit during the Mexican-American War and was also widely used by both sides during the Civil War. Many were updated for use with bayonets and Minie balls. Colt purchased the rifles for $10 each, rebored and rifled them for .58 caliber ammunition using the original style of rifling, fitted split band bayonet adapters, and then sold them back to the government for $18.50 each paired with bayonets manufactured for Colt by Collins & Co. They had completed 10,200 by the summer of 1862 and thus had brought in over $86,000 while also giving Union soldiers handsome rifles adapted for bayonets and better ammunition. This example properly has seven-groove rifling, a brass tipped ramrod used on the original Model 1841 rifles, the standard brass blade, correct Colt Model 1855 three-leaf type sight with folding leaves at the front and rear, the split band around the barrel with a lug on the right, "902" on the band and barrel, "US/JCB/P" at the breech, "1851" on the barrel tang, "ROBBINS/&/LAWRENCE/U.S." at the center of the lock, "WINDSOR VT./1851" at the tail of the lock, "JM" and "W.A.T." cartouches on the left stock flat, "US" on the buttplate tang, and a spare nipple within the patch box. The bayonet is numbered "2796" and is dated "1861." A modern note within the patch box attributes the rifle as formerly owned by Brigadier General John Gazzam Butler (1842-1914) and then passed down through his family. Butler graduated from West Point in 1863 and served in the 4th Field Artillery and Ordnance Department.